Must See Places on the way to or from Dehai Retreat

As you drive to Ripley for Dehai Retreat, or on your way back you might consider visiting some of the natural beauty West Virginia offers. Most of the places listed below are accessible from I-64 and thus those coming from the DC area should take the following alternate route: take I-66 west to I-81 south and then take I-64 west. For sure it is longer than your usual route to Ripley, but you will more than make for it by the captivating beauty you will witness along the way. Here are directions to some of these places. The directions for the water falls and a couple of the pictures are taken from what appears at http://www.waterfalls-guide.net/wv_waterfalls-guide.htm.

Cathedral Falls is located about 35 miles southeast of Charleston along US-60 near Gauley Bridge, where the Gauley and New Rivers join to form the Kanawha River. Here is how to reach Cathedral falls

From Charleston: drive east on US-60 and follow US-60 up the Kanawha River to Gauley Bridge.

From I-79: take exit 57 and follow US-19 south to US-60 (17 miles south of Summerville). Turn right and follow US-60 west to Gauley Bridge.

From Beckley: take US-19 north, across the New River Bridge, to US-60 (about 26 miles; 28 if from I-77). Turn left onto US-60 and follow 60 west to Gauley Bridge.

Follow the direction above up to Gauley Bridge if coming from I-79 or from Beckley. About two miles west of Gauley Bridge is a bridge crossing the Kanwha River. After crossing the bridge turn left and follow Kanawha Road to the Kanawha Falls Park. If coming from Charleston you will first find the above mentioned bridge, two miles before you reach Gauley Bridge.

Sandstone Falls can be viewed from two directions. The first one from WV-20, on the east shore of the New River just south of the community of Sandstone. This view will give you an "aerial view" of the fall. To see a "ground view", you will have to, and you must continue south on WV-20 to Hinton then come back on a county road on the west shore of the river. Here are the detailed directions:

From I-64 exit 139, follow WV-20 south, through Sandstone, to the Sandstone Falls Overlook (see paragraph above). Continue south on WV-20, through Hinton and across the New River Bridge. Just on the west side of the bridge is County Road 26. Turn left and, CAREFULLY and SLOWLY follow this one-lane road as it follows the New River downstream to the waterfalls. It is about 8½ miles to the parking area. You'll see the boardwalk leading to the islands in the middle of the river from which you can view the waterfalls from below.

Grandview

To reach Grandview from Beckley follow I-64 East five miles to Exit 129 B. From Lewisburg follow I-64 West forty miles to Exit 129. From either exit, turn right and follow Route 9 North six miles to Grandview. This is a nice place to have a lunch picnic.

New River Gorge Bridge

The New River Gorge Bridge is located on U. S. Route 19, just north of Fayetteville, WV. From Interstates 64, 77 take Route 19 north to Fayetteville (about 17 miles). From I-79 take U.S. 19 south at Sutton and drive about 40 miles to the bridge. With 876 ft (267 m) high, 3,030 ft (923.5 m) long, is the world's 2nd longest single arch steel span bridge and the second highest bridge in the U.S.

Hill Creek Falls, Richwood WV

Directions to Hill Creek Falls:

From I-79, take exit 57 and follow US-19 south to Summersville (about 28 miles). Turn left and follow WV-39, through Richwood, to the Hill Creek Scenic Area (about 43 miles). The falls will be on your right.

From I-64, take exit 169 and follow US-219 north to Mill Point (about 32 miles). Turn left (west) on WV-39/55 and follow it to the Hill Creek Scenic Area (about 10 miles). It will be on your left.

Enjoy your drive and remember to drive safely.