Cranberry Wilderness

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Coordinates: 38°16′36″N 80°19′57″W / 38.27667°N 80.33250°W

Cranberry Wilderness
Part of Monongahela National Forest
Wilderness Area
Cranberry Wilderness
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Counties	Pocahontas, Webster

Elevation	3,400 ft (1,036.3 m)
Coordinates	38°16′36″N 80°19′57″W / 38.27667°N 80.33250°W / 38.27667; -80.33250
Highest point	Black Mountain
- location	west of Woodrow
- elevation	4,556 ft (1,388.7 m)
- coordinates	38°16′20″N 80°14′18″W / 38.27222°N 80.23833°W / 38.27222; -80.23833
Lowest point	Williams River
- location	at Three Forks of Williams River
- elevation	2,400 ft (731.5 m)
- coordinates	38°20′17″N 80°22′35″W / 38.33806°N 80.37639°W / 38.33806; -80.37639

Area	47,815 acres (19,350 ha) ^[1]

Established	1983-01-01
Management	Monongahela National Forest
Owner	US Forest Service

IUCN category	Ib - Wilderness Area

Nearest city	Marlinton, West Virginia

Location of Cranberry Wilderness in West Virginia
Website: Monongahela National Forest Wilderness Areas

The Cranberry Wilderness is a 47,815-acre (19,350 ha) U.S. Wilderness area in the Monongahela National Forest of southeast West Virginia, USA.^[1] Its name derives from the nearby Cranberry Glades as well as from the Cranberry River and Cranberry Mountain. In addition to being wilderness, it is a designated black bear sanctuary.

Geography

The Cranberry Wilderness is located mostly in Pocahontas County, with a small portion in Webster County. The Wilderness 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, a tributary of the Ohio. The area just to the east of the Cranberry Wilderness is drained by tributaries of the Greenbrier River which flows into the New.

The Wilderness is located in the Yew Mountains, which are part of the Allegheny Mountains. The highest point in the Wilderness is along Black Mountain at 4,556 feet (1,389 m), although there is a slightly higher point at 4,603 feet (1,403 m) just outside of the Wilderness. The lowest elevation in the Wilderness is at 2,400 feet (730 m) along the Williams River at Three Forks of Williams River, where it exits the Wilderness.

History

Wilderness designation

Counterculture events

The national Rainbow Gathering has been held twice at the Cranberry Wilderness — in 1980 and in 2005.^[2]

2009 addition

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 added 11,951 acres (4,836 ha) of adjacent land to the Cranberry Wilderness.^[3] This area, which was previously known as the Cranberry Backcountry, is located between the Williams River and the Cranberry River. It protects several tributaries of both the Williams and Cranberry Rivers which are popular trout streams. The area already has an excellent trail system connected to the original wilderness.

Hiking trails

Big Beechy Trail - 6.5 miles (10.5 kilometers)
Birch Log Trail - 3.0 miles (4.8 kilometers)
Black Mountain Trail - 2.0 miles (3.2 kilometers)
County Line Trail - 9.5 miles (15.3 kilometers)
District Line Trail - 3.0 miles (4.8 kilometers)
Forks of the Cranberry Trail - 6.0 miles (9.7 kilometers)
North South Trail - 14.0 miles (22.5 kilometers)
Forks By-Pass Trail - 2.0 miles (3.2 kilometers)
Middle Fork Trail - 9.0 miles (14.5 kilometers)
North Fork Trail - 7.5 miles (12.1 kilometers)
Laurelly Branch Trail - 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers)
Tumbling Rock Trail - 2.5 miles (4.0 kilometers)
Little Fork Trail - 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers)
Lick Branch Trail - 2.1 miles (3.4 kilometers)
Rough Run Trail - 3.0 miles (4.8 kilometers)^[4]

References

↑ 1.0 1.1 "Cranberry Wilderness". Monongahela National Forest. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
↑ "Rainbow Gathering - Listing of North American Annual Sites". Rainbow Family of Living Light - Unofficial. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
↑ "Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009". Library of Congress. Retrieved May 14, 2009.
↑ "Cranberry Wilderness brochure" (PDF). Monongahela National Forest. Retrieved January 1, 2013.

External links

v t e Monongahela National Forest

National Recreation Areas	Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area

Wilderness areas	Big Draft Wilderness Cranberry Wilderness Dolly Sods Wilderness Laurel Fork North Wilderness Laurel Fork South Wilderness Otter Creek Wilderness Roaring Plains West Wilderness Spice Run Wilderness

Mountains and summits	Allegheny Front Allegheny Mountain Back Allegheny Mountain Backbone Mountain Barton Knob Bickle Knob Champe Rocks Cheat Mountain Gaudineer Knob Mount Porte Crayon North Fork Mountain River Knobs Seneca Rocks Shavers Mountain Spruce Knob Spruce Mountain

Rivers and creeks	Black Fork Blackwater River Cheat River Cranberry River Dry Fork Elk River Gauley River Glady Fork Greenbrier River Laurel Fork Seneca Creek South Branch Potomac River Shavers Fork Tygart Valley River Williams River

Canyons and valleys	Blackwater Canyon Canaan Valley Germany Valley Smoke Hole Canyon

Lakes and bogs	Lake Sherwood Spruce Knob Lake Summit Lake Cranberry Glades

Observation towers	Bickle Knob Olson Tower

Other features	Camp Allegheny Bear Rocks Preserve Cheat Summit Fort Fernow Experimental Forest Gaudineer Scenic Area Highland Scenic Highway Sinks of Gandy

US Forest Service

Protected areas of West Virginia

Federal

National Historical Parks	Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Harpers Ferry

National Forests	George Washington and Jefferson Monongahela

National Recreation Areas	Gauley River Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks (USFS)

National Wildlife Refuges	Canaan Valley Ohio River Islands

National Trails System	Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Wilderness Areas	Big Draft Wilderness Cranberry Wilderness Dolly Sods Wilderness Laurel Fork North Wilderness Laurel Fork South Wilderness Mountain Lake Wilderness Otter Creek Wilderness Roaring Plains Wilderness Spice Run Wilderness

National Rivers	Bluestone NSR New River Gorge

State

State parks	Audra Babcock Beartown Beech Fork Berkeley Springs Blackwater Falls Blennerhassett Island Bluestone Cacapon Resort Camp Creek Canaan Valley Resort Carnifex Ferry Battlefield Cass Scenic Railroad Cathedral Cedar Creek Chief Logan Droop Mountain Battlefield Fairfax Stone Greenbrier River Trail Hawks Nest Holly River Little Beaver Lost River Moncove Lake North Bend Rail Trail North Bend Pinnacle Rock Pipestem Resort Prickett's Fort Stonewall Jackson Lake Tomlinson Run Tu-Endie-Wei Twin Falls Resort Tygart Lake Valley Falls Watoga Watters Smith Memorial

State forests	Cabwaylingo Calvin Price Camp Creek Coopers Rock Greenbrier Kanawha Kumbrabow Seneca

Wildlife management areas	Allegheny Amherst-Plymouth Anawalt Lake Bear Rock Lakes Becky Creek Beech Fork Lake Berwind Lake Beury Mountain Big Ditch Big Ugly Bluestone Burches Run Burnsville Lake Castleman Run Lake Cecil H. Underwood Center Branch Chief Cornstalk Conaway Run Lake Cross Creek Dents Run Dunkard Fork East Lynn Lake Edwards Run Elk Creek Elk River Fort Mill Ridge Frozen Camp Green Bottom Handley Hilbert Hillcrest Horse Creek Hughes River Huttonsville State Farm Lantz Farm and Nature Preserve Laurel Lake Lewis Wetzel Little Indian Creek McClintic Meadow River Mill Creek Moncove Lake Morris Creek Nathaniel Mountain Panther Pedlar Pleasant Creek Plum Orchard Lake Pruntytown State Farm R.D. Bailey Lake Ritchie Mines Sand Hill Shannondale Springs Short Mountain Slatyfork Sleepy Creek Smoke Camp Snake Hill South Branch Stonecoal Lake Stonewall Jackson Lake Stumptown Summersville Lake Tate Lohr Teter Creek Lake The Jug Thorn Creek Tug Fork Turkey Run Upper Deckers Creek Upper Mud River Valley Bend Wetlands Wallback Widmeyer Woodrum Lake

Other WVDNR sites	West Virginia State Wildlife Center

Non-
governmental

Nature Conservancy preserves	Brush Creek Bear Rocks Cranesville Swamp Greenland Gap Hungry Beech Ice Mountain Mount Porte Crayon Murphy Panther Knob Pike Knob Slaty Mountain Upper Shavers Fork Yankauer

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