The deep forests and rolling hills of Pocahontas County, West Virginia, have a path for everybody
(Picture: Pocahontas County)
Printed July 1, 2026 08:11AM
Your immersive wilderness expertise begins at a trailhead in Pocahontas County, West Virginia. Residence to the Allegheny Mountains, the Monongahela Nationwide Forest, and loads of pleasant mountain city communities, it’s a spot the place everybody from outdoor-loving households to devoted hikers can take pleasure in a while on the paths. Questioning the place to kick off your mountaineering journey in Nature’s Mountain Playground? Listed below are eight locations to take a look at.
As one of many largest designated wilderness areas east of the Mississippi, the distant Cranberry Wilderness provides a quintessential West Virginia mountaineering expertise. In style riverside trails like North Fork and Center Fork reduce via the forested valleys that outline the area, with ample alternatives to hyperlink trails for multi-day backpacking journeys.
This Nationwide Scenic Byway is without doubt one of the greatest locations to understand the vastness of the Monongahela Nationwide Forest, affectionately generally known as “The Mon.” As you wind via the Allegheny Highlands, make time to cease at viewpoints, picnic spots, and accessible day hikes just like the Pink Spruce Knob or Excessive Rocks Path.
This protected land is dwelling to the biggest space of bogs in West Virginia, in addition to greater than 60 plant species, together with many usually discovered within the northern U.S. and Canada. There’s a half-mile boardwalk that gives a stroll among the many flora in addition to trails main into the Cranberry Wilderness.
Alongside this 1.4-mile out-and-back hike, you’ll see three of West Virginia’s highest waterfalls, cascading in 25-, 45-, and 65-foot drops. There’s lush vegetation all alongside the path, together with rhododendron and wildflower blooms within the spring. Plus, a handicap-accessible walkway permits everybody to take pleasure in the great thing about the 25-foot higher falls.
Respect Nature, Put together for Journey
Earlier than you hit the paths in Nature’s Mountain Playground, tick these packing containers:
✅ Put together for restricted cell service
✅ Verify for climate alerts
✅ Inform somebody you belief the place you’re going
✅ Achieve an understanding of the 7 Depart No Hint Ideas
Have questions? Name Pocahontas County CVB (304) 799-4636 for planning help, maps, and path updates.
Locals name Tea Creek Path System the hidden gem of Pocahontas County. This distant backcountry space has 44 miles of mountaineering and mountain biking trails weaving via its deep forests. Skilled backpackers will take pleasure in mountaineering from ridgelines to stream crossings because the elevation dips and rises. The dispersed forest tenting and fishing spots all through the world are an added bonus.
As West Virginia’s largest state park, Watoga has loads of room to roam. Its 40-mile path system ranges in options from mountaintop views to shady forest loops. In the meantime, Beartown State Park is likely to be smaller, however the brief boardwalk hike via its labyrinth of otherworldly rock formations is unforgettable.
The 311-mile Allegheny Path provides hikers the possibility to spend three to 4 weeks in among the state’s most scenic wilderness. West Virginia’s longest mountaineering path options 86 miles of Pocahontas County, with handy stops in welcoming path cities like Durbin, Cass, and Marlinton. It’s a rugged backcountry expertise that also feels effectively supported because of the world’s useful mountaineering neighborhood and pleasant locals.
Mountain climbing at West Virginia’s largest ski resort is a win-win. First, Snowshoe’s sprawling system of backcountry mountaineering and biking trails will lead you to dense forests, scenic ridgelines, and quiet mountain lakes. Later, you possibly can relaxation your drained legs with a scenic elevate trip and every little thing the resort has to supply.
Overlook one thing?
These native outfitters can get you equipped and prepared for the path forward:
Pocahontas County Conference & Guests Bureau (PCCVB), positioned in West Virginia, promotes “Nature’s Mountain Playground,” the place unspoiled landscapes, wealthy heritage, and year-round outside recreation create significant customer experiences. Via strategic advertising and marketing and partnerships, PCCVB helps sustainable tourism that strengthens native communities whereas preserving the area’s pure magnificence and cultural legacy.
