Mineral County, West Virginia

Travel and toursim

Transportation

• Greater Cumberland Regional Airport
• Rail Transportation
• CSX lines run along the Potomac River on the northern border of the county.
• Amtrak service is available at the Cumberland, Maryland Rail Road Station located less than a mile from Ridgeley, West Virginia the counties northern most city. Keyser, West Virginia's Rail Road Station closed in the 1980's.
• Highways
• Two US highways travel through Mineral County. U.S. Highway 50 also known as the Northwestern Turnpike, and U.S. Highway 220.
• Four major state highways run through Mineral County, WV 28, WV 42, WV 46, and WV 93.
• Two state connector routes are located in Mineral County, WV 956 and WV 972
• US Senate Bill S.719 will add a extention of Corridor O part of the Appalachian Development Highway System to the New Creek Valley in Mineral County connecting Interstate 68 to Corridor H

Parks and public recreational attractions

Larenim Park

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• Owned by the Mineral County Commission and operated by Parks and Recreation, the park size is 365 acres. Includes two pavilions with 10 tables, an amphitheatre with seating capacity of 600. One Little League field and one softball field. Fishing Areas; 2-flood control dams stocked by WVDNR (5 acres and 2.5 acres). All 365 acres are open to public hunting by permit. Approximately five miles of trails. An arboretum is under construction at Larenim to include a Shale Barrens Conservancy. Larenim Park is also home to the local theatre group, McNeill's Rangers.

Barnum Whitewater Area

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• Owned by Mineral County with size of approximately 40 acres. Includes four miles of rail/trail. This area has approximately one mile of river frontage on the North Branch of the Potomac River below Jennings Randolph Lake, along the old CSX railway. It is one of the best trout streams in West Virginia and also provides seven miles of whitewater rafting and canoeing for the entire family to enjoy. Public hunting permitted on surrounding state lands.

MINCO Park

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• Owned by the Mineral County Board of Education, Minco Park's size is 13.5 acres. Its' facilities include two pavilions with 50 picnic tables, nine cabins, a dining field, a chapel, meeting room, and bath/shower facilities.

Van Myra Campground

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• Owned by the State of West Virginia and leased by Mineral County, the campground area is 10 acres. Three picnic tables, four mini-pavilions, and picnic area only comprise this facility.

Dam Site #21

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• Owned by Mineral County, 178 acres, with no facilities. Fishing 10 acres flood control dam.

Jennings Randolph Lake

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• Jennings Randolph Lake named for Senator Jennings Randolph near Elk Garden offers extensive recreational opportunity with its 952 acres and more than 13 miles of shoreline. Howell Run Picnic Area overlooks the lake and contains 40 picnic sites, two pavilions, a playground and vault toilets. The Howell Run Boat Launch consists of a two lane concrete ramp. the Robert W. Craig Campground is situated on a high ridge overlooking the dam site and features 87 campsites, potable water, hot showers, vault toilets and a playground. A 3/4 mile long interpretive trail has been developed in the area. The West Virginia Overlook area contains a two tier Visitor Center. Waffle Rock, a unique natural rock formation, can also be viewed from the Overlook.

West Virginia state lands

Open to public hunting; no marked trails, but includes several miles of old logging roads. Size: 4,800 acres. Facilities: none

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Hunting and fishing licenses are required throughout the state. Non-resident licenses, including short-term licenses for state recreational areas, may be obtained from nearly 800 license agents in the state. Hunting and fishing regulations are available from the Division of Natural Resources, 304-558-2771. License application forms may be obtained by calling 304-558-2758. A special stamp is required to hunt or fish on national forest lands.

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Golf courses - public

Polish Pines - Privately owned, 9 Holes, Club House

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Mill Creek - Privately owned, 9 Holes, Club House

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Swimming pools - public

City of Keyser - One Pool open to public

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City of Piedmont - One Pool open to public

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