Smoke Hole Amenities

Amenities for the Smoke Hole Climber

 

Smoke Hole Canyon is surrounded by about half a million acres of solitude, which gives visiting climbers ample opportunity for recreation and enjoyment, but can offer something of a challenge when days' end comes and thoughts turn to showers, lodging, hot food and cold refreshments.

Despair not, my fellow rock rats… all is not lost.

Traveling via Route 220, canyon area crags are situated more or less at the center point between the towns of Franklin and Petersburg. While this is, admittedly, not the same as being between Gotham and Metropolis, there are some fine choices for refreshment, lodging, and entertainment, nonetheless.

 

Smoke Hole

 

Big Bend Campground and Jess Judy Group Campground are Monongahela National Forest Campgrounds. They have gravel tent sites with picnic tables and fire rings or grilles, decent restrooms, and are located more or less directly on the river. The campgrounds are open from early April to late October or early November, which means that they close just as the best of part of Smoke Hole’s climbing season begins; reservations can be made online. Call (304) 358-3253 for more information.

If you didn’t come all the way to the canyon to sleep on a gravel pad, there are about a million acres of National Forest stretching west to Spruce Knob and beyond, including the spectacular views and casual hikes of the North Fork Trail. Please note that:

I. Camping is prohibited within 300 feet of the corridor of the South Branch of the Potomac River between U.S. Highway 220 and Big Bend Campground, except lawful camping at developed campgrounds. (36 CFR 261.58 (e)).

The nearest Monongahela National Forest Ranger Station is the Cheat-Potomac Ranger Station; located just south of Petersburg on 28/55 and offering hiking guidebooks, topo maps, and a friendly staff eager to help the traveling climber.  (304) 257-4488

Shreve’s Store and Workshop ((304) 668 6544) is located in the heart of the canyon, 5.2 miles from Route 220 at the intersection of Route 2 and FS 79, with beer, ice, groceries, and local crafts, music, and books.  Shreve’s Campground is right next door. 

Eagle Rock Campground is privately owned and primitive camping at its finest; first-come, first served with no fixed sites. Fill out the envelope and pay at the entrance; Eagle is open 24/7, year round.

Kile’s Grocery (11688 Petersburg Pike in Upper Tract) has ice, beer, groceries, camping and sports supplies, with assorted West Virginia and Smoke Hole memorabilia.  Fresh-made sandwiches are available for take-out, and are one of the best bargains you will find on this side of the mountain. 

Upper Tract Post Office is located south of Kile’s Grocery on the West side of Route 220 in Upper Tract.  A drop box is available.

Swilled Dog Distillery and Tasting Room is located just south of Upper Tract and Reed Creek Road in the Industrial Park on the west side of Route 220. They offer craft cider, beer and West Virginia wines with assorted appetizers, in a sports-lounge, pet-friendly environment. Private events and tours are available by reservation, (304) 358-0604. Open Friday 2-8, Saturday 12-8.

Franklin

 

Par Mar/Exxon has hot breakfast sandwiches, burgers and fries, and pizza, as well as traveler’s need items, snacks, cold soft drinks, wine and beer.

Thompson's Motel (304-358-2311) is located just south of the Exxon Station and intersection with Route 33.

The Hollow Restaurant (304-358-3733) is a traditional family dining restaurant with a dine-in or take-out breakfast menu to satisfy any appetite, amazing in-house smoked barbecue and burgers, dinner specials and ice cream. The restaurant is located directly in front of Thompson’s.

Great Valu has a surprising assortment of American lagers and real beer, wines, and spritzers, as well as a well-stocked deli and full selection of fresh produce and groceries. 

L&W Spirit Shop can be found in the same shopping center as Great Valu, and offers liquor, beer, and wines.

Subway, located at 624 N. Main Street, just south of Summit Community Bank, serves breakfast at 7am and subs 'til 9pm, has clean bathrooms and free Wi-Fi. (304) 358-2002

Main Street Grille/BP has hot sandwiches, burgers, dogs, fries and other American grille specials, snacks, automotive items, traveler’s needs, coffee, soft drinks, beer and wine.  Grille delivery is available in Franklin: (304)358-3571

Pendleton County Public Library (256 N. Main St.) has free Wi-Fi hotspots in the front and back parking areas, as well as public computers and Wi-Fi inside, where they offer the latest periodicals, including Climbing Magazine, and a wide selection of children and adult fiction and non-fiction. PCPL also has a downstairs meeting room available for rent to the public for $15/hr., inquire at the desk or call (304)358-7038. Open Tuesday through Friday 10-5, Saturday 9-3, closed for inclement weather and all major holidays.

The Star Hotel and Restaurant is located at 76 North Main Street, offering weekend breakfasts and daily specials, with limited hours. They also have rooms for rent in lovely historic Franklin; (304)358-3580.

The Korner Kafe is located south of the Star, across from municipal parking. The Kafe offers pure Americana fare year-round, except for holidays; their fries are plentiful, their milkshakes to die for, and they have the largest collection of Planter’s Peanuts memorabilia gathered under one roof.

Moe Fatz is back, now located at 134 N. Main Street in Franklin, right beside the Korner Kafe. They have all the amazing ice cream flavors and treats you remember, and are also offering quesadillas and salads. Open Sundays until April, when they will return to a weekly schedule of serving ice cream Thursday-Saturday 12-7 p.m., with entrees and ice cream available on Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.

The Potomac Highland Recreation Center can be found in the lower portion of Franklin, east of Main Street, at 201 Confederate Road. Turn left on Lee just south of the light on 220, then left on Confederate, and the Center is located on the right at the bottom of the hill. There is an arcade, bowling alley, and snack shop. Delivery is available 11-2 daily.

Thorn Spring Park and 4-H Camp, 42 All Star Drive, Franklin, WV, just off Thorn Creek Road, about three miles south (left) of the Franklin stoplight on Route 220. Look for the signs for the 4-H Camp and DMV, turn left on Thorn Creek Road at the industrial park (watch for oncoming traffic- this is a bad intersection), cross the bridge and follow the winding road past a small house, a bed and breakfast that was once the local mill, around the bend of the ridge, and across another bridge before turning right into your destination. The office is located in the left end of the house to the right of the yellow cabins.

**** Guidebook author’s review: This is probably the best bargain for your climbing/camping dollar in all of West Virginia, and I have seen nothing quite like it in my dozens of trips across the United States. A seasonal 4-H camp and Boy Scout destination, the Park offers campsites with potable water, fire rings, and a large bathhouse, bunkbed cabins with full fridge, range and sink, showers and woodstoves, RV sites with 30 amp power, water and sewer, as well as a community building for large gatherings and a picnic pavilion, tucked in a scenic fold of Thorn Creek.  John is a great host and keeps a clean house, although he can get a bit over-run during spring break and hunting season.

Reservations recommended, but not required, ice and firewood available. Call (304) 358-7737 between 9 am and 7 pm EST for rates and availability.

 

 

Petersburg

 

The Grant-Moomau Memorial Library has Wi-Fi and public computers, and is located one block east of the light in Petersburg, directly behind the Grant County Bank parking lot. Proceed straight through the light on Water Street and turn right on Mtn. View Drive. The library is half a block and will be on your left, as is the performing arts center. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 9am to 5pm, Wed 9am to 8pm, and Saturdays from 9 to noon.

McDonald’s also has Wi-Fi and is located five blocks north of the light, just south of Shop and Save and opposite the 7-11 gas station and convenience store.

Shop and Save grocery store has a surprising assortment of affordable domestic and micro cold beer and wines and a deli, and can be found on the north end of town, between Pizza Hut and McDonalds and across from the combo Shell gas station and 7-Eleven liquor store.

The Wash Tub Laundromat is located just south of Shop and Save and McDonald’s; a great stop with clean facilities and modern equipment.

Family Traditions is located just half a block north of the downtown light, and offers daily specials. Parking is available across the street, in the municipal parking lot. The food is true southern cooking, the menus simple but well-prepared, and the specials are usually good portions of well-made food for a great price- check out the BBQ ribs on Thursday.

West and south of the downtown light on 28/55 (towards Seneca Rocks), there is a Dairy Queen with dine in or drive-through.

One block further west (up the hill), the Golden Dragon offers Asian fare for buffet, dine-in and take-out, open Tuesday through Saturday.

At the top of the hill, before the Route 42 light and intersection, you will find two more pizza parlors, Alfredo’s and Fox’s, and a Sheetz gas station with MTG grille, snacks and cold beer on the opposite side of the street.

3rd Base Sports Bar is located just south of Sheetz, and, as advertised, offers a sports bar atmosphere with pool table, several TVs, drafts, bottles, mixed drinks and shots, as well as an assortment of heart-stopping deep-fried dishes.

There is a Subway and Little Caesar’s Pizza on the left at the lighted intersection with Route 42.

For a quick break, don't miss Carl's Sandwich Shop, just past the light on 28/55, and located on the left (east) side of the road as you go out of town; hard to get into but worth it for the great cold cut sandwiches and huge burgers.

Weaver’s Market is about a mile out of town on Route 42, towards Green Bank and Mt. Storm. Weaver’s carries deli meats and cheeses and an assortment of reduced price goods, either overstock or damaged packaging. 

To reach Grant Memorial Hospital (304-257-1026) coming from Moorefield, turn right at the 220/28/55 stoplight (beside the Sherriff’s Office, across from the old bank) and follow Main Street (28/55) towards Seneca Rocks, passing three gas stations, a Radio Shack, and the Petersburg Block plant. Stay on 28/55, now Keyser Avenue, through the lighted intersection with Route 42. The hospital is half a mile past the light on the left, just past Central Tie and Lumber.

The Petersburg Post Office is 200 yards further up the hill on the left.

The Fort Hill Motel is located just outside of Petersburg, at 1045 North Fork Highway, and offers small but clean rooms with limited parking. (304) 257-4717.

Petersburg Airport is located just outside of town on Fish Hatchery Road. The author flew into the airport during training for SAR twenty years ago, and knows no one else who has ever done so.