Hawks Nest State Park is located on
in
Fayette County near
Ansted, West Virginia
Ansted is a town in Fayette County in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The population was 1,404 at the 2010 census. It is situated on high bluffs along U.S. Route 60 on a portion of the Midland Trail a National Scenic Byway near Hawks Nest over ...
. The park's clifftop overlook along
U.S. Route 60 provides a scenic vista of the
New River, some 750 feet (230 m) below. The
hydro-electric
Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined an ...
project tunnel that passes underneath nearby
Gauley Mountain was the scene of the
Depression-era
Hawks Nest Tunnel disaster.
The original building, now a gift shop and museum, was built as a
Civilian Conservation Corps
The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...
(CCC) project. The park lodge was constructed in 1967 by
The Architects Collaborative
The Architects Collaborative (TAC) was an American architectural firm formed by eight architects that operated between 1945 to 1995 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The founding members were Norman C. Fletcher (1917-2007), Jean B. Fletcher (1915-19 ...
(TAC). The park's lodge and aerial
gondola
The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull ...
to the river are located about a mile further east from the overlook along U.S. 60, closer to the center of Ansted.
Features
* 31 room lodge
* Restaurant
* Aerial tram between the lodge and the New River shore
* Swimming pool
* Hiking trails
* Picnic area
* Gift shop
* River Nature Center
* Hawks Nest Rail Trail (1.8 mile)
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
disable
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, ...
d 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 park lodge and facilities to be generally accessible.
''Guide to Accessible Recreation and Travel in WV'', WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities web site, accessed July 31, 2006
However, during the 2005 assessment, some issues were identified with a stairway and with some exit lighting.
See also
* Hawks Nest Tunnel Disaster
*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 ...
*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 ...
References
External links
*
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Golf clubs and courses in West Virginia
Historic districts in Fayette County, West Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Fayette County, West Virginia
Nature centers in West Virginia
Protected areas established in 1935
Protected areas of Fayette County, West Virginia
State parks of West Virginia
State parks of the Appalachians
1935 establishments in West Virginia
IUCN Category III