Potomac Highlands - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 1014

12. Beartown State Park
A few miles southwest of Hillsboro, a spur road leads to Beartown State Park, a 107-acre
preserve on the eastern slope of Droop Mountain. Erosion has gnawed away at the ancient
sandstone that forms the mountain's crest, leaving behind massive boulders, deep crevices,
towering cliffs, and sandstone corridors—a giant three-dimensional maze so thick with ve-
getationthatyou'llfeelasifyou'vestumbleduponanaturalgreenhouse.Inthecool,damp
recesses, ice sometimes lingers until summer.
13. Lewisburg
Following in the footsteps of retreating Confederate forces, the drive descends the back of
Droop Mountain, making a long glide down to Lewisburg, 1,000 feet lower in elevation
and some 24 miles to the south. A 236-acre parcel of the town has been designated a Na-
tional Historic District; it's easily explored on foot with the aid of a map from the visitor
center.
Other stops on the tour include the Old Stone Church (the oldest continuously operated
church west of the Alleghenies), the Museum of the Greenbrier Historical Society, the
Greenbrier County Courthouse, and the Confederate Cemetery. A wander among historic
tombstoneswillleadyoutothecommongraveof95unidentifiedsoldiers,casualties ofthe
Battle of Lewisburg.