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Recreation

Trails webpages and information will not be available until May 2025. Thank you for your patience while we work through getting the most updated, accurate information for you during this time.

The Monongahela National Forest is a recreation destination and major tourism attraction. The extensive backwoods road and trail system is available for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. There are many miles of railroad grades that are a link in the recreation use of the forest. Recreation ranges from self-reliant treks in the wildernesses and backcountry areas to the challenges of mountain climbing to traditional developed site camping. Hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing are also popular uses.

The national importance of the recreation resource of the Monongahela has been recognized through the designation of the Spruce Knob – Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area (NRA), the first NRA in the Forest Service, National Scenic Byway status for the Highland Scenic Highway, and eight Wilderness Areas. 

Showing: 1 - 10 of 55 results

Bear Heaven Campground
Site Open
A small primitive campground located approximately 14 miles northeast of Elkins, West Virginia, on Forest Road 91 (Stuart Drive) near the Otter Creek Wilderness. 8 available sites are nestled along…

Bickle Knob Observation Tower
Site Open
Outdoor Science and Learning
High atop Bickle Knob sits the Bickle Knob observation tower where visitors can catch the panoramic vista of the surrounding forest. Located approximately 10 miles northeast of Elkins, West Virginia,…

Big Bend Campground
Site Open
Big Bend is located in the Smoke Hole Canyon next to the South Branch of the Potomac River at the end of County Route 2. Located 10 miles south west of Petersburg, West Virginia. The river is…

Big Draft Wilderness
Hiking Horse Riding and Camping Hunting, Fishing and Shooting
The 5,144 acre Big Draft Wilderness is located on the Southern tip of the Forest, just south of Blue Bend Recreation Area and about five miles north of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. This is a…

Big Rock Campground
Site Open
Hunting, Fishing and Shooting
Small, wooded 5 unit campground adjacent to the Cranberry River.Located on Forest Road 76, approximately 7 miles north of Richwood, WV. 

Blue Bend Recreation Area and Campground
Site Open
Picnicking
Located on State Route 16, near Alvon, West Virginia, Blue Bend is in a rustic and beautiful setting along scenic Anthony Creek. The area serves both campers and daytime visitors, and is popular for…

Canaan Mountain Backcountry
Hunting, Fishing and Shooting Outdoor Science and Learning Winter Sports Biking Horse Riding and Camping Hiking
Canaan Mountain is a high elevation plateau ranging in elevations from 4,145 feet at Pointy Knob to 3,100 feet near Blackwater Falls State Park. The semi-primitive area consists of approximately…

Cranberry Campground
Site Open
Hunting, Fishing and Shooting Hiking
A popular semi-primitive campground adjacent to the Cranberry River. This campground receives very high use during trout stocking from the beginning of spring through the end of June and again in the…

Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
Site Open
Outdoor Science and Learning
The Cranberry Glades Botanical Area protects the largest area of bogs in West Virginia. Bogs are acidic wetlands more commonly found in the northern areas of this country and in Canada. The ground in…
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