DAY 1 - Friday, September 5, 2025 | Virginia to Ohio
Raven Rock Overlook, Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia
MILES
428
STOPS
5
ORIGIN
Northern Virginia
DESTINATION
Columbus, OH
DRIVE TIME
~7.5 hrs
TOTAL TIME
~12 hrs
🛑 Stop 1: Cumberland, Maryland
We decided our first stop would be the Cumberland Visitor Center and the western terminus of the C&O Canal. We parked on Canal Street, walked around downtown Cumberland briefly, and then continued on our way. It gave me a chance to revisit the starting point of my 2023 C&O Canal adventure and show Ari where the C&O begins and the GAP Trail ends.
🛑 Stop 2: Coopers Rock State Forest, West Virginia
Our next stop was the first hike of the trip: the Raven Rock Overlook at Coopers Rock State Forest. This was ChatGPT’s first suggested outing and a great way to ease into things with a familiar-style hike. The out-and-back trail leads to an overlook high above the Cheat River Canyon, with expansive views and clear skies in every direction—a theme that would repeat itself over the next few days.
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Cheat River Canyon
I brought along my Kodak Retina IIIc Camera along for the Drive and tried to shoot at least a few images during our stops. This is a stiched panorama of three film frames of the view from Ravens Rock of the Cheat River Canyon.
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Overlook Selfie
Another frame from the Kodak retina IIIC. Ari taking a selfie on the overlook.
🛑 Stop 3: Morgantown, West Virginia
After the hike, we stopped for lunch in Morgantown. ChatGPT recommended Mountain State Brewing Company. Since I like beer and had a designated driver, we decided to give it a shot. Unfortunately, neither the food nor the beer impressed us. It ended up being one of the few genuinely disappointing stops of the entire trip.
🛑 Stop 4: Guernsey County Courthouse
Our next stop brought us to downtown Cambridge, Ohio, and the Guernsey County Courthouse—another ChatGPT recommendation. The goal here was simple: park, stretch our legs, and take a short walk. We spent about twenty minutes walking around the courthouse before continuing on to our final destination for the day.
🛑 Final Stop: Columbus, Ohio
ChatGPT offered several options in Columbus, but the Short North Arts District stood out, especially with a nearby park where we could take a walk after checking in. We settled into the Graduate Hotel and then wandered through Goodale Park and along High Street.
There was a lot of energy in the area—very much a university town vibe. Ohio State had a football game scheduled for Saturday, which added to the activity around the neighborhood.
After a long day of driving, it was refreshing to be greeted by a genuinely friendly face. Sebastian, one of the hotel’s valet attendants from Côte d’Ivoire, was easily our brightest interaction in Columbus. Unfortunately, most other interactions—including dinner at TownHall—felt noticeably less warm. That surprised me, given how often people had described Columbus as an especially friendly city.
Thankfully, our final stop before leaving town restored my faith. We grabbed coffee and bagels at The Lox, where the staff was welcoming and upbeat—much more in line with what we’d heard about Columbus.
As we departed the next morning, High Street was being closed to traffic for a pedestrian-only event featuring live performances, hands-on arts activities, and local vendors. It became another recurring theme of the trip: arriving just after something had ended—or leaving just before something was about to begin.