Bluestone River Adventures

Bluestone River Adventures

Hey Fellow Travelers,
It’s time again for another review of the fun things to do near Flat Top, WV. Just in case this is your first time coming across my blog, let me give you a quick recap. I’m Sir Justyn, the Baron of Mavis, an Innkeeper of Mavis Manor, an 1897 Queen Anne Victorian country Manor located in the small hamlet of Flat Top, in Southern WV. I moved down to Flat Top in Aug 2005 from Akron/Green, Ohio to build my parents a retirement business. Okay, enough about me - now to the grand adventures!


I just came across some pictures of my last trip to the Bluestone River. This is one of my all-time favorite places near my home. Here is a little secret - I was meeting a girl I’d been talking to for a little while on the phone, and I wanted to impress her with some cool serene scenery. That's why our first date was at the Bluestone River.

“The 77-mile-long Bluestone River rises along the northern flank of East River Mountain 2.5 miles southwest of Springville, in Tazewell County, Virginia (VA), and flows northeastward 83 miles through Mercer and Summers counties in West Virginia to join the New River. Eleven miles of its lower course is protected by the National Park Service as the Bluestone National Scenic River. Parts of Bluestone State Park and Pipestem Resort State Park are also located in the scenic lower section of the river. The Bluestone River is a popular warm-water fishery and canoeing is possible through mid-summer when water levels drop to a point where shoals are exposed across the stream. Kayaking is popular on the Bluestone in spring and during floods.”


The part of Bluestone River I found is easy to get to, but alas there is no way to GPS it or anything. There really isn’t any town left around my favorite part of the river, it’s just pure wilderness. It’s honestly super easy to get to. Here are directions from Mavis Manor:

Rt19 North to Ellison Ridge Rd. Follow Ellison Ridge Rd. till the road does this weird triangle thing. Turn left onto the road, (I forget it’s name but the road only goes left) and if the sign is still there it’ll say "To Bluestone NWA." Follow that road down the mountain until you get to the park's car park, and you're there.


Something about living in WV can make you forget GPS and road names, neither really seems to work. This park is totally worth the trip. The river is beautiful; the mountains are towering over you. It is definitely a sight to see.

Ps: It was a great first date… or at least it must have been because we have been dating ever since! 


Till next time.

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Sir Justyn, Baron of Mavis

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