Travel Itineraries

We have created sample travel itineraries to help you plan your trip on the Paint Creek Scenic Trail. Check out our maps and directions to guide you along the way.

The entire 44-mile Paint Creek Scenic Trail can easily be traveled in one day; however, shorter trips that include nearby attractions are also very attractive.

Beckley Day Trip:

Start your morning with a tour of the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. The first tour usually begins around 10:30am. When you finish touring the mine and the reconstructed coal camp, begin your journey northward on the Paint Creek Scenic Trail. You will arrive in Pax just in time for lunch at The Korner restaurant. This local diner offers a superb homestyle buffet that is very popular with local residents and miners from nearby mines. After lunch, continue down the Trail toward Mossy, where you will find an interpretive kiosk. After learning about this area, continue several miles down the creek to Westerly Falls. This beautiful waterfall is a popular fishing spot, and offers great photographic opportunities. Now you're ready to head back south toward Beckley. You can choose to take the Trail back, or the Turnpike. When you reach Beckley, stop by Tamarack for dinner and some evening shopping. Tamarack offers great food and showcases arts and crafts from hundreds of West Virginia artisans.

Charleston Day Trip:

Take the Turnpike (I-77) south to Pax Exit 54. Enjoy a mouth-watering homestyle buffet at The Korner restaurant in Pax. After lunch, head north on the Trail toward Mossy. Stop at the interpretive kiosk in Mossy and take some time to learn about the area. Head north for a few miles to Westerly Falls. This scenic waterfall is a popular fishing spot and offers great photographic opportunities. Continue driving north through Mahan until you reach Ash Branch Park. This beautiful creekside park is a great spot to relax. The park offers sheltered picnic tables, a short walking trail, and a fishing pier. By now, you have definitely worked up an appetite. When you reach the end of the Trail, head east (right turn) on Highway 61 for almost five miles to the town of Montgomery and enjoy some of the best Mexican food you will find anywhere at El Jalisco restaurant.

Mount Hope Day Loop:

Beginning in Mount Hope, take scenic Rt. 27 west toward Pax. Enjoy an early lunch at The Korner restaurant, a popular local diner that offers a great homestyle buffet. A couple of recreational opportunities are now available to you. Plum Orchard Lake is located five miles north of Pax. This beautiful lake surrounded by towering mountains offers fishing, boating, hiking, biking, and camping. Another option is to travel past Mossy to Westerly Falls, a scenic waterfall and popular fishing and photography spot. After enjoying one of the recreational opportunities on the Trail, drive to Mossy and take Rt. 612 east to the Whipple Company Store. This historic, preserved company store and museum is a must-see attraction. The company store is open from May through October from 11:00am-6:00pm and is closed on Tuesdays. After touring the company store, continue east on 612 to US 19 in Oak Hill. Have dinner at one of the restaurants in Oak Hill, and then travel south on US 19 to Mount Hope to complete the loop.

Overnight Trip:

Beginning at Tamarack, enjoy a tasty country breakfast and some early morning shopping. After breakfast, head north through Pax toward Plum Orchard Lake. Set up camp at Plum Orchard Lake (primitive tent/trailer sites available) and ride back into Pax for a hearty lunch at The Korner restaurant. After lunch, return to Plum Orchard Lake and enjoy fishing, canoeing, hiking, and cycling at this gorgeous lake nestled in the mountains. An evening barbeque at your campsite will round out a wonderful day on the Trail. The next morning after breakfast in camp or at The Korner, head north on the Trail toward Mossy. Don't forget to stop at the interpretive kiosk! Continue traveling north to Westerly falls, and take a nice breath of fresh air on this scenic section of the creek. Proceed northward through Mahan to Ash Branch Park. Break out your picnic baskets and enjoy a nice lunch alongside the creek. When you're done eating, try your hand at some trout fishing at the fishing pier, or explore the nearby K-Dams. To complete your trip, drive north to the junction with Highway 61, the official end of the Paint Creek Scenic Trail. Make a right and travel about five miles into Montgomery for dinner at one of the fine restaurants in the area.

Maps (click to enlarge)

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