Chief Logan State Park in Logan, WV, is located deep in coal country and is known as the state’s most visited park! The park boasts a lodge, campground, pool, museum, and miniature golf course- in addition to hiking trails, shooting range, and a fishing pond.
History and Location
Chief Logan State Park in southwest West Virginia is about 4 1/2 hours southwest of Pittsburgh and about 2 hours west of New River Gorge National Park.
The park covers about 4,000 acres and is named after Native American Mingo tribe leader Chief Logan. Chief Logan lived in the 1700s around the time of the American Revolutionary War, and was known for exacting revenge when his family and fellow tribe members were massacred.
His famous lament is mounted on his statue at the main park office, and reads:
“I appeal to any white man to say, if he ever entered Logan’s cabin hungry, and he gave him not meat; if he ever came cold and naked, and he cloathed him not.
During the course of the last long and bloody war Logan remained idle in his cabin, an advocate for peace. Such was my love for the whites, that my countrymen pointed as they passed, and said, “Logan is the friend of white men.” I had even thought to have lived with you, but for the injuries of one man.
Colonel Cresap, the last spring, in cold blood, and unprovoked, murdered all the relations of Logan, not even sparing my women and children.
There runs not a drop of my blood in the veins of any living creature. This called on me for revenge. I have sought it; I have killed many; I have fully glutted my vengeance; for my country I rejoice at the beams of peace.
But do not harbour a thought that mine is the joy of fear. Logan never felt fear. He will not turn on his heel to save his life. Who is there to mourn for Logan?-Not one.”
The area was opened for recreational use in 1960 and became a state park in 1968.
Along with the Chief’s statue, the main park office also hosts the former Logan Courthouse Bell, along with a monument to southern West Virginia’s coal miners.
And you can’t miss the giant Kanawha 2700 Class locomotive near the office that was donated in 1961 by C&O Railroad.
If you have time, you can also stroll through the park museum, which features exhibits focusing on farming, coal mining, firearms and quilting. Quite the mix!
Accommodations
Chief Logan State Park has overnight accommodations in their 75-room lodge, three large modern cabins, or their 26-site campground (14 will full hookups!).
The lodge and cabins are in the upper northwest corner of the park and easily accessible from Route 119. The campground is in the southwest corner of the park, and it’s much easier to navigate from the park entrance off Route 10.
Since we’re RV-less and opting for lodges and cabins this season, we were excited to check in to Chief Logan State Park Lodge.
We requested a pet-friendly room, and were given #200. This room was perfect for Franklin and Hazel because it was located right next to an exit, making it easy for bathroom breaks.
Our basic lodge room had two queen beds, small couch, television, and full bathroom. We paid about $140 per night during our Thursday through Sunday stay.
The overnight rate includes a free continental breakfast buffet, so we took turns eating and hanging with dogs. If you are staying at the lodge, you can also enjoy the fitness center, indoor swimming pool, and restaurant. They also have a wonderful back porch off their conference center to lounge outside if nothing else is going on.
Overall, the lodge was a good value for us and what it provided in lieu of our typical campground experience. We had a great stay, and even got to participate in bingo fundraiser on Saturday night for The Paws Squad, an animal rescue group in West Virginia.
Trails and Wildlife
I was glad we had a vehicle to leave the lodge (unlike when we’d RV and not want to drive it around), because the trails were scattered throughout the park.
Here’s an overall park map to give you an idea of the trail layout:
And here’s a marked up version of where we stayed and hiked:
If you are staying at the lodge and driving to other trails, GET READY for some twists and turns! The road up over the mountain to the other side of the park is narrow and winding.
Your first stop should be the Park Office, because there’s so much see. You can park in one of two nearby lots and make your way to the museum, locomotive, amphitheater, and several trails all in one shot.
From the Park Office, we chose the Waterfall Trail, Fitness Trail, Cliffside Trail, and Shawnee Trail. This group of trails created a hike totaling around 3 1/2 miles.
In between miles, you can relax on the porch of the Pioneer Homestead right along the Fitness Trail.
If you drive the road on the other side of the main park office up the hill, you can also hike mile-long Lakeshore Trail at the fishing pond.
We saw many fish and a few turtles from the trail.
There is also a wildlife exhibit at the end of this road, but it didn’t allow pets, so womp womp, we didn’t get to see it.
Another trail up this road we didn’t get to see was the mile-long Guyandotte Beauty Trail. It features abandoned coal mines and many wildflowers, so I’m sad we missed it!
As for wildlife, I didn’t see any bears or mushrooms (my two favorite things to spot in the wild). However, in the spirit of fun, we did spot one of my other favorite wildlife creatures…sort of…
Stanley the Rock Snake was slinking near this little guy:
Otherwise, we saw a lot of deer, groundhogs, turkeys, squirrels, and chipmunks.
SIDE TRIP! The Hatfield-McCoy Trails
Our summer visit to Chief Logan State Park was HOT HOT HOT, so we took a cool drive a few miles south one afternoon to see the Hatfield-McCoy Trails.
The Hatfield-McCoy Trails are for off-roading (think ATVs, motorbikes, and Jeeps) and stretch over ONE THOUSAND MILES!
We learned its perfectly legal to have some ATVs on the highways in West Virginia- and they looked so cooooollllll…
We followed this group to get a glimpse of the trail system.
And they eventually turned in here:
The trails all appear to be very well-marked, and we could see them winding up and down the mountains along the highway.
PIT STOP! Hideaway Heights
If you are craving some pizza, Hideaway Heights is just 10 minutes from Chief Logan State Park Lodge in nearby Chapmanville.
And there are two reasons I don’t have any photos of it:
- It was located in an old used car lot building right off the highway, and it wasn’t pretty.
- The pizza was SO AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS, we ate it too quickly to take any pictures!
I’m not lying. DEEEE-LICIOUS. We opted for the white pizza, which had a scrumptious New York-style crust and a thin veil of parmesan over the whole thing.
Do yourself a favor and ignore the exterior to get the goods on in the interior of Hideaway Heights.
The Last Word
We would have enjoyed more hiking in the park if it hadn’t been 95 degrees- but seeing the off-roading was a great diversion!
We’d recommend Chief Logan State Park for a summer weekend in West Virginia. Even though it was a longer drive for us, the pet-friendly lodge was a fun experience with the pups.
