Midland Trail - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 1018

Start at Charleston's most impressive landmark: the mammoth marble state capitol
building,completedin1932.FacingtheKanawhaRiver—longtheeconomiclifelineofthe
city—the capitol boasts a golden dome that serves as a beacon for miles around. The red-
brick governor's mansion and the contemporary Culture Center, where the new state mu-
seum is housed, are among the adjoining features of the lively Capitol Complex.
As you depart the Mountain State's largest city, traveling east on Rte. 60, you might
want to pause at Daniel Boone Park. The riverfront oasis commemorates the renowned
woodsman,wholivedforatimeinthearea.Aloghouseandthe1834Craik-PattonHouse,
both furnished with period antiques, are open for tours.
2. Kanawha Falls
For the first several miles, Rte. 60 passes through a drab industrial corridor. The factories,
important in the state's growth and history, were built to refine the minerals and fuels that
werediscoveredinthispartoftheKanawhaValley.Bytheearly1800sthetownofMalden,
for example, was a major producer of salt, a commodity that at the time was literally worth
its weight in gold.
Farther along, the factories disappear, the air clears, and the drive begins its ascent into
the Alleghenies. The road winds atop ridges cloaked with beeches, oaks, and hickories,
while stands of pines add year-round dabs of dark green. In places you'll drop into fertile
valleyswherethesapofthesugarmaples,knownlocallyassweetwater,istappedinspring-
time and boiled down into syrup. Just before Gauley Bridge, pretty Kanawha Falls pours
downanaturalstaircaseofsucceedingandmassivesandstoneledges.Fartherupstream,the
Gauley and New rivers unite to form the Kanawha.