Droop Mountain peaks at 3,136 feet in Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties. It got its name because it appears to "droop" when viewed from the valley below.

On November 6, 1863, Droop Mountain was the site of one of the most important Civil War battles fought in West Virginia. U.S. troops defeated the Confederate forces, ending the last major military threat to our new state. The site was purchased in 1928 and opened as our first state park. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) later built footpaths and monuments to highlight the battlefield, including battle graves and breastworks (dirt walls used for defense). Today, the park has a small Civil War museum and an observation tower.

In the early 1900s, the forest was dramatically changed. A chestnut blight killed off the giant American chestnut trees, and deforestation led to massively destructive forest fires. After the fires, logging mills salvaged the wood. Workers often found Civil War bullets embedded inside the logs.

A unique feature of the mountain is its cranberry bog—an acidic wetland usually found only much farther north in the United States and Canada. In 2021, Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park (along with two nearby parks) was named one of West Virginia's first Dark Sky Parks. This designation means the area has incredibly low light pollution, offering a spectacular and clear view of the Milky Way for stargazers and astronomers.