ffff
Hanging Rock Tower is in Monroe County, West Virginia
which is in the southeastern part of the state near the Virginia
border. Here is a drawing of the roads leading to Hanging Rock.
For a more general map of the area:
Mapquest for Gap Mills / Waiteville area
From Paint Bank, VA turn off of
route 311 onto county route 600 and proceed 11 miles to Waiteville,
WV. Turn right onto Gap Mills Road ( county route 15 ) and go 4 miles. On the
left you'll see a sign that reads "National Forest, Allegheny Trail Parking"
with an arrow. Take the left
into the gravel parking lot.
From Waiteville, WV take Gap
Mills Road ( county route 15 ) 4 miles. On the left you'll see a sign that
reads "National Forest, Allegheny Trail Parking" with an arrow. Take
the left
into the gravel parking lot.
From Gap Mills, WV take Zenith
Road and proceed between 3 and 4 miles to Waiteville Road. About a mile after you turn onto Waiteville Road,
there will be a hairpin 
turn to the left. You will notice it has been widened to accommodate
parking along the road. You may also proceed farther up road until
you top the hill. At this point there will be a parking area above
the road on your right, but
you
have to watch for it; it is easy to miss. It is a small gravel area that
will hold 6 or 8 cars at most. If you start going down hill you have missed
it. The tower is a hike of a little less than 3/4 mile from the lower parking
area and
between
.8 and .9 mile from the upper lot. The hike from the upper lot is a
little longer but somewhat flatter on the lower half. The trail
entrance from this lot is marked with yellow paint which signifies
the Allegheny trail.
From Rock Camp, WV turn onto
Zenith Road. After 2.5 miles or so, watch for a turnoff back to the
right. The turn for Waiteville road is around 8 miles from this
point. About a mile after you turn onto Waiteville Road,
there will be a hairpin
turn to the left. You will notice it has been widened to accommodate
parking along the road. You may also proceed farther up road until
you top the hill. At this point there will be a parking area above
the road on your right, but
you
have to watch for it; it is easy to miss. It is a small gravel area that will
hold 6 or 8 cars at most. If you start going down hill you have missed it.
The tower is a hike of a little less than 3/4 mile from the lower parking
area and
between
.8 and .9 mile from the upper lot. The hike from the upper lot is a
little longer but somewhat flatter on the lower half. The trail
entrance from this lot is marked with yellow paint which signifies
the Allegheny trail.
From Blacksburg, VA two people have submitted directions from Blacksburg
Route # 1 Take 460 West. After about 8 miles, turn right onto VA-42
(Bluegrass Trail) towards Newport. Go for almost 10 miles on VA-42, then turn
left onto VA-658. Go for about 4 miles on 658, then turn right onto 632.
After only half a mile or so, turn left onto 658 again .After a little less
than half a mile, turn left onto VA-636. This is not well-marked-there is no
stop sign, and the road almost makes a V (636 is on the left). VA-636 becomes
a dirt road, and becomes windy and steep. After about 3 miles, you enter
Monroe County, West Virginia.
After entering West Virginia, go about another mile and a half. The dirt
road will come out of the woods. There will be a church up ahead on the
right, a house that may have a rebel flag in front of you, and a road that
curves to the left. Take the left-curving road (you'll pass the house with
the flag on your right). Follow this road to a stop sign. There will be a
yellow house in front of you. Take a right. Soon you'll come to another stop
sign. Turn right again. This road is wider and well-paved. You'll only be
on the well-paved road briefly. There will be a sign for Gap Mills Road.
Take the left onto Gap Mills Road. Gap Mills Road is paved, but not well. It
also becomes steep and windy. Take Gap Mills Road for about 4 miles. On the
left you'll see a sign that reads "National Forest, Allegheny Trail Parking"
with an arrow. Take the left
into the gravel parking lot.
Route # 2 From Blacksburg, VA it's 45 miles. Take US 460 past
Pembroke, turn
right on VA 635 toward White Rock; stay on this road past the White
Rock area into Monroe County (where the road becomes WV 17). About a
mile after the Waiteville-community sign, turn left on Gap Mill Rd; go 4
miles; and turn into the Allegheny Trail Parking area at the sign.