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Weekend in West Virginia

In my quest to see all 50 states, most of the ones I had remaining got markedly easier once I moved to DC. None of those was quite as straightforward as West Virginia, which was only a one hour train ride from DC! I went on a whim, booking the train ticket on Thursday and heading out the following day after work for a quick weekend trip.

Know that I am by no means a Civil War expert, but my understanding is that the Confederate Army took it over at some point during the Civil War and then spent so much time and effort to keep it that it actually helped the Union defeat them. There is a ton of Civil War history here, as a lot of battles were fought in and around this area – much of Harpers Ferry is under National Park Service jurisdiction, so it was fun for me to get the stamps and go through the various exhibits they set up!

Beyond its historical significance, Harpers Ferry is a cute town. It seems to be thriving, with more locally-owned restaurants and shops than most small towns in America. I had some amazing food while I was there – my fav was a place called Snallygaster’s Café and Wine Bar.

The biggest draw of all, though, is the hiking! Fun fact, Harpers Ferry is pretty close to the halfway point in the Appalachian Trail, and you can hike towards Georgia or Maine if you want to. It also has several other trails branching out from the town. I was there in March, which is still a little early for prime hiking season – there was a ton of rain, which I imagine would have been pretty miserable as a backpacker – and I still saw plenty of people who were hiking and camping along the way.

I did a hike called Maryland Heights, which is where the quintessential pictures overlooking Harpers Ferry come from! Technically, the trailhead starts in Maryland, but you have to start in Harpers Ferry and cross the bridge to get there, and all the views are looking back toward West Virginia. It was a good hike, and I had great timing because the sun came out just as I arrived at the overlook.

Harpers Ferry has the best hiking I’ve seen since I moved out east, and I would definitely be interested in coming back for another weekend and exploring more of what West Virginia has to offer! Like my visit to Oklahoma, it’s always nice to explore a place where I didn’t have many expectations and find it a pleasant surprise.

Remaining states: Michigan, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, Tennessee

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