A national natural landmark. A little slice of Canada. AND one of the prettiest areas in West Virginia? Yes, we’re talking about a single amazing West Virginia place, best enjoyed along an easy stroll down a meandering boardwalk trail: the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area in Pocahontas County.
Comprised of five small boreal bogs similar to what one might expect to find in Canada, yet in actuality located right here on 750 acres of high plateau in the Allegheny Mountains of West Virginia, the Cranberry Glades is a protected area designated as a national natural landmark for its startling uniqueness.
Perched at 3,400 feet in the Monongahela National Forest, the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area also contains such significant sites as the headwaters of the Cranberry River.
Thanks to the elevation and the acidic soil, cranberries grow here, as do other plants that should be impossible to find in West Virginia: sphagnum moss, purple pitcher plant and sundew (both carnivorous plants), and skunk cabbage.
And despite its remote location, high altitude, and unique nature, the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, boreal bogs and all, is actually quite easy to explore, thanks to the Cranberry Glades Boardwalk trail that passes through a portion of this beautiful, one-of-a-kind park.
The boardwalk is wheelchair and stroller accessible. It forms just over a half-mile loop (0.6 miles), making it an easy, level walk through woods and marshes. There are also multiple helpful interpretive signs along the trail to help you better appreciate your walk through the glades.
Although difficult to access in the winter, this hike is the perfect spring, summer, or fall adventure. There's also a nature center located nearby, as well as other hiking trails in the immediate area that are well worth exploring if you're up for something a bit longer and less smoothly surfaced.
All in all, a day at the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area in West Virginia is a day well spent, so make a plan to head that way soon! To get there, you’ll need to take the Highland Scenic Highway, which is something else in West Virginia worth doing in and of itself, let alone when combined with a jaunt along the Cranberry Glades Boardwalk Trail. Happy adventuring!
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