Beartown State Park

State Park in Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties, West Virginia

38°03′08″N 80°16′32″W / 38.05222°N 80.27556°W / 38.05222; -80.27556Area110 acres (45 ha)^[1]Elevation3,425 ft (1,044 m)Established1970^[2]Named forAmerican black bearGoverning bodyWest Virginia Division of Natural ResourcesWebsitewvstateparks.com/park/beartown-state-park/

Beartown State Park is a 110-acre (45 ha)^[1] state park located on the eastern summit of Droop Mountain, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Hillsboro, West Virginia, in northern Greenbrier County, West Virginia (with a small portion of the park also located in Pocahontas County). The land was purchased in 1970 with funds from the Nature Conservancy and a donation from Mrs. Edwin G. Polan, in memory of her son, Ronald Keith Neal, a local soldier who was killed in the Vietnam War. Development of the park has been minimal in order to preserve the natural attractions of the area. Recreation in the park consists of hiking along improved trails and boardwalks. Markers explain the natural processes at work in the area. The name "Beartown State Park" was chosen because local residents claimed that many cave-like openings in the rocks made ideal winter dens for the native black bears, the state animal of West Virginia. Also because the many deep, narrow crevasses were formed in a regular criss-cross pattern which appear from above like the streets of a small town. Beartown is noted for its unusual rock formations, which consist of Droop, or Pottsville, Sandstone formed during the Pennsylvanian age. Massive boulders, overhanging cliffs and deep crevasses make up the beauty of the park. On the face of the cliffs are hundreds of eroded pits. These pits range from the size of a marble to others large enough to hold two grown men. It is not unusual to see ice and snow remaining in the deeper crevasses until midsummer.

The park is accessible via U.S. Highway 219, 7 miles (11 km) southwest of Hillsboro, West Virginia and is close to Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park and Watoga State Park.

The park is open daily from April to October. Access during the off-season is available by appointment.^[3] No fee is charged for admission to the park.

Accessibility

Accessibility for the disabled was assessed by West Virginia University.^[4] The 2005 assessment found issues with the slipperiness of the boardwalk ramps and signage in the parking lot.

Canyons of Beartown SP
The rock passageway at Beartown

References

^ ^a ^b West Virginia State Parks Facilities Grid, accessed March 29, 2008 Archived March 26, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ Where People and Nature Meet: A History of the West Virginia State Parks. Charleston, West Virginia: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. April 1988. ISBN 0-933126-91-3.
^ Beartown State Park web site, accessed July 20, 2006.
^ Guide to Accessible Recreation and Travel in WV, WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities web site, accessed July 31, 2006 Archived July 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Official website

Protected areas of West Virginia

Federal

National Parks	New River Gorge
National Historical Parks	Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Harpers Ferry
National Forests	George Washington and Jefferson Monongahela
National Recreation Areas	Gauley River (NPS) Spruce Knob–Seneca Rocks (USFS)
National Wildlife Refuges	Canaan Valley Ohio River Islands
National Trails System	Appalachian National Scenic Trail
National Preserves	New River Gorge
Wilderness Areas	Big Draft Wilderness Cranberry Wilderness Dolly Sods Wilderness Laurel Fork North Wilderness Laurel Fork South Wilderness Mountain Lake Wilderness Otter Creek Wilderness Roaring Plains Wilderness Spice Run Wilderness
National Rivers	Bluestone NSR

State

State parks	Audra Babcock Beartown Beech Fork Berkeley Springs Blackwater Falls Blennerhassett Island Bluestone Cacapon Resort Camp Creek Canaan Valley Resort Carnifex Ferry Battlefield Cass Scenic Railroad Cathedral Cedar Creek Chief Logan Droop Mountain Battlefield Fairfax Stone Greenbrier River Trail Hawks Nest Holly River Little Beaver Lost River Moncove Lake North Bend Rail Trail North Bend Pinnacle Rock Pipestem Resort Prickett's Fort Stonewall Jackson Lake Tomlinson Run Tu-Endie-Wei Twin Falls Resort Tygart Lake Valley Falls Watoga Watters Smith Memorial
Former state parks	Booker T. Washington Grandview Grave Creek Mound James Rumsey Monument Mingo Oak Mont Chateau Morgan Morgan Monument
State forests	Cabwaylingo Calvin Price Camp Creek Coopers Rock Greenbrier Kanawha Kumbrabow Seneca
Wildlife management areas	Allegheny Amherst-Plymouth Anawalt Lake Bear Rocks Lake Becky Creek Beech Fork Lake Berwind Lake Beury Mountain Big Ditch Big Ugly Bluestone Burches Run Burnsville Lake Castleman Run Lake Cecil H. Underwood Center Branch Cheat Canyon Chief Cornstalk Conaway Run Lake Cross Creek Dents Run Dunkard Fork East Lynn Lake Edwards Run Elk Creek Elk River Fairfox Pond-Rehe Fort Mill Ridge Fox Forest Frozen Camp Green Bottom Handley Hilbert Hillcrest Horse Creek Hughes River Huttonsville State Farm The Jug Lantz Farm and Nature Preserve Laurel Lake Lewis Wetzel Little Indian Creek McClintic Meadow River Mill Creek Moncove Lake Morris Creek Nathaniel Mountain Panther Pedlar Pleasant Creek Plum Orchard Lake Pruntytown State Farm R.D. Bailey Lake Ritchie Mines Sand Hill Shannondale Springs Short Mountain Slatyfork Sleepy Creek Smoke Camp Snake Hill South Branch Stonecoal Lake Stonewall Jackson Lake Stumptown Summersville Lake Tate Lohr Teter Creek Lake Thorn Creek Tug Fork Turkey Run Upper Deckers Creek Upper Mud River Valley Bend Wetlands Wallback Widmeyer Woodrum Lake
Other WVDNR sites	West Virginia State Wildlife Center

Local

Municipal parks	Cameron City Pool Camp Mad Anthony Wayne Fries Park James Rumsey Monument Magic Island Marland Heights Park Memorial Park Oglebay Park Ritter Park Staunton Park Wheeling Park

Non-
governmental

Nature Conservancy preserves	Bear Rocks Brush Creek Cranesville Swamp Greenland Gap Hungry Beech Ice Mountain Mount Porte Crayon Murphy Panther Knob Pike Knob Slaty Mountain Upper Shavers Fork Yankauer