WEST VIRGINIA

Dave

Adventurist
Founder
Senior Staff
Editor
Crowd Sourced! Share information and ask specific questions about this state here.

This section is focused on documenting the following:
  • Adventure Opportunities & Destinations
  • Trails
  • Campsites
  • Watercraft Put-Ins/Take-Outs
  • Local Info, Highlights & Lore
  • Local Regulations & Local Insight

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The genesis of the AAV Field Guides.

Here starts a grand experiment aimed at providing our community here a research tool focusing on the adventure opportunities available in these United States. What will be found within these posting will be basic informative and inspiring postings of the myriad of locales and sites that could be of interest to you on your travels. What you won't find will be a step-by-step itinerary...going out and exploring is what we are all about, not being held by the hand and following someone else's vision of what your trip should be. Instead imagine highlights of what there is to see and do, being pointed in the general direction and let then discovering for ourselves the nuances of the region. What we envision is a general guide as to what is available in a certain area to tease folks into going out and finding their own adventures. Information enclosed could be links to helpful regional sights, local government authorities that issue camping and day use permits as well as info on what type of camping and conditions one might expect to find.

To make this work we need your input and we plan on doing this by way of having a Field Guide Submission thread where members post up their entries (no matter what the locale) with links back to their trip reports. Staff will than collate and tweak these submissions before moving them to the appropriate State section of the Field Guide forum. Hopefully this to be an inspirational guide and not a step by step itinerary. Basically the premise here is to give members a resource as to what is available to see/do/ experience in an area that they are thinking of visiting and providing them a starting point to plan a trip. Once a kernel of a trip idea is germinated hopefully the member will start a planning thread to gather more info from the knowledge base of fellow members. Please keep the information in your submissions basic; secret spots and sensitive areas should be avoided.

We'll be tweaking this section as we figure out the best way to implement this concept; expect some herding cats action as we develop this. Look for a Submission Thread to share your Field Guide entries.

First Rule....The State by State Guides are for info only, There will be no discussions in these threads. We will be providing a Field Guide Discussion Chat section here in the near future to be focused on the content in this sub-forum.

Below I will post a Sample of what we are looking for, though we haven't settled on a definite template as of yet
 
Monongahela National Forest

Main Draws: Overlanding trails, camping, hiking, scenic vistas, mountain biking

Seasons: Open all seasons.



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General Area Description: Monongahela Nation Forest embodies a large portion of eastern West Virginia and encompasses some of the most scenic territory to be found in the Mid Atlantic area. Within this forest’s boundaries you can experience a wide vary of outdoor activities…camping, hiking, spelunking, hunting, fishing, 4x4 trail riding, OHV trails are but a few of the options available for you to find your adventure.


Resources: A Delorme West Virginia Gazetteer makes for a good map reference source for this area but don’t take it as gospel. For official use maps you can either follow this link to USFS Mon Maps or contact the main Forest Service office at Monongahela National Forest: 200 Sycamore Street Elkins, WV 26241 phone: (304) 636-1800.

Camping; Camping in the Mon is open through out the National Forest and is free to use. There is no permitting necessary unless you are involved in large groups. Basically if it is off the road and accessible on National Forest lands you are permitted to camp there. Most usable sights will have been well established and a fire-ring built.

Adventures:

Forest Road 18
Otter Creek Wilderness
Canaaan Loop
Dolly Sods
Seneca Rocks
Cranberry Bogs
Tea Creek

Images:

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Monongahela National Forest

Main Draws: Overlanding trails, camping, hiking, scenic vistas, mountain biking

Seasons: Open all seasons.




General Area Description: Monongahela Nation Forest embodies a large portion of eastern West Virginia and encompasses some of the most scenic territory to be found in the Mid Atlantic area. Within this forest’s boundaries you can experience a wide vary of outdoor activities…camping, hiking, spelunking, hunting, fishing, 4x4 trail riding, OHV trails are but a few of the options available for you to find your adventure.


Resources: A Delorme West Virginia Gazetteer makes for a good map reference source for this area but don’t take it as gospel. For official use maps you can either follow this link to USFS Mon Maps or contact the main Forest Service office at Monongahela National Forest: 200 Sycamore Street Elkins, WV 26241 phone: (304) 636-1800.

Camping; Camping in the Mon is open through out the National Forest and is free to use. There is no permitting necessary unless you are involved in large groups. Basically if it is off the road and accessible on National Forest lands you are permitted to camp there. Most usable sights will have been well established and a fire-ring built.

Adventures:

Forest Road 18
Otter Creek Wilderness
Canaaan Loop
Dolly Sods
Seneca Rocks
Cranberry Bogs
Tea Creek

Images:

Took my first trip here last weekend! Amazing area. Already going back in October with my new to me 2001 Xterra and hope to find some good and decent roads/trails in and around Thomas/Davis area as that's where I'm going to base myself out of for the trip.

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My Subaru at the top of Dolly Sods.

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The new rig.
 
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