Monongahela National Forest is one of our favorite places in West Virginia. It is such a diverse area, with mountains, waterfalls, unique rock formations, bogs, and some of the best hiking trails around. We spent about a day and a half exploring the forest, but we could have spent much longer. In this article, we’ll help you make the most of your visit to Monongahela National Forest.
Best Things to Do in Monongahela National Forest
1. Beartown State Park
We were based in the city of Beckley in southwest West Virginia, so it made sense that Beartown State Park was our first stop. From Beckley, it was an hour and a half drive to Beartown State Park. Beartown State Park is a 110 acre forested area for day-use only. The best thing to do here is a half mile boardwalk through interesting sandstone rock formations. There is no fee for this state park. The trailhead is off of Beartown Road, GPS coordinates 38.05147, -80.27523. There is a vault toilet in the parking lot.
2. Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
From Beartown State Park, Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is only a half hour drive away. Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is a 750 acre protected area that features a large area of bogs that are not typically found in this part of the U.S. There is a 0.6 mile boardwalk that takes you into the bog. The area is very beautiful with unique plants and mountains looming in the distance. If you look closely, you may even see wild cranberries growing near the ground. The boardwalk starts from the Cranberry Glades Parking Lot. There is a vault toilet available there as well. If you’re interested, the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center is down the road from the Cranberry Glades Parking Lot and has restrooms and exhibits to check out.
3. Falls of Hills Creek
We didn’t stop here since we had a limited amount of time, but we would have liked to. Falls of the Hill Creek is about 12 minutes from the Cranberry Glades Parking Lot. A short gravel road off WV-39 W will take you to the trailhead of a 1.4 mile round trip out-and-back trail. The trail will take you to three different waterfalls, including one of the tallest in West Virginia. There is a vault toilet available.
4. Seneca Rocks
From the Cranberry Glades Parking Lot, the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center is a two hour drive. The Discovery Center has interesting exhibits and a great view of Seneca Rocks, along with restrooms. Just 3 minutes down the road is the Seneca Rocks Trailhead. The trail is a 3.5 mile round trip out-and-back trail that ascends up a mountain to an overlook. You won’t get a view of Seneca Rocks from this trail, so make sure to stop at the Discovery Center. We thought this was a great trail that was well-maintained.
5. Spruce Knob
Spruce Knob is West Virginia’s highest peak, at 4,863 feet above sea level. From the Seneca Rocks Trailhead, it is about a 35 minute drive. If you look at a map, you’ll notice that you are backtracking slightly from Seneca Rocks. We arrived at Spruce Knob just in time to eat dinner while watching the sunset. It was well worth the backtrack. The road up the mountain was narrow with multiple switchbacks. It was a tight squeeze when we passed cars going down while we were going up. There was a pullout before the large parking lots at the peak that had the best view of the sunset. There was a vault toilet available in the parking lot.
Dispersed camping is allowed at Spruce Knob, so this is where we spent the night. There was an amazing view of the night sky. We could even see the milky way. In the morning, there was also a nice view of the sunrise from the Whispering Spruce Trail. The Whispering Spruce Trail is a half mile loop trail leaving from the parking lot that loops around the mountain top. There were multiple amazing overlooks. Make sure to go up the Spruce Knob Observation Tower from this trail.
6. Blackwater Falls State Park
Blackwater Falls State Park is about an hour and 15 minutes from Spruce Knob, located in the Allegheny Mountains. There is no fee for this park. There are multiple scenic locations in this park.
Blackwater Falls
To access the boardwalk to the overlook of Blackwater Falls, park at the Blackwater Falls Trading Post. There is a gift shop, food, and restrooms at the trading post. From the parking lot, continue down the stairs to see the falls. This was a very popular location when we were there on a Saturday morning in September.
Pendleton Point Overlook
A short drive from the Blackwater Falls Trading Post is the Pendleton Point Overlook, a beautiful viewpoint over Blackwater Canyon. The overlook is an easy, paved walk from the parking lot.
Lindy Point
From Pendleton Point Overlook, the trailhead to Lindy Point is about a 10 minute drive. The trail is a 0.8 miles round trip out-and-back trail to another beautiful view of Blackwater Canyon. I think this view was even better than Pendleton Point. The parking lot at the trailhead only fits a few cars, so you may need to park on the side of the road. Note that this trail can get muddy.
Elakala Falls from Blackwater Lodge
Blackwater Lodge is a 6 minute drive back down the same road from Lindy Point. From the left side of the parking lot, facing the lodge, there is a trailhead that goes to Elakala Falls. Elakala Falls are smaller and less popular than Blackwater Falls. I thought it was even better than Blackwater Falls because it was quieter. The bridge going over the falls is a short walk down the trail. Continue a little further and you’ll come to a steep hill you can climb down to get to the base of the falls for a better view.
Other Things to Do in Monongahela National Forest
1. Dolly Sod Wilderness
Dolly Sods Wilderness is a massive area of Monongahela National Forest with many different trails to hike. There are many hiking opportunities for all skill levels, from short day hikes to multiple day backpacking trips. Dispersed camping is allowed here as well, as long as you are at least 200 feet away from roads, streams, and trails. We avoided going to Dolly Sods Wilderness because the main roads through the area are rough and unpaved. It is recommended to download maps for offline use or obtain a paper trail map while hiking in Dolly Sod Wilderness. Dolly Sod Wilderness is a little over a half hour from the Seneca Rocks Trailhead and a little over an hour from the Blackwater Falls Lodge.
Best Easy Trail
Beaver Dam Trail: a 1.4 mile round trip out-and back trail known for wildflowers. In the fall, the trail can get muddy.
Best Moderate Trail
Bear Rocks Trail to Raven Ridge Trail Loop: a 5.2 mile loop with beautiful scenery and varied terrain. From the trailhead off Dolly Sods Road (near Bear Rocks Preserve Parking), the trail follows along Bear Rocks Trail until you reach the start of the loop. Turn right to take the loop counter-clockwise. Continue until you reach the Raven Ridge Trail intersection. Turn left on the Raven Ridge Trail. Continue until you reach another intersection. Turn left to finish off the loop. You can extend this trail by continuing onto the Dobbin Grade Trail instead of turning left. The Dobbin Grade Trail has been reported to be very muddy and wet however.
Best Difficult Trail
Red Creek Trail to Lion’s Head Rocks: a 7.3 mile round trip out-and-back trail to the Lion’s Head. This trail starts at the Dolly Sods Wilderness Trailhead, continues through rough terrain and a creek crossing, to a viewpoint at Lion’s Head Rocks.
2. Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park
Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park is West Virginia’s first state park, dedicated in 1928. This is the site of one of the last battles of the Civil War. Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park is less than 10 minutes from Beartown State Park and 25 minutes from the Cranberry Glades Parking Lot.
Overlook Trail
The Overlook Trail is a short 0.5 mile trail leaving from the museum to a nice viewpoint.
Lookout Tower
Drive right up to a small parking lot next to the tower or hike one of multiple short trails to the tower and climb to the top for a nice view.
Museum
Visit the museum to see exhibits about the history of the park and Civil War artifacts.
3. Cass Scenic Railroad State Park
Take a ride through the mountains of West Virginia on a scenic train ride. Choose from a 2, 4, or 4.5 hour round-trip rides through the country-side. There is even a multi-day ride if you’re interested. Cass Scenic Railroad State Park is about an hour north of Beartown State Park. Check out what rides are available here.
4. Smoke Hole Caverns
For those interested in cave exploration, don’t miss Smoke Hole Caverns. Guided cave tours are available year-round and last a little less than an hour. Expect to see many stalactites and stalagmites. Smoke Hole Caverns are a 15 minute drive from the Seneca Rocks Trailhead.
5. Highland Scenic Highway
The Highland Scenic Highway is a great opportunity to enjoy what Monongahela National Forest has to offer without even leaving your vehicle. It is a 43 mile long drive from Richwood, West Virginia to US Route 219 via State Route 39 and 150. There are 4 main overlooks along the route: Williams River Valley, Big Spruce, Little Laurel, and Red Lick. The route also passes by Summit Lake, Falls of Hills Creek, Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, and the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center, making these great additional stops.
Drive Times
Below are the approximate drive times for the itinerary that we followed in Monongahela National Forest starting at Beckley, West Virginia and ending at Blackwater Falls State Park.
Beckley – Beartown State Park: 1.5 hours via I-64 E and US-219 N
Beartown State Park – Cranberry Glades Botanical Area: 30 minutes via US-219 N and WV-39 W
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area – Seneca Rocks Discovery Center and Trailhead: 2 hours via WV-28 N, additional 3 minutes from Discovery Center to Seneca Rocks Trailhead
Seneca Rocks Trailhead – Spruce Knob: 35 minutes via WV-28 S and Forest Rd 112
Spruce Knob – Blackwater Falls State Park: 1 hour 15 minutes via US-33 W and WV-32
Planning on car camping? Check out our complete list of items we brought on a year-long road trip.
Quick Tips
-The main sites of Monongahela National Forest are spread out over large distances with what can be long drive times. Prioritize what you would most like to see.
-The roads between sites can be extremely curvy and hilly. Take note if you are prone to getting carsick.
-There is little cell service in Monongahela National Forest, even in small towns. We have Verizon and we lost service frequently. Save maps offline and take screenshots of important information.
-Visitors and discovery centers are good places to find a clean restroom and refill water bottles.
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