Pickin’ In Parsons

August 1, 2024 to August 2, 2024

My Grass Is Blue!

During the dog days of Summer, a one horse town in Tucker County hosts one of the best Bluegrass Music events in the country. If you travel down to Parsons, West Virginia, be sure to take in at least one and maybe all five days of pickin’ on them guitars, bass, banjos, fiddles, and mandolins. The singing is top notch too!

Around 7000 people flock to this 5 day festival from all over the country.

On top of all that, there is some good cycling to be done in the area, as well. In this chapter, we'll explore a little of both of these unique adventures in the Mountaineer State.

The fun begins in Five Rivers Park, located right in town. John and Joyce Bowers got the festival started several years ago and it has blossomed into a premier event, winning the IBMA award for best Bluegrass Festival in the USA, back in 2017. The music starts at 11:00 AM each day and continues until nearly 9:30 or 10:00 PM with a dinner break between 5:00 and 6:00 PM. Attendees set up their chairs under the main pavilion and they remain there for anyone to use, unless the owner returns. My chair was in the back but I was able to sit relatively close to the front, next to my friends, because the adjacent chair owners never seemed to show up. They were probably enjoying the music from their RV site. Worked out pretty well and most everyone was friendly. No alcohol is permitted and nobody seemed to miss it. The link below is a brief video clip of a Bluegrass band on stage.

We stayed until the festival concluded for the day on August 1st. Then Phillip and I headed out for a ride the following morning, on the Blackwater Canyon Trail (BCT). We started from Mill Race Park, in Parsons, heading out on an uphill trajectory to Thomas, West Virginia.

Mill Race Park, in Parsons, West Virginia.

The trail surface went from paved, to gravel road, to gravel trail, to single track before changing back to a gravel road coming into Thomas. Along the way we passed through some remote backcountry that featured wildflowers, rocky ravines, waterfalls, and the rushing Black Fork River.

Giving the houseboat concept a whole new perspective.

The paved trail turned to gravel road at Hendricks.

Gravel Road became a rough gravel trail.

Phillip, at the gate where the trail narrowed further.

A rocky ravine and sometimes falls area adjacent to the trail.

Above the Douglass Falls is this very inviting pool.

The Joe Pye Weed was very tall in this area near Thomas, West Virginia.

The trail widened out on the approach to Thomas.

We arrived in the neat little mountain town of Thomas after a good climb of nearly 11 miles. A stop for coffee was mandatory, so we found a nice shop and sat outside conversing with a friendly young couple who were visiting the area. Michael and Kimmie were both native West Virginians who do some cycling and have done quite a bit of other traveling. We may have spent more time talking than intended but that’s what these ventures are all about. We passed on information about the Bluegrass Festival in Parsons, which they were very interested in checking out.

Since our good deed for the day was accomplished, we headed back down the BCT. Going back required much less effort but one still needs to hang on and be on the lookout for rocks, branches, roots, and thorny growth.

Narrow trail on the way back to Parsons.

We made it back to Parsons, unscathed and in plenty of time to enjoy some more pickin’. The afternoon and evening lineup was as good as it was on the previous day and a great way to end this one.

Today's ride: 26 miles (42 km)
Total: 788 miles (1,268 km)

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