Babcock State Park

We pulled up in the parking lot of Babcock State Park, which overlooks the old grist mill, and my son exclaims, “Hey!  That’s on the front of my WV studies book at school!”  Turns out, the mill is one of the most photographed spots in West Virginia and it is absolutely beautiful.  There are large rocks that you can walk on and take gorgeous photos, sun yourself or cast a line in the rushing water.  As your eye follows the water, you notice fly fishermen doing their best to catch a nice trout and families snapping pictures.

The Glade Creek Grist Mill was completed in 1976 and is comprised of parts from three former mills in the area.  The body of the mill was from the Stoney Creek Grist Mill in Pocahontas County and dates back to 1890.  It was dismantled piece by piece and brought to its current home.  The water wheel is from Grant County, after a fire destroyed the Spring Run Grist Mill near Petersburg.   The wheel was all that remained from that fire.  The final parts came from the Onego Grist Mill near Seneca Rocks in Pendleton County.  The patchwork grist mill looks content along Glade Creek, as if it had been there all along.  It stands as a working representation of the over 500 grist mills that once thrived in West Virginia.  Visitors can watch as a miller works inside the water powered mill, grinding fresh buckwheat flour and cornmeal, which is available to purchase.

Babcock State Park is also home to several rental cabins and campsites, over 20 miles of hiking trails, excellent fishing along Glade Creek or in Boley Lake, boating, swimming, horseback riding as well as game courts for tennis, basketball and volleyball.  In the summer months, the park offers a naturalist to guide tours and nature interpretation programs for young and young at heart.  Take the opportunity to learn about the trees, plants, wildflowers, and wildlife of the park and soak up the fresh mountain air in a beautiful part of the country.

For more information on places to visit in West Virginia, go here.