The mountains of Pocahontas County WV are already showing a lot of color.   Just driving through the countryside is beautiful but we checked out a couple State Parks and a National Forest trail too.  The main attraction at Beartown SP is a boardwalk through rugged rock formations.  Everything, including the boardwalk, is moss and fern covered.  It must never dry out in the shade of towering cedar and maple and the narrow fissures of the formations.  Droop Mountain Battlefield SP is one of a large number of Civil War battle sites around this part of the country.  It is a peaceful landscape now of tree covered mountainsides and rolling meadows.

Typically NF trails are pretty minimalist with blazes just far enough apart to make you wonder if you are off trail and enough loose rock and roots to keep you watching your feet as much as the scenery.   Not theHillCreekFallstrail in theMonongahelaNational Forest.  Towering structures support stairs that hug the sides of a steep wooded gorge.  While the trailwork is impressive, Hill Creek is definitely the highlight of the hike.  There are three falls, 25, 45 and 63 feet high.  Rain over the past couple days made for some great views.    Bright colored leaves drift down around us and are scattered over trail and hillside.  Fall!  Another fun walk.