Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park

In the fall of 1863, in the valley of the Greenbrier River near Lewisburg, West Virginia saw its final significant Civil War battle at Droop Mountain. 

Union forces under William Averell defeated John Echols’s Confederate troops, putting an end to the southern resistance in West Virginia and leaving the state under federal command for the remainder of the war.

In 1928, 65 years later, Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park became West Virginia’s first state park. In October of alternating years, the park hosts reenactments that juxtapose the conflict with a peaceful canopy of lush greenery. 

Along the Minie Ball Trail, walk in the footsteps of the Union soldiers who climbed the mountainous terrain to fight the Confederate troops. The most popular trail, Cranberry Bogs, leads you through a lush pine forest packed with wildlife and interesting plants. The easy, half-mile path draws cross-country skiers in winter.

One of West Virginia’s three official Dark Sky Parks, Droop Mountain is also a popular spot for “star parties” among avid stargazers.