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WVU DIY Outdoors
Covers hiking, backpacking, climbing, biking, whitewater, canoeing, caving, swimming holes and skiing across the state, in one place, written by people who go.
Full guide to Canaan Valley →Outdoor Education
Adventure WV and the WVU Outdoor Recreation Center run programs, courses and trips; the WVU Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative studies the industry itself. WVU DIY Outdoors is the most useful public-facing product of that ecosystem.
WVU DIY Outdoors is the single most useful public resource the state produces, and it's free.
University programs, a naturalist certification, a watershed science institute and a grotto network — most of it open to the public.
Our recommendations
Where we'd send you
For structured learning
WV Master Naturalist program
A volunteer certification in West Virginia ecology — geology, flora, fauna and interpretation — run in cohorts across the state.
Full guide to Cranberry Glades Botanical Area →For skills
Adventure WV and grotto training
WVU's outdoor center runs courses and trips; NSS grottos teach caving; the ACA certifies paddling instruction regionally.
Full guide to Watoga State Park →Practical note
Most of these programs run small cohorts and fill largely through word of mouth. Joining the organization's mailing list is more reliable than checking a website in March.
What to know before you go
- WVU DIY Outdoors covers hiking, backpacking, climbing, biking, whitewater, canoeing, caving, swimming holes and skiing in one place
- Cacapon Institute runs watershed science education in the Eastern Panhandle
Regions that do it best
Cheat River whitewater and rail-trail network
Mountaineer Country
The northern counties around Morgantown.
Highest terrain, ski areas, wilderness backpackingPotomac Highlands
All terrain in West Virginia above 4,000 feet lies in this region, including Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet.
Every place we cover for outdoor education
State Park · Greenbrier Valley
Watoga State Park
West Virginia's largest state park at over 10,100 acres, built largely by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
10,100 ac largest state park1930s ccc-built
National Forest · Greenbrier Valley
Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
The largest area of bogs in West Virginia — sphagnum and cranberry peat bogs holding plant communities left behind after the last glaciation, more typical of Canada than the mid-Atlantic, including carnivorous sundews and pitcher plants.
750 ac glades0.5 mi boardwalk
State Park · Potomac Highlands
Canaan Valley
The highest large valley east of the Mississippi, at about 3,200 feet — a 14-mile-long bowl of wetland, bog, beaver meadow and northern hardwood that behaves climatically like central Canada.
3,200 ft valley floor17,000+ ac refuge
AdvertiseThis space is available
Guides and rentals for outdoor education
Reserved for a West Virginia operator serving this activity. The listings above and below it are unpaid.
List your business hereQuestions people ask
Where can you learn outdoor skills in West Virginia?
Adventure WV and the WVU Outdoor Recreation Center offer courses and trips, the American Canoe Association certifies paddling instruction regionally, and grottos of the National Speleological Society teach caving.
Organizations, agencies and resources · 10
Groups that handle access, maintenance, licensing and conditions data for this activity. Starred entries publish updates worth following.
WVU DIY Outdoors
One of the most important WV-specific resources, covering hiking, backpacking, climbing, biking, whitewater, canoeing, caving, swimming holes, skiing and more.
Visit
WVU Outdoor Economic Development Collaborative
Statewide
Outdoor recreation research, economic impact analysis, community development and outdoor industry development.
Adventure WV / WVU Outdoor Recreation Center
Statewide
Outdoor programs, recreation, education and regional resources through West Virginia University.
Visit Cacapon Institute
Rivers
Watershed science, environmental education and Potomac Highlands water resources.
Visit American Canoe Association
Paddling
National paddlesports instruction, certification and safety standards, with regional West Virginia instruction.
Visit Active Southern West Virginia
Running
Free outdoor fitness, hiking, running, paddling and community recreation programming throughout southern West Virginia.
Visit National Speleological Society
Caving
National caving organization and the grotto network that is the realistic entry point for new cavers.
Visit Orienteering USA
Geocaching
National orienteering body with regional clubs, events and navigation instruction.
Visit West Virginia Master Naturalists
Conservation
Structured volunteer naturalist training and certification program in West Virginia ecology.
WV Association of Natural Resource Professionals
Conservation
Professional network for West Virginia natural resource managers, scientists and agency staff.
Related activities
Every organization we link to: local tourism offices, the state and federal agencies that manage the land, the nonprofits and clubs that keep access open, and the universities doing the research.
West Virginia has roughly 1.5 million acres of public land and a handful of places that carry almost all of the attention. The consequence is that a great deal of very good ground sits nearly empty, usually for one of three reasons: nobody has heard of it, the road in is gated or rough, or it is undeveloped and has nothing to advertise. Those are the places below — of them across regions.