Cranberry Wilderness
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| Cranberry Wilderness | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category Ib (Wilderness Area) | |
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| Location: | West Virginia, USA |
| Nearest city: | Charleston, WV |
| Coordinates: | |
| Area: | 35,864 acres (145 km²) |
| Established: | January 1, 1983 |
| Governing body: | U.S. Forest Service |
The Cranberry Wilderness is a wilderness area in the southern part of the Monongahela National Forest in southeast West Virginia, United States. It is located on the back-slope of the Allegheny Front. As well as being wilderness, it is designated as black bear sanctuary. It is called the Cranberry Wilderness because of the cranberry bog in a valley on the south side of the wilderness area, officially designated the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area.
This area is drained by the Williams River and the Cranberry River, both of which are tributaries of the Gauley River, which in turn unites with the New River to form the Kanawha River, which is a tributary of the Ohio River. The area just east of the Allegheny Crest, which is the border of the Cranberry Wilderness, is drained by tributaries of the Greenbrier River, which flows into the New River.
The wilderness is located in the Yew Mountains, which are part of the Allegheny Mountains. The highest point is 4620 feet (1516 meters) on Black Mountain on the Allegheny Crest, and lowest points are just under 3000 feet (about 1000 meters).
The Cranberry Wilderness is located mostly in Pocahontas County, with parts also in Webster and Greenbrier Counties.
The national Rainbow Gathering has been held twice at Cranberry, in 1980 and in 2005.
The Cranberry Backcountry, also a large recreation area in the Monongahela National Forest, is located just to the north and west of the Cranberry Wilderness.
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