Beartown Wilderness Road

The old Civilian Conservation Corps road into Beartown State Park winds through some of West Virginia’s most mystical terrain, where massive sandstone formations create natural rooms and corridors that early settlers called ‘bear town.’ The 4-mile route climbs from the Greenbrier River Valley through thick hardwood forest to reach the famous rock city at 3,000 feet, passing remnants of Depression-era camps and crossing Turkey Run twice on deteriorating concrete fords.

This moderate trail requires high-clearance 4WD for the rocky creek crossings and steep, rutted climbs through sections that turn to axle-deep mud after rain. Best tackled May through October when the CCC-era stone culverts aren’t ice-choked. No permits needed, but dispersed camping is limited to designated spots near the rock formations. The payoff is wandering through cathedral-sized gaps between house-sized boulders where black bears still den and Civil War deserters once hid.