The Fairytale Cranberry Boardwalk In West Virginia That Stretches As Far As The Eye Can See
By Catherine Armstrong|Published June 14, 2019
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Catherine Armstrong
Author
Writer, editor and researcher with a passion for exploring new places. Catherine loves local bookstores, independent films, and spending time with her family, including Gus the golden retriever, who is a very good boy.
West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest is a magical place that encompasses 921,000 acres. You’ll find a rich, varied landscape here that includes everything from thick forests, highland bogs, and barren desert slopes. Explore the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center in Richwood to explore a fairytale boardwalk that takes you right through a cranberry bog.
The Cranberry Glades Botanical Area is a truly special place. This 750-acre area includes a large bog situated in a valley surrounded by mountains.
You'll find it just one mile north of the junction of Route 150 and Route 39/150. Take Forest Service Road 102.
Address: Hillsboro, WV, 24946
Some of the plants and animals you'll see here are more typical of the tundra in the far north than they are here in West Virginia, and the boardwalk trail takes you right through all of it.
You'll notice that many of the trees here have very shallow roots that lie mostly above ground. They've adapted to this environment, but because their root system is so shallow, they often fall over in high winds.
You'll want to stroll this boardwalk in all four seasons to see how the bog changes throughout the year. It starts to get some wildflowers in the spring...
Have you visited the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center? Tell our readers about your trip in the comments section! For more information about the center, visit its page on the U.S. Forest Service website.
