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.
Greenbrier State Forest
Just outside White Sulphur Springs, adjoining the Monongahela National Forest, with cabins, a campground, a swimming pool and trails climbing Kate's Mountain. A convenient base near I-64 and the Greenbrier River Trail.
Know before you go
- Kate's Mountain holds rare shale-barren plant communities
- Direct access from I-64 at White Sulphur Springs
What you can do here
Trails climb Kate's Mountain out of a 5,130-acre forest that adjoins the Monongahela National Forest, so the walking goes uphill from the start and the public ground continues past the boundary. The ridge holds rare shale-barren plant communities worth slowing down for. Individual trail mileages are not published here — pick up a map at the forest office.
Local organizations
The forest keeps a campground alongside cabins and a swimming pool, with direct access from I-64 at White Sulphur Springs, which makes it a practical base rather than a destination in itself. The Greenbrier River Trail is close by. Site counts, hookups and operating season are not published — ask the forest office what loops are open outside summer.
The forest lists mountain biking but publishes no trail mileage or difficulty ratings. What the ground offers is a climb: the network works up Kate's Mountain across 5,130 acres, with the national forest adjoining. Ask the forest office which trails are open to bikes and how they hold up after rain before you plan a ride.
Local organizations
5,130 acres running up Kate's Mountain, with the Monongahela National Forest adjoining, makes a large block to work without leaving public ground. Seasons, species and any forest-specific restrictions are not published in this record, and the property also holds cabins, a campground and a pool. Confirm regulations with WVDNR and check closures with the forest office.
Local organizations
Hunting across West Virginia →Kate's Mountain carries rare shale-barren plant communities, and unusual plant ground tends to come with its own set of birds. The forest's 5,130 acres run into the Monongahela National Forest, so habitat does not stop at the line. No species list is published here — walk the mountain trails early and ask at the office which roads stay open in spring.
The reason to look closely here is botanical: Kate's Mountain holds rare shale-barren plant communities. The 5,130-acre forest adjoins the Monongahela National Forest, so what grows on the ridge continues past the property line. Stay on trail across the barrens, and ask the forest office where the communities sit and what time of year shows them best.
Local organizations
Nature Observation across West Virginia →Guides, gear and lodging near Greenbrier State Forest
Place-level placement for operators within range of this trailhead, put-in or crag.
List your business hereNearby in the Greenbrier Valley
Greenbrier River Trail
Seventy-eight miles from Cass to Caldwell on a former Chesapeake & Ohio logging grade, crossing 35 bridges by the state park's count and passing through 2 tunnels, following the Greenbrier River the entire way.
Watoga State Park
West Virginia's largest state park at over 10,100 acres, built largely by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
Beartown State Park
A half-mile boardwalk through a formation of large Droop Sandstone blocks separated by deep crevasses, some of which hold ice into early summer.
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.
Falls of Hills Creek
Three waterfalls in three-quarters of a mile, dropping 25, 45 and 63 feet — the last is the second-highest waterfall in West Virginia.
Highland Scenic Highway
A 43-mile National Scenic Byway climbing over 4,500 feet across the Allegheny plateau between Richwood and US 219, with four major overlooks and access to Cranberry Glades, the Falls of Hills Creek and the Cranberry Wilderness.
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.