CAIRO -“The park has something for all ages,” said Lisa Queen of Coolville.

“Campgrounds, trails, basketball hoops and a playground for the kids, not to mention the lake for boating and fishing. Beautiful cabins fully equipped with full kitchens and fireplaces leave nothing out for a family getaway,” Queen said.

North Bend State Park is named for the horseshoe curve of the North Fork of the Hughes River in Ritchie County. The park offers a multitude of recreational facilities in a beautiful pastoral setting.

The fishing streams, lake, hiking trails, abundant wildlife and overnight accommodations, including the lodge and cabins, are some of the features of this year-round park. The 305-acre recreational lake has a boat ramp, handicap-accessible fishing pier, and other fishing access points.

North Bend also features the 72-mile North Bend Rail Trail, which is designed for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. The rail trail runs along the old B&O Railroad bed from Parkersburg to Wolf Summit, near Clarksburg.

North Bend Lodge sits on a ridge that peers over the woodland river valley. Decorated with solid oak furnishings, the lodge features 29 guest rooms with either two double beds, a queen bed and double bed, or a king bed, plus bath, air conditioning, telephone, mini-fridges and television.

North Bend’s nine deluxe vacation cabins are located at a secluded ridge in a white pine forest. Constructed of solid cedar, the cabins offer fireplaces, central heat and air, telephone and two, three or four bedrooms. The cabins are completely equipped for housekeeping with cooking utensils, dishes, linens, blankets, kitchens with modern appliances and baths with shower/tub units.

The North Bend Rail Trail passes through wild and natural areas, farmland and a variety of small rural communities that grew up along its length. The many points of interest and history include the Old Stone House and the former Stage Coach Inn at Pennsboro, a marble factory, hand-blown glass factories, outlet stores, arts and crafts markets, fairs and festivals, sites of train robberies and tunnels with ghostly legends. The trail also passes numerous state, county and local parks.

In the years before the Civil War and the creation of the state of West Virginia, the former rail corridor was constructed by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad between 1853 and 1857. The trail has 13 remaining tunnels constructed by the railroad.

The number 10 tunnel west of Ellenboro, for example, is 337-feet long and is a “raw” or natural tunnel, which was bored through solid rock.

“I’ve been down to the park three times this past year and will certainly eclipse that record this time next year. One of the area’s best kept secrets, both in environment and the folks who run it,” said Jed Rumora of Columbus.

The park offers activities ranging from backcountry camping, canoeing/kayaking, biking, hiking, yoga, to a navigation course.

The backcountry camping is an overnight experience with a guide in a remote section of North Bend State Park.

For cyclists, the park offers road biking, rail trail, dirt roads and single track. For the bikers who enjoy riding on smoother roads the park has 16-, 45 -and 62-mile loops. “The North Bend Rail Trail is flat, relatively smooth, and long with beautiful scenery,” said park officials.

The park offers a two-hour introduction to backpacking and hiking that will focus on packs and gear, packing for an outing and trying different loaded packs for size and comfort.

“Yoga courses offer indoor or outdoor classes in the natural surroundings and are an amazing journey,” said park officals. Guests of the park can select the class that suits them or choose from informational sessions. This is a year-round option with a certified yoga instructor. “Excellent to consider for friends’ weekends or outings, creating a customized retreat,” said park officials.

Introduction to GPS is a one-hour course into how to use a GPS unit. The compass course is a one-hour introduction on how to use a compass through various hands-on exercise.

Introduction to map and compass is an hour and a half introduction to using a topographic map and a compass together to navigate the same way people did before GPS was an option.

Geocaching is a two-hour hands-on exercise in finding specific areas using a GPS unit. The Land Navigation Course can be up to a four-hour course that teaches guests to use a GPS, compass and map reading skills to navigate through the woods from one point to the next – traveling two miles or more both on and off trails.

“The park offers a lot of variety of trails here from easy to difficult. We had a fantastic day with three kids 4 and under. I’d love to come back to camp sometime soon,” said Kathy Morgan of Marietta.

“The park offers a nature and recreation program featuring programs on the park’s natural and cultural history. Programs run every day from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Special programs or tours can be arranged for groups,” said park officals.

There is an outdoor swimming pool at the park, near the River Run Camping area. The pool sits on top of a large hill with huge rocks to lie on for sunbathing. Hours of operation are typically noon to 6 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day weekend, but it is not open on Mondays and Tuesdays.