Twin Falls State Park & Mullens
I was looking at my itinerary and realized the days were out of order. It took hours to piece together the correct route through West Virginia. Luckily, the first two days were already in the right sequence. There was a Starbucks next to the Walmart where I’d spent the night, so I went inside, ordered a coffee and a bagel, and started sorting everything out. Around that time, a prescription renewal came through on my phone. By luck, there was a CVS right across the street. I drove over, requested the refill, and went back to Starbucks to wait it out. They’ve gone back to serving coffee in real mugs, like they used to, and even offer free refills now—a small but welcome surprise. Once the prescription was ready, I picked it up, got back in the van, and headed south.
My first stop was the Beckley Exhibition Coal Mine. I parked and walked to the Visitor Center, but the doors were locked. There were several cars in the lower parking lot, so I circled the building and found a few workers cleaning equipment. I asked one man who looked to be in charge when the mine would open. He told me they’d closed for the season on November first. I mentioned that I’d been looking forward to visiting, and after a moment’s thought he said, “If you come back tomorrow at ten, there’s a school group touring—you can join them.” I thanked him and decided to take him up on the offer.
Tater Hill Overlook
With the afternoon still ahead of me, I wanted to get into the mountains for some photos. I’d read about Tater Hill Overlook near Mullens and decided to check it out. The road up was extremely narrow—barely wide enough for one vehicle—and there were only a few feet between my tires and the drop-off. It wasn’t a road I’d recommend for a van. I eventually reached a point where I couldn’t go any farther, not realizing at the time that I could have continued to the left. Instead, I found a spot to park and walked the rest of the way to the top. The view wasn’t spectacular, but it was quiet, and it felt good to stretch my legs. The overlook offered views of Mullens below.
Twin Falls Resort State Park
From there, I drove about twenty-five minutes to Twin Falls Resort State Park. I’d read that it had a good campground and decided to check it out. At the lodge, the staff confirmed they still had sites available and got me booked in. As I pulled away, I noticed the fuel gauge was just below a quarter tank. The van’s heater won’t run when it drops that low, and with nighttime temperatures dipping into the low thirties, that wasn’t a chance I wanted to take. I found a BP station a few miles away, filled up, and headed back to the park.
Before going to the campground, I hiked the short trails to Marsh Fork Falls and Black Fork Falls—the two that make up “Twin Falls.” It’s interesting that all the park maps and signs call it Twin Falls, but Google Maps doesn’t recognize that name; you have to enter the falls individually. Marsh Fork still had a decent flow, while Black Fork was mostly dry. The trail was damp, and the light was fading fast. I made it back to the van just before dark and drove over to set up camp.
When I arrived, a large bus-style RV was parked in my reserved site. A man walked toward me shaking his head before I even got out. I told him I believed he was in my spot, and he said the ranger told him to take it because he couldn’t get his rig down to the site he’d originally picked in the woods. I’d worked with the front desk earlier to make sure my site was open enough for Starlink to connect, so the mix-up threw things off. After a few minutes of confusion and back-and-forth, I found another open site with a clear view of the sky and set up there instead. It all worked out fine in the end, though it took a bit of patience to get settled.