During our visit to Coopers Rock State Park just outside of Morgantown, we combined some hiking trails to visit the main overlook, some rock formations, the Henry Clay Iron Furnace, and the playground. In addition to hiking, the park also offers opportunities for biking, camping, disc golf, and more.

Summary

  • Itinerary– hike to the main overlook, check out rock formations on the way to the Rhododendron Trail, hike out and back on Rhododendron Trail to Henry Clay Iron Furnace, playground time
  • Distance – My Strava app indicated we did about 4.5 miles total. The Rhododendron Trail is 1 mile one way. I believe the rest of the hike were portions of other trails.
  • Difficulty – Rhododendron and Rattlesnake Trails are indicated as Moderate.
  • Kids Ages – 1 year and 2 1/2 years
  • Taking the Kids – We carried the kids in our hiking backpacks. My son could have hiked on his own, but since we did a longer hike, we were pressed for time so carried him the whole way. He didn’t seem to mind as he had time to play throw rocks in the creek at the furnace and play at the playground after the hike.

Parking

We were able to visit all of our sights by parking one time at the main parking area by the playground. From this lot, the playground, bathrooms, the trading post, and numerous picnic areas are nearby. There is also an overflow parking lot in the area.

The Hike

You definitely want to have a map on you. I have to say we got a little confused in the area between the overlook and the Rhododendron Trail when exploring the rock formations. I believe we were on the Rattlesnake Trail but we may have gone on to other trails like Rock City or the Ridge Trail.

Below is a screen shot of a map from the the Coopers Rock State Park website and the route I think we took is in pink.

Coopers Rock State Forest MapDownload

There was a map available at the park I picked up. Here’s a scanned copy.

Trailhead MapDownload

The Overlook

First, from the parking area, we headed toward the main overlook. It has some steps down to a large rock surface where you can take in the stunning view.

Rock Formations

After the overlook, we hiked down into the rock formations.

We followed signs for the Rattlesnake Trail. We may have ventured on the Rock City, Underlook, and/or Ridge Trails. I’m not exactly sure.

But, we knew the general direction of the Rhododendron Trail so we just made our way through the rocks in the direction of the Rhododendron Trail.

Rhododendron Trail

The Rhododendron Trail was more straightforward, an out and back one mile, well-marked trail to the Henry Clay Iron Furnace.

The furnace was a great area to take a break and have snacks with a stream and opportunities for shade. We packed West Virginia’s famous food pepperoni rolls for the occasion. But, we seriously live on these pepperoni rolls for many of our activities.

If you are limber enough, you can bend your way in for a peek inside the furnace.

After the furnace, we hiked back on the Rhododendron Trail and took the Eagle Trail back to the main parking area where we gave the kids some playground time. Here’s a breakdown of our hike for reference.

We had a great hike in Coopers Rock State Park. I hope you check it out. Leave a comment or tag me on Instagram (@adventureswkelly). I want to hear about or see your adventures in Coopers Rock State Park.

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