Audra State Park

State park in Barbour County, West Virginia

39°02′25″N 80°03′55″W / 39.04028°N 80.06528°W / 39.04028; -80.06528Area355 acres (144 ha)Elevation1,811 ft (552 m)Established1950^[2]Named forAudra, West VirginiaGoverning bodyWest Virginia Division of Natural ResourcesWebsitewvstateparks.com/park/audra-state-park/

Audra State Park is a West Virginia state park located on 355 acres (1.44 km²)^[3] in southwestern Barbour County. It was established around the remnants of an early 19th-century gristmill and the tiny community of Audra. A gristmill spillway is still visible in the river.^[4]

Icicles drape Alum Cave on a winter afternoon

The park is a hilly, secondary forest area bisected by the Middle Fork River. The deep pools, large, flat rocks, and riverside beach have provided generations of campers, local teens and college students a place to swim or work on their tans.^[5] Audra State Park is the site of Alum Cave, which is accessible by a boardwalk built along this overhanging sandstone ledge.

The park serves as the put-in point for a 6.6 mile kayak run along about 2.8 miles the Middle Fork River and about 3.8 miles of the Tygart Valley River to the confluence of the latter with the Buckhannon River.^[6]

Features

67 camp sites
Swimming in the Middle Fork River
Hiking trails
Kayaking in the Middle Fork River
Picnic area

Accessibility

Accessibility for the disabled was assessed by West Virginia University. The assessment found the campground, picnic area, and park offices to be accessible.^[7] The main swimming hole (just below the site of the former gristmill), with wet, slippery rocks and unpaved approaches is not considered accessible.

References

^ "Audra State Park". Protected Planet. IUCN. Retrieved April 30, 2018.
^ Where People and Nature Meet: A History of the West Virginia State Parks. Charleston, West Virginia: Pictorial Histories Publishing Company. April 1988. ISBN 0-933126-91-3.
^ Carrol, S. and Miller, M., Hiking West Virginia, p.92, Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, CT (2003).
^ Audra State Park web page, accessed March 16, 2008.
^ Crockett, M., "Jewels in our Crown", Pictoria Histories, Charleston, WV, 2004. ISBN 1-891852-35-3
^ American Whitewater web site, Middle Fork River page, accessed July 19, 2006.
^ Guide to Accessible Recreation and Travel in WV, WVU Center for Excellence in Disabilities web site, accessed July 31, 2006 Archived July 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine

External links

Official website

Protected areas of West Virginia

Federal

National Parks	New River Gorge
National Historical Parks	Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Harpers Ferry
National Forests	George Washington and Jefferson Monongahela
National Recreation Areas	Gauley River (NPS) Spruce Knob–Seneca Rocks (USFS)
National Wildlife Refuges	Canaan Valley Ohio River Islands
National Trails System	Appalachian National Scenic Trail
National Preserves	New River Gorge
Wilderness Areas	Big Draft Wilderness Cranberry Wilderness Dolly Sods Wilderness Laurel Fork North Wilderness Laurel Fork South Wilderness Mountain Lake Wilderness Otter Creek Wilderness Roaring Plains Wilderness Spice Run Wilderness
National Rivers	Bluestone NSR

State

State parks	Audra Babcock Beartown Beech Fork Berkeley Springs Blackwater Falls Blennerhassett Island Bluestone Cacapon Resort Camp Creek Canaan Valley Resort Carnifex Ferry Battlefield Cass Scenic Railroad Cathedral Cedar Creek Chief Logan Droop Mountain Battlefield Fairfax Stone Greenbrier River Trail Hawks Nest Holly River Little Beaver Lost River Moncove Lake North Bend Rail Trail North Bend Pinnacle Rock Pipestem Resort Prickett's Fort Stonewall Jackson Lake Tomlinson Run Tu-Endie-Wei Twin Falls Resort Tygart Lake Valley Falls Watoga Watters Smith Memorial
Former state parks	Booker T. Washington Grandview Grave Creek Mound James Rumsey Monument Mingo Oak Mont Chateau Morgan Morgan Monument
State forests	Cabwaylingo Calvin Price Camp Creek Coopers Rock Greenbrier Kanawha Kumbrabow Seneca
Wildlife management areas	Allegheny Amherst-Plymouth Anawalt Lake Bear Rocks Lake Becky Creek Beech Fork Lake Berwind Lake Beury Mountain Big Ditch Big Ugly Bluestone Burches Run Burnsville Lake Castleman Run Lake Cecil H. Underwood Center Branch Cheat Canyon Chief Cornstalk Conaway Run Lake Cross Creek Dents Run Dunkard Fork East Lynn Lake Edwards Run Elk Creek Elk River Fairfox Pond-Rehe Fort Mill Ridge Fox Forest Frozen Camp Green Bottom Handley Hilbert Hillcrest Horse Creek Hughes River Huttonsville State Farm The Jug Lantz Farm and Nature Preserve Laurel Lake Lewis Wetzel Little Indian Creek McClintic Meadow River Mill Creek Moncove Lake Morris Creek Nathaniel Mountain Panther Pedlar Pleasant Creek Plum Orchard Lake Pruntytown State Farm R.D. Bailey Lake Ritchie Mines Sand Hill Shannondale Springs Short Mountain Slatyfork Sleepy Creek Smoke Camp Snake Hill South Branch Stonecoal Lake Stonewall Jackson Lake Stumptown Summersville Lake Tate Lohr Teter Creek Lake Thorn Creek Tug Fork Turkey Run Upper Deckers Creek Upper Mud River Valley Bend Wetlands Wallback Widmeyer Woodrum Lake
Other WVDNR sites	West Virginia State Wildlife Center

Local

Municipal parks	Cameron City Pool Camp Mad Anthony Wayne Fries Park James Rumsey Monument Magic Island Marland Heights Park Memorial Park Oglebay Park Ritter Park Staunton Park Wheeling Park

Non-
governmental

Nature Conservancy preserves	Bear Rocks Brush Creek Cranesville Swamp Greenland Gap Hungry Beech Ice Mountain Mount Porte Crayon Murphy Panther Knob Pike Knob Slaty Mountain Upper Shavers Fork Yankauer