I set out to make the most of a weekend photographing some of my favorite locations in West Virginia, knowing it would be my last trip through the area for a while—a sort of farewell to Appalachia.

I left Kentucky in the late evening and arrived at a church in rural Pocahontas County, a place I’d long wanted to photograph beneath the Milky Way and dark skies. In an era of excessive light pollution in our neighborhoods and cities, we often lose sight of the extraordinary. Fortunately, this church is in a Bortle Class 2 area, one of the darkest regions in the state.

However, the weather in this part of West Virginia rarely cooperated with my plans. To photograph the Milky Way, I needed clear skies, a crescent moon, and a bit of luck, but those factors never aligned for me.

The Emmanuel Methodist Episcopal Church, built in 1899, hasn’t hosted a regular congregation in many years. From the outside, it appears stable, but inside, the ornate tin ceiling has collapsed, exposing severe water damage. Due to its remote location, the church has remained largely untouched by vandalism, with boards keeping the doors secured against unwanted visitors.

Around midnight, I set up my tripod and camera. Using a color-corrected flashlight and a remote, I was finally able to capture images of the church’s steeple aligned with the Milky Way.

After capturing a few photos I was pleased with, I set up camp nearby. Before dawn, I headed to Droop Mountain, a small state park with deep Civil War significance. In November 1863, the Battle of Droop Mountain, which saw over 400 casualties (140 Union and approximately 275 Confederate), was one of the last major battles of the Civil War in West Virginia.

Established in 1928 as the state’s first park, Droop Mountain features interpretive trails, battlefield reenactments, and a lookout tower. The tower offers one of the most remarkable sunrise views in the state. On this particular morning, the sun rose over a fog-shrouded Greenbrier River valley, creating a stunning start to this summer day.

I then hastily returned to the Emmanuel Methodist Episcopal Church to find the scene transformed—a mystical sight, with the church enveloped in a layer of fog drifting through the valley.

While exploring the backroads, I came across an old favorite: the Mt. Lebanon School. Built around 1903, it operated until its closure in 1953. To my surprise, the building featured a rare campaign sign for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s struggling presidential bid—an ironic sight on a road that sees only a few cars each day.

I made a brief stop at Hills Chapel, another church established around 1899 that has since closed. It is one of many memorial churches scattered throughout the state, minimally maintained and occasionally hosting events to preserve its structure.

I next visited the Droop Mountain Tunnel, part of the former Chesapeake & Ohio Railway’s Greenbrier Division, a rail line that once ran through Greenbrier and Pocahontas counties. This 101-mile line was one of the C&O’s main branches for transporting timber, serving more lumber companies than any other in West Virginia.

After the closure of several major mills and factories along the line in the late 1960s and early 1970s, service on the Greenbrier Branch was discontinued in 1978. Unlike many railroads that were abandoned during this period, the state established the West Virginia Railroad Maintenance Authority (WVRMA) in 1975 to monitor potential abandonments, explore alternatives for affected customers, and preserve select routes for future use, including trails. One of the WVRMA’s first tasks was a feasibility study of the Greenbrier Division, but it concluded that the line would have too few customers to operate profitably.

The C&O’s successor, Chessie, donated 92 miles of the Greenbrier Division to the WVRMA for conversion into a multi-purpose trail. Track removal began in 1979, and the development of the Greenbrier River Trail followed soon after. The trail, completed in 1994, is now one of West Virginia’s most notable linear state parks.

The 402-foot-long Droop Mountain Tunnel is a key highlight of the trail, offering visitors a glimpse into early railroad tunnel engineering and showcasing ongoing preservation efforts to maintain the tunnel for today’s trail users.

I ended the day by visiting two fire towers, once used to house and protect spotters tasked with searching for wildfires. Located on mountain summits or other high vantage points, these spotters would scan the area for signs of smoke, pinpoint the fire’s location, and alert fire suppression crews. The construction of fire towers in West Virginia began after widespread wildfires followed the clearing of the state’s original virgin forests.

In the early 1970s, the U.S. Forest Service began phasing out fire tower staff in favor of aerial reconnaissance. During wildfire season, pilots and spotters flew designated routes over the forest, reporting any fires to ground crews. By the end of the decade, the Forest Service had discontinued staffing fire towers altogether. The state’s Division of Forestry operated its last fire tower until 1990.

In Richwood, atop the volunteer fire department, stand the remains of the Mikes Knob Tower, built in 1941 on Mikes Knob in Pocahontas County. Although part of the cab and tower has been preserved, it is not open to the public.

Rushing over Hinkle Mountain, crossing the Cranberry River, and climbing Cranberry Ridge, I reached the Red Oak Tower, perched atop Red Oak Knob in Webster County. Built in 1964, it replaced a smaller 30-foot tower constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. Notably, Red Oak Tower was the last fire tower built in the Monongahela National Forest and the second tallest.

In 1976, the tower was heavily vandalized, including the theft of its electrical service box and wiring, just before it was set to be used as a communication post for a National Girl Scout Encampment. Fortunately, the tower was preserved and underwent rehabilitation in 2024, thanks to efforts by HistoriCorps, the Appalachian National Forest Heritage Area, AmeriCorps, U.S. Veterans, and others who provided labor and funding. The 12-foot by 13-foot cabin atop the tower will be available for rental starting in the 2025 season. Additional amenities at the base will include an RV pad with hookups, a tent pad, a fire pit, a picnic table, and restrooms.

I reflected on my journey thus far along the Highland Scenic Highway, a 43-mile byway that winds through the Allegheny Highlands and Plateau in the Monongahela National Forest. This two-lane road stretches from Richwood to U.S. Route 219, seven miles north of Marlinton, ascending from 2,300 to over 4,500 feet. Along the way, it passes notable sites such as the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center, Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, Falls of Hills Creek, and four scenic overlooks offering views of the surrounding mountains and valleys. The highway also provides access to 150 miles of hiking and biking trails, trout fishing streams, and other recreational activities.

I paused to watch the sunset from an overlook on Tea Creek Mountain which overlooked the Little Laurel Creek watershed. In the distance, I could make out Red Spruce Knob and Big Spruce Knob, two of the higher mountains in the region.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, I headed to my final stop of the day: a bright red gambrel-style barn on the Shaw farm in Edray, its reflection mirrored in the still waters of a farm pond.

As the sky’s blue hues darkened to black, I packed up and headed toward Sandstone Falls near Hinton for another attempt at photographing the Milky Way.