Babcock State Park is a
state park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...
located along the
New River Gorge
The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is a unit of the United States National Park Service (NPS) designed to protect and maintain the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia in the Appalachian Mountains. Established in 1978 as a nat ...
on wooded in
Fayette County,
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...
. It is located approximately 20 miles away from the
New River Gorge Bridge
The New River Gorge Bridge is a steel arch bridge long over the New River Gorge near Fayetteville, West Virginia, in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States. With an arch long, the New River Gorge Bridge was the world's longest si ...
.
Located near the park headquarters, the Glade Creek Grist Mill is commonly photographed. It was named in honor of
Edward V. Babcock
Edward Vose Babcock (January 31, 1864 – September 2, 1948) was a lumber industrialist who served as Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1918 to 1922.
Biography
Early life
Edward Vose Babcock entered the lumber business from an early age. He ran successf ...
. Completed in 1976 by combining parts of three other West Virginia grist mills, it is a replica of the original Cooper's Mill that was located nearby. The park's web site describes the Glade Creek Grist Mill as a living, working monument to the more than 500 mills that used to be located throughout the state.
Features
* 28 cabins
* 52 campsites
* gift shop
* More than 20 miles of hiking trails
* outdoor sports facilities (basketball court, tennis court, volleyball court,
horseshoe pit)
* Boley Lake
* rental watercraft (paddleboats, rowboats, canoes)
* swimming pool
* fishing (lake and stream)
* horseback and pony rides (closed)
* naturalist-led hikes and presentations
* picnic shelters
* corn meal and buckwheat flour made at the Glade Creek Grist Mill are available for sale
* scenic overlooks
Accessibility
Accessibility
Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...
for the
disabled
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
was assessed by
West Virginia University
West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State College ...
. The assessment found the campground, picnic shelters, restrooms, and ramps and doorways to public buildings to be accessible.
''Guide to Accessible Recreation and Travel in WV'', WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities web site, accessed July 31, 2006
The park also has accessible fishing access and two accessible cabins. During the 2005 assessment some issues were identified concerning parking lot signage and slippery stairways.
See also
*List of West Virginia state parks
There are 37 state parks in the U.S. state of West Virginia . The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) Parks and Recreation Section is the governing body for all 37 state parks and directly operates all but one of them. In addi ...
Photo Gallery of The Grist Mill
References
External links
*
{{authority control
State parks of West Virginia
State parks of the Appalachians
Protected areas established in 1934
Mill museums in the United States
Industry museums in West Virginia
Museums in Fayette County, West Virginia
Protected areas of Fayette County, West Virginia
Campgrounds in West Virginia
Grinding mills in West Virginia
IUCN Category III
1934 establishments in West Virginia
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve