Places to Play
Explore the Mon Forest Towns of West Virginia through regions that offer something for every kind of outdoor experience, from easy trails, rivers, and rail trails to remote wilderness, rugged ridgelines, and high-elevation landscapes. These places connect towns, recreation areas, and the Monongahela region’s most memorable ways to get outside.
Trail
USFS
Biking • Camping • Hiking
A 24-mile ridge trail with nonstop panoramic views from Chimney Rocks to Smoke Hole Canyon.
Wilderness
USFS
Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
One of the East's largest wilderness areas with 60+ miles of trails, legendary trout waters, and premier backpacking solitude.
National Forest
USFS
Boating • Camping • Hiking
Quiet 22-acre mountain lake near Durbin with fishing, boating, camping, and trail access to highland views.
Wilderness
USFS
Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Windswept 6,800-acre plateau with rocky outcrops and big-sky views south of Dolly Sods.
Rail Trail
WVDOT
ADA • Biking • Hiking • XC-Skiing
A 26-mile rail-trail from Elkins to Hendricks offering paved and gravel sections for biking, walking, and accessible recreation.
National Forest
USFS
Camping • Climbing • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • Kayaking
Dramatic limestone gorge offering premier climbing, fishing, paddling, and scenic driving near Petersburg.
State Forest
WVDOF
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • Kayaking
West Virginia's oldest state forest with 23 miles of trails, historic CCC cabins, and a restored fire tower.
National Forest
USFS
Camping • Fishing • Hiking
Historic CCC-built campground near Parsons with riverside camping, trout fishing, and classic 1930s stonework.
State Park
WVDNR
Hiking
Civil War battlefield with lookout tower, ridge trails, and interpretive exhibits overlooking the Greenbrier Valley.
State Park
WVDNR
ADA • Hiking
Massive sandstone boulders and cool rock crevices with an accessible half-mile boardwalk near Marlinton.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting
Internationally recognized mountain bike destination with 30+ miles of stacked loops and dispersed camping near Durbin.
National Forest
USFS
Camping • Hiking
Bear Heaven Recreation Area offers dramatic sandstone formations, peaceful camping, and trail access into the Otter Creek Wilderness.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Hiking • XC-Skiing
West Virginia's highest peak stands at 4,863 feet and offers panoramic views, an observation tower, and subalpine forests.
State Park
WVDNR
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Horseback Riding
West Virginia's second-largest state park with 8,100+ acres of waterfalls, wildflowers, trails, and family camping.
State Park
WVDNR
Biking • Boating • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Kayaking
West Virginia's largest state park with 10,000+ acres of trails, lakes, cabins, and rich CCC-era history.
Rail Trail
WVDNR
Biking • Camping • Hiking • Horseback Riding • Kayaking • XC-Skiing
A 78-mile rail-trail along the Greenbrier River offering scenic, easy riding from Caldwell to Cass with camping.
Wildlife Area
WVDNR
Boating • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting
A quiet 55-acre lake near Cowen with warmwater fishing, accessible trails, and picnic facilities perfect for family outings.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Remote river corridor with dispersed camping, backcountry trails, and trout fishing along Shavers Fork.
Water Trail
WVDNR
Boating • Fishing • Kayaking
A 40-mile calm-water paddle trail from Parsons to Rowlesburg with abundant access and mountain scenery.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting
Remote, lightly visited backcountry at the forest's edge favoring solitude and loop trails.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
CCC-built riverside camping near Elkins with access to Bickle Knob Observation Tower and valley views.
Wilderness
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
20,000 acres of primitive wilderness with 45+ miles of trails and creek-side camping near Parsons and Elkins
Rail Trail
USFS
Biking • Hiking • XC-Skiing
A challenging 10-mile backcountry rail-trail dropping through Blackwater Canyon past waterfalls and historic industrial remnants.
National Forest
USFS
Boating • Camping • Fishing • Hiking
Quiet 43-acre mountain lake near Richwood with trails, fishing, camping, and stunning reflections.
National Forest
USFS
Camping • Climbing • Fishing • Hiking
Iconic 900-foot sandstone fins with steep overlook trail, world-class climbing, and Discovery Center.
National Forest
USFS
Hiking
Rare high-elevation bog with accessible boardwalk, carnivorous plants, and a nature center along the Highland Scenic Highway.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Hiking • Horseback Riding • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Remote high-elevation backcountry between Durbin and Laurel Fork Wilderness offering rugged trails and off-the-grid solitude.
Wildlife Refuge
USFWS
ADA • Biking • Fishing • Hiking • Horseback Riding • Hunting • Kayaking • XC-Skiing
Premier wildlife refuge with 30+ miles of trails through rare high-elevation wetlands, meadows, and spruce forests near Davis.
National Forest
USFS
Biking
Purpose-built mountain bike trails near Marlinton with flowy ridgelines and connections to downtown.
Wilderness
USFS
Camping • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Iconic windswept plateau with 47+ miles of trails, tundra-like barrens, and dramatic Allegheny Front views.
National Forest
USFS
Hiking
Three of West Virginia's tallest waterfalls on a 1.4-mile trail with boardwalks and an accessible viewing platform.
National Forest
USFS
Hiking
Rare old-growth red spruce forest with easy interpretive trails and panoramic overlook near Durbin.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Wild plateau between Blackwater Falls and Canaan Valley with 30+ miles of rugged trails for experienced hikers and bikers.
Wilderness
USFS
Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting
Remote 7,000-acre trail-less wilderness along the Greenbrier River for experienced explorers.
Preserve
TNC
Hiking
Newly protected wetlands linking Dolly Sods and Canaan Valley with primitive trails on historic railroad grades.
Rail Trail
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Horseback Riding • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Remote 22-mile rail-trail from Glady to Durbin with dispersed camping and historic railroad ghost towns.
National Forest
USFS
Camping • Fishing • Hunting
Scenic river corridor with premier trout fishing, dispersed camping near Cowen, and connections to Cranberry Wilderness.
State Forest
WVDOT
Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting
West Virginia's highest state forest with cool high-country terrain, trout streams, and rustic CCC cabins.
State Park
WVDNR
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Golf • Hiking • Skiing • XC-Skiing
Four-season resort offering downhill skiing, golf, 18 miles of trails, and panoramic lift-served views in Canaan Valley.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Nearly 45 miles of trails near Marlinton, connecting the Williams River, Cranberry Wilderness, and Gauley Base.
State Forest
WVDOF
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting
5,100 acres of trails, cabins, and camping near White Sulphur Springs with valley views and summer swimming.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Hiking • Hunting
Steep backcountry trails above Marlinton connecting the Greenbrier River Trail and Monday Lick system.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Horseback Riding • Hunting • XC-Skiing
19,600 acres with 60+ miles of trails, waterfalls, wildflower meadows, and connections to Spruce Knob.
Wildlife Area
WVDNR
Boating • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting
A 122-acre riverside green space in Elkins with easy trails, river access, and fishing for quick outdoor escapes.
Wilderness
USFS
Hiking • Hunting
Accessible wilderness near White Sulphur Springs offering hiking, fishing, and birdwatching across 5,000 acres of hardwood forest.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Hiking • XC-Skiing
Panoramic observation tower and rugged canyon trails near Parsons with rare wetlands and railroad history.
Wildlife Area
WVDNR
Biking • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
A 3,168-acre recreation hub in Davis with 15 miles of trails connecting Canaan Valley and the national forest.
Rail Trail
USFS
Biking • Camping • Hiking • Horseback Riding • Kayaking • XC-Skiing
A 16-mile rail-trail from Richwood following three rivers through scenic valleys with historic tunnels and bridges.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Kayaking • Swimming
The forest's largest lake, with 156 acres of swimming, paddling, camping, and an easy lakeside loop trail.
Wilderness
USFS
Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Nearly 15,000 acres of spruce forests and trout streams with 18+ miles of backcountry trails and historic CCC cabins.
National Forest
USFS
Hiking
Living research forest near Parsons offering interpretive trails through American chestnut plantings and restoration projects.
State Park
WVDNR
ADA • Biking • Boating • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • XC-Skiing
Home to West Virginia's iconic 57-foot amber waterfall with trails, paddling, and year-round recreation near Thomas and Davis.
Trail
Multiple
Camping • Hiking
A 311-mile footpath from the Mason-Dixon Line to the Appalachian Trail, crossing state parks and Monongahela National Forest ridges
Preserve
TNC
Hiking
Dramatic sandstone outcrops and sweeping Allegheny Front views along a short, family-friendly loop at Dolly Sods' edge.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting • XC-Skiing
Gated trail network for hikers, bikers, and equestrians offering remote valleys, trout streams, and camping near Cranberry Wilderness.
National Forest
USFS
Biking • Camping • Fishing • Hiking • Hunting
Remote mountain biking zone near Snowshoe with rugged trails connecting to Tea Creek for off-the-grid adventure.