HIDDEN TREASURES #2

Welcome to part two in our exploration of the most amazing places in the Central and Southern Appalachian Mountains — this time exploring some of our most fabulous Public Lands.

Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park

Photo by Jeff Culverhouse

Droop Mountain Battlefield, in the Greenbrier River Valley, is home to West Virginia’s last civil war battle scene. A system of hiking trails brings visitors to a natural spring, mountain bog, pump house and a series of caves. Hiking trails are less than one mile and range from easy to strenuous, and a Civilian Conservation Corps-built museum and lookout tower still stand by the battlefield. The park also offers reenactments of the battle during the month of October. Droop Mountain, part of the Civil War Discovery Trail linking more than 600 Civil War sites across the United States, offers a bit of history and adventure for hikers seeking a unique way to get outside. — JR

Bear Rocks Preserve

Photo by Kevin Funk (kevinfunkphoto.com)

Once damaged by major logging and extensive fires, Bear Rocks Preserve is now a recovering ecological preserve. Located on the Dolly Sods Plateau, this 477-acre expanse of subalpine landscape overlooks surrounding valleys with a view that can stretch as far east as the Shenandoah National Park. Although deforestation has left much of the plateau treeless, Bear Rocks Preserve is sketched with stunted red spruce and barren shrub species characteristic of subalpine zones.

Recovery efforts through The Nature Conservancy of West Virginia have encouraged growth and, as a result, plant life is abundant during the spring and summer. Trails take hikers past blueberry, huckleberry, mountain laurel and azalea bushes. Abundant wildlife roams the preserve — including black bear, white-tailed deer and bobcat. The plateau is home to cranberry bogs and giant boulders that offer the perfect lookout point for migrating hawks, falcons, songbirds and other sky-bound species. As recovery continues, efforts focus on reforesting once-abundant red spruce, protecting lands surrounding the preserve, and acquiring 15,000 acres of coal rights to transfer them to the Forest Service. The subalpine zoning provides a habitat to plants and animals normally found much further north, truly making this one of West Virginia’s most precious treasures. — JR

More Info: Located in the Potomac Ranger District of Monongahela National Forest. Visit: nature.org

‘First Line of Defense’

During Hurricane Helene and its aftermath, rural fire departments and other first responder hubs played critical roles in keeping their communities safe, even without power and cut off from outside support for days or weeks after the storm. Two years later, plenty of work remains to ensure these hubs have the resources they need to operate day to day and be ready when emergencies or natural disasters strike.

Alice and Gary Stevens stand on their new 40-foot bridge with their dog in Watauga County, N.C.

The Rocky Road — and Bridge — to Recovery

Hurricane Helene is estimated to have damaged nearly 7,000 private roads and bridges in Western North Carolina. Two years later, many restoration projects are complete, but the journey hasn’t been easy — and isn’t over for others.

Since the proposed federal prison near Roxana was first announced, it has faced opposition from some local residents. Photo by Willie Dodson

After 20 Years, Letcher County Prison Proposal Is Still Alive, Though Obstacles Remain

A $605 million proposal for a federal prison on a former strip mine site in Letcher County, Kentucky, championed by U.S. Rep. Hal Rogers, refuses to die, despite local opposition, a lack of support from the executive branch and numerous other obstacles.

Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin after the storm. Photo courtesy of Ballad Health

The Washout and Rebuild

For nearly two years, residents of Unicoi County, Tennessee, have had to make do without a hospital after Hurricane Helene destroyed the rural hospital. Ballad Health, which owns the hospital, broke ground on a new location — in another floodplain — in August 2026.

Shenandoah salamander. Photo by Rob and Ann Simpson

The Shenandoah Salamander

The Shenandoah salamander is a woodland salamander, which has adapted to life at higher elevations away from water. This sparkling rarity lives among the dry leaves, cracked logs, and stony hillocks on the highest peaks of Shenandoah National Park.

People gather around a basket of mushrooms in a forested area with ferns and other greenery

‘Foraging Is a Way of Connecting’

Foraging has experienced a modern resurgence, partly because of social media, online groups, the pandemic and people wanting to connect with nature. It also builds community, whether in person or online.

HIDDEN TREASURES #2 – West Virginia

Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park