Are you up for a beautiful, historical drive that will take you from one end of West Virginia to the other? Buckle up, because we’ve found just the one! The Seneca Trail (otherwise known as U.S. Highway 219), which enters West Virginia near Silver Lake and exits in Peterstown.
At the northern end of Seneca Trail, start at the small community of Silver Lake.
NatalieMaynor/Wikipedia And we mean “small community” literally: Silver Lake boasts the smallest church and smallest post office in the state.
Head south for a few miles and stop for coffee and a blueberry pastry at TipTop in Thomas.
TipTop/Facebook Then, coffee in hand, take a stroll on the Allegheny Highlands Trail. You can find it shadowing the path of U.S. 219 from Parsons to Elkins.
In Elkins, take a driving tour of the many historic buildings on the Davis & Elkins College Campus, including Halliehurst (pictured).
Generic1139/Wikipedia You can also find Graceland, a Gate House, and an Ice House - all beautiful, historic structures associated with the original Davis and Elkins families.
Continue south. You’ll pass right by Marlinton, and you can make a short detour to enjoy this quaint mountain town, or you can save it for another time and continue on to Pearl S. Buck’s birth place and the farm museum in Hillsboro.
Beeflower/Wikipedia
Next stop: Droop Mountain Battlefield for a climb up the observation tower.
Brian M. Powell/Wikipedia
In Lewisburg, tour one of only four Carnegie Halls in the nation.
Melvin Hartley/Tripadvisor In Ronceverte, stop by Island Park and dip your toes in the Greenbrier River. South of Union, visit Indian Creek Covered Bridge.
In Peterstown, stop for a meal at the Hometown Restaurant, just before the Seneca Trail crosses into Virginia.
Jem Daniels/Google Maps Then turn around and head back home the way you came, or make a loop by heading back through White Sulphur Springs, Greenbank, and Seneca Rocks to the east of the Seneca Trail or through Fayetteville, Summersville, and Buckhannon to the west.
NatalieMaynor/Wikipedia
And we mean “small community” literally: Silver Lake boasts the smallest church and smallest post office in the state.
TipTop/Facebook
Then, coffee in hand, take a stroll on the Allegheny Highlands Trail. You can find it shadowing the path of U.S. 219 from Parsons to Elkins.
Generic1139/Wikipedia
You can also find Graceland, a Gate House, and an Ice House - all beautiful, historic structures associated with the original Davis and Elkins families.
Beeflower/Wikipedia
Brian M. Powell/Wikipedia
Melvin Hartley/Tripadvisor
In Ronceverte, stop by Island Park and dip your toes in the Greenbrier River. South of Union, visit Indian Creek Covered Bridge.
Jem Daniels/Google Maps
Then turn around and head back home the way you came, or make a loop by heading back through White Sulphur Springs, Greenbank, and Seneca Rocks to the east of the Seneca Trail or through Fayetteville, Summersville, and Buckhannon to the west.
The whole length of the Seneca Trail from Silver Lake to Peterstown takes about 4.5 hours without any stops. Of course, if you can only do a portion of the road, it’s still an enjoyable trip no matter which section you have time to tackle! And there are plenty of other places that we didn’t have space to feature to stop, stretch, eat, and enjoy along the way. Here’s just one of them.
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Address: Silver Lake, WV 26716, USAAddress: Thomas, WV 26292, USAAddress: Elkins, WV 26241, USAAddress: Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, 683 Droop Park Road, Hillsboro, WV 24946, USAAddress: Hillsboro, WV, USAAddress: Lewisburg, WV 24901, USAAddress: Peterstown, WV 24963, USA
