Pendleton County
NRocks Outdoor Adventure Center Picture it. You’re standing on a suspension bridge strung 150 feet off the ground between two razorback edges of a rock formation high in the mountains of Pendleton County. You see treetops swaying beneath you with each shaky step.
Each year, thousands of outdoor enthusiasts flock to NROCKS Outdoor Adventures in Circleville, West Virginia, for their chance to cross that bridge and the rest of the three- to five-hour Via Ferrata, or “iron road,” course. Visitors hike breathtaking trails and climb rock faces using steel rungs—all while safely hooked to a cable that runs the length of the course and is anchored to the rock. It’s a way for even the most amateur adventurer to experience the thrills of rock climbing, no experience necessary. Via ferrata as we know it today dates back toWorldWar I, when both Austro-Hungarian and Italian armies built protected climbing routes to transport troops and supplies through otherwise impassable mountain ranges. The climbing style came to West Virginia in the early 2000s when Stu Hammett, an attorney living in
Maryland, purchased 142 acres of the Nelson Rocks Preserve with the goal of making it a traditional climbing park. After the park did not catch on as anticipated, Hammett heard about the via ferrata at Torrent Falls in Kentucky’s Red River Gorge, the first in the United States. He climbed the course in January 2002 and, by June of the same year, opened the via ferrata at Nelson Rocks. Virginia-based Endless Horizon bought the property in 2009 and expanded the operation, rebranding the park as NROCKS Outdoor Adventures and adding a welcome center, expanded lodging, and zipline canopy tours. Via ferrata remains NROCKS’ main attraction, though, with 10,000 to 15,000 people completing the course each year. 141 Nelson Gap Road, Circleville, 877.496.8996, rocks.com
Venture Underground
Seneca Caverns is home to the oldest recorded cave in the state. The caverns include two caves available for tours, where visitors can travel 165 feet below the entrance on cement steps or donhelmets and gowild cavingwith guides. The first verifiable history of human contact with the cave was in the early 1400s, when the Seneca Indians used the cave. The caverns are located on a great Indian trading route through the AppalachianMountains. Many tribes used this trading route, but it was the Seneca Indians who lived here and used the cave for shelter, storage, and special ceremonies. The Seneca Cavern tour is approximately 45 minutes and one mile of trail. It has been open to visitors since 1928. The caverns feature wondrous geological formations. Guides lead visitors through the tours, pointing
out areas of special interest, providing information, and answering questions. Seneca Caverns’ gemstone mining gives visitors a chance to discover their own take-home treasures. Bags of mining rough can be purchased in the gift shop and taken to the water sluice outside. The sluice channels a continuous stream of water through a trough that winds through the shade around a large, ancient double-trunk oak tree. There, amateur gemstone miners dip sifters into the water to sort the gems andminerals from the mining rough. After a tour and some gemstone mining, you can enjoy a delicious lunch at Asbury’s Restaurant located on-site at the caverns. 3328 Germany Valley Road, Riverton, 304.567.2691, senecacaverns.com
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