Douthat State Park has the ability to put time and timelessness foremost in the mind together.

It's the mountains that make this unlikely coupling possible. Blue Suck Falls trail climbs steeply up a mountainside and connects to Tuscarora Overlook trail. At its terminus is a log cabin and a view eastward over the Alleghenies. A vast swath of Virginia's history is available to the Douthat visitor from this one point - from geologic to Colonial to Depression-era.

I made this hike with a friend from Lexington recently on what may end up being the last cold day of the winter. It was well below freezing, and flurries greeted us off and on throughout the climb. The forest shielded us from the blustery day, but that changed when we reached the overlook.

Winds howled across the promontory. Below, Douthat's 50-acre lake partially was obscured by the snow that had moved into the valley. But we stayed there long enough to witness a brief clearing before the clouds and snow swung in again.

In that brief interlude, it was easy to see why geologists call this region the Valley and Ridge. The more resistant sandstone has stood up to weathering better over geologic time than the easily eroded limestone.

Thus crystal trout streams such as Wilson Creek, which was dammed to create Douthat Lake in 1936, cut valley floors into the limestone, while the Tuscarora Sandstone layer creates nearby mountains. All this, of course, took place over eons.

Two historical markers at the overlook invited us to imagine the first settlers entering this region in the 1700s. Like the Native Americans before them, they literally hacked a life out of the wilderness. The hardiness and patience it must have taken to create a sustainable existence is hard to fathom today.

So was the log cabin behind us.

Solid and imposing, the shelter, like so many other structures at Douthat, was constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. As many as 600 men cut the 43 miles of hiking trails that now also are considered some of the best mountain biking trails in the state. They built the dam and spillway, the beach on the lake and the restaurant that overlooks it. They built 25 cabins and a couple of lodges, all of which still are open to the public.

Standing at Tuscarora Overlook, after a strenuous 3.5-mile hike to get there, I envisioned teams of men hauling the cobbles and timbers up the same trail. The cabin, originally intended as a fire watch station, looks as sturdy and well built now as it must have the day it was finished. Somehow, the enduring resilience of this region's first inhabitants - not to mention that of the sandstone we stood on - was handed down to the men of the CCC.

Eventually, the wind and cold became too much, and we started our return. Blue Suck Falls (three miles) is one of the longer trails in 4,500-acre Douthat. It's also one of the steepest, but we rambled down through the flurries, knowing the hard part was behind us.When we reached the bottom, we walked around the spillway, admiring the intricate stonework and looking for signs of brook trout in Wilson Creek.

Douthat's layers of human history, of course, often are a mere complement to the natural beauty and recreational opportunities. There is little you can't do at this oldest of state parks, from hunting and fishing to hiking, biking, swimming and camping. None of these activities requires a knowledge of the park's past, both ancient and more modern, to enjoy.

But the real story of Douthat State Park, the one that gives the visitor the most authentic and richest experience, is best told from a rocky overlook with a window into geologic time where both snow squalls and history blow through.