West Virginia - Monongahela National Forest South
And Surrounding Parks

 

Maps:

• Software - Topo! Mid-Atlantic

• Monongahela National Forest, WV, USDA FSM, AGO.  1994

• Cranberry Wilderness, MNF, USDA FSM, AGO.  1997

• Tea Creek Area Hiking Trails, Marlinton Ranger District, MNF, USDA FSM

• 3 maps below have the same maps, but different text.

  Williams River, , MNF, Stream Guide, USDA FSM, AGO.  1993

  Cranberry River, MNF, Stream Guide, USDA FSM, AGO.  1993

  Tea Creak, Stream Guide, MNF, USDA FSM, AGO.  1993

• Falls of Hills Creek , Scenic Area, MNF, USDA FSM, AGO.  1996

• Cranberry Mtn. Nature Center, USDA FSM

• Gauley District, Recreation Guide, for the (Tea Creek, Beechy Trail), MNF, USDA FSM

• http://www.wvstateparks.com/ - very good *.pdf maps of most WV state parks.
• http://www.wvdnr.gov/hunting/WMA_Maps.shtm - same for WMAs

Books:

• Monongahela National Forest Hiking Guide, Allen de Hart and Bruce Sundquist, 2001.  Get the latest edition from West Virginia Highlands Conservancy web site.  Get both hard and soft copy.

• Day and overnight hikes in WV’s Monongahela Nat. Forest, Johnny Molloy, 2000. 

• Hiking WV. A Falcon Guide, Steven Carroll & Mark Miller, 2003. 

• 50 Hikes In West Virginia, from the Allegheny Mtns to the Ohio River, Leonard M. Adkins, 2005

• Hiking Guide to the Allegheny Tr., 3d. ed., Roger Raikes, West Virginia Scenic Trail Association, 2003

Notes:  

• All trips in this section are backpacks organized around the Cranberry Wilderness, Backcountry or Tea Creek Wilderness.  Since one backpack can typically be made only for 2 days and the driving distance from DC is ~5 hours, we did adjoining state parks on the first day of the 3 day adventure.  These state parks are very pretty and unique, I highly recommend visiting them even though they are too small to keep you busy for longer that a day.  We covered Watoga SP, Droop Mtn Battlefield SP, Beartown SP, visited Cranberry Nature Center (highly recommend), Falls Of Hills Creek, Cranberry Glades, Greenbank Radio Observatory.  I set a goal of covering all the trails in the Greater Cranberry Area.  For the Cranberry Wilderness I completed that mission, for the Cranberry Backcountry I did about 1/2 of the trails, since they are hard to make loops from and are more old roads than trails which make it less desirable for me.  As far as Tea Creek, I covered most trails.

• Regarding maps: it's best to put both the trail names and trail numbers on the map, since the intersections sometimes have names and sometimes numbers.  The best map can be created by printing the relevant maps from the soft copy of the DeHart - Sundquist book and gluing them together. 

• Most trails are old logging roads and are pretty wide and easy to follow.         

• The area is rather wet. 

• Lots of rare flowers.

• When Driving to the Cranberry Wilderness, the fastest way is I-81, Rt. 250...  A more scenic way is through Seneca Rocks.  On the way back take the scenic route along the Maury River stopping at Jefferson Pools (hot springs) and maybe taking a hot shower there, at the Nature Conservancy Overlook, at the picnic area next to Maury River.

 

Hike 1.  Cranberry Wilderness: Beechy Trail - Middle Fork Trails

 

 

Club: MWROP.  My first backpack as a leader.  My first annual trip to the Cranberry Wilderness.

Date: 05/04/2003

Parking: Good

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: BeechyTr_MiddleForkTr_GPS20030504.tpo

Description File: BeechyTr_MiddleForkTr_GPS20030504.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: BeechyTr_MiddleForkTr_GPS20030504.gtm

Photo Album: BeechyTr_MiddleForkTr_GPS20030504CBirkett

Notes: This backpack is often done in the counterclockwise direction.  I did it in clockwise direction and liked it better.  That way we camped near the creek and on a flat surface.  According to the hunter we saw on another trip and the forest service map, Big Beechy Tr. and the backpack itself is the best in the area.

Warnings: one knee-deep wading, bad section after that.  Trail is wet at times.

 

Hike 2.  Beartown State Park, Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, Cranberry Overlook, Falls of Hills Creek

Cranberry Wilderness: North Fork - North South Trails

 

 

Club: Me leading for MWROP.

Date: 04/23-25/2004

Parking: Good

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: Beartn_DrpMtn_CrOvk_FllsHCreek_NFork_NSTr_GPS20040423_25.tpo

Description File: Beartn_DrpMtn_CrOvk_FllsHCreek_NFork_NSTr_GPS20040423_25.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: Beartn_DrpMtn_CrOvk_FllsHCreek_NFork_NSTr_GPS20040423_25.gtm

Photo Album:  Beartn_DrpMtn_CrOvk_FllsHCreek_NFork_NSTr_GPS20040423_25;

                        Beartn_DrpMtn_CrOvk_FllsHCreek_NFork_NSTr_GPS20040423_25CBirkett; 

                        Beartn_DrpMtn_CrOvk_FllsHCreek_NFork_NSTr_GPS20040423_25EShereda

Warning: On this hike my GPS Antenna broke down and I had horrible reception all the time.  Thus the trace is incomplete and inaccurate at times.  Use waypoints for the missing sictions.

 

 

Hike 3.  Watoga State Park

Cranberry Wilderness: Forks Of Cranberry - North South Trails

 

 

Club: Me Leading for MWROP

Date: 04/29-05/01/2005

Parking: Good

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: WatogaSP_ForksOfCr_NSTr_GPS20050429_0501.tpo

GPS TrackMaker Trace: WatogaSP_ForksOfCr_NSTr_GPS20050429_0501.gtm

Photo Album: WatogaSP_ForksOfCr_NSTr_GPS20050429_0501;  WatogaSP_ForksOfCr_NSTr_GPS20050429_0501Nick

Warnings: Trace from Cranberry is incomplete.  Use the waypoints for the missing sections.

 

 

Hike 4.  Tea Creek

 

 

Club: Eric Shereda leading for West Virginia Highlands Conservancy

Date: 09/03-05/2005

Parking: Good.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: TeaCreek_GPS20050903_05.tpo

Description File: TeaCreek_GPS20050903_05.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: TeaCreek_GPS20050903_05.gtm

Photo Album: TeaCreek_GPS20050903_05

Notes: Elevation profiles are for different days.

 

 

Hike 5.  Watoga State Park, Cranberry Backcountry South

 

 

Club: Me leading for MWROP

Date: 04/28-30/2006

Parking: Good

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: WatogaSP_CranberryBackcountryS_GPS20060428_30.tpo

Garmin MapSource Trace: WatogaSP_CranberryBackcountryS_GPS20060428_30.gdb

Photo Album: WatogaSP_CranberryBackcountryS_GPS20060428_30

Notes: rather easy backpack and day hike.  Good for beginners.

 

 

Hike 6.  Cranberry Wilderness and Backcountry: Cowpasture Trail - Summit Lake

Falls Of Hills Creek.  Greenbank Radio Telescope

 

 

Club: Me leading for MWROP.  My last hike in the Cranberry Wilderness Series and probably the last hike as a leader.

Date: 04/27-29/2007

Parking: Good.

Topo! Mid-Atlantic Trace: CowpastureTr_SummitLake_GPS20070427-29.tpo

Description File: CowpastureTr_SummitLake_GPS20070427-29.doc

GPS TrackMaker Trace: CowpastureTr_SummitLake_GP2007S0427-29.gtm

Garmin MapSource Trace: CowpastureTr_SummitLake_GPS20070427-29.gdb

Google Earth Trace: CowpastureTr_SummitLake_GPS20070427-29.kmz

Photo Album: CowpastureTr_SummitLake_GPS20070427-29

Notes: There are only 2 bridges connecting the Cranberry Wilderness and the Backcountry.  We used one of them.  The 7.5 minute maps show trails crossing the river where the bridges do not exist any more.  If modifying this trace, call the Cranberry Visitors Center to make sure there is a bridge, since wading the river is very dangerous especially in the high water months.

Warnings: a bear ripped the backpack left for 2 hours near the Summit Lake and ate all the food.  Another bear with children crossed the board walk at Cranberry Glades.