Page Type:
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Canyon |
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Lat/Lon:
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39.11400°N / 79.483°W |
Activities:
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Mixed |
Season:
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Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
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Overview
Manway.A bit over 2,000 acres of the canyon is preserved as Blackwater Falls State Park, one of West Virginia’s premiere parks. There are a number of canyon rim trails, a ski slope within the park, a lodge, cabins, and a campground. For sheer physical beauty, this is one of the most impressive parks in the Southeastern United States.
Northward.There are a quite a few spectacular waterfalls here, most notably Blackwater Falls, a 57-foot drop that displays the dark water for which the river and canyon (and falls) are named. The water is darkened not from soil runoff, but from the tannins created by the mildly acidic effects of the many hemlocks trees that clothe the canyon’s slopes. While the hemlock wooly adelgid that has decimated the forests farther east have recently been reported in the park, they have so far not destroyed these trees. However, unless there is a wide-scale application of the insecticide imadacloprid, these forests will fall to extinction as have those from Virginia south to Georgia.
No official trails find their ways to the canyon floor, and travel into
Overlook.Over the past few years, the canyon has been at the center of a drive to protect the lands that are not currently within the boundaries of the Blackwater Falls State Park. Efforts to preserve several thousand a
Lindy Point.There are a number of rare and endangered species that live within the Blackwater Canyon, and hopefully the presence of these living things will aid in stopping any further logging operations by the Allegheny Wood Products company. It would be a shame and a crime to lose this phenomenal landscape to the depredations of another greedy corporation.
Getting There
From Charleston and Central West Virginia:Take I-79 N. to Rt. US 33 E at Weston. Follow 33 E to Harman WV, then take 32 N to Davis, WV.
From Northern Virginia:
Take I-66 W to I-81 S near Strasburg VA. Follow I-81 S a short distance to the exit for Rt. 55 W. Stay on 55 W through Petersburg to Harman, WV. At Harman take Rt. 32 N to Davis, WV.
Alternate Route form Northern Virginia:
Take I-66 W to I-81 N, then Rt. 50 W until it intersects with Rt. 93 W. Follow Rt. 93 to Davis, WV.
From Baltimore & Washington, DC:
Take Rt. 70 W to I-68 W at Hancock, MD. Follow Rt. 68 W to 220 S at Cumberland, MD, to Rt. 50 W at New Creek, WV, to junction of Rt. 93 W to Davis, WV.
Blackwater Falls.Alternate Route From Baltimore & Washington, DC:
Same as above except stay on I-68 W past Cumberland, MD, to 219 S. Follow Rt. 219 S through Oakland , MD, to Thomas, WV. At Thomas, take Rt. 32 S to Davis, WV.
From Pittsburgh, PA:
Take I-79 to Morgantown, WV, then I-68 E to Rt. 42 S at Friendsville, MD. Follow Rt. 42 S to Rt. 219 S. Stay on 219 S through Oakland, MD, to Rt. 32 S at Thomas, WV. Take Rt. 32 S to Davis, WV.
From Richmond ,VA:
Take I-81 to Harrisonburg, then take Rt. 33 W to Harman, WV. At Harman, take Rt. 32 N to Davis, WV.
From Columbus, OH:
Take I-7o E to I-79 S. Stay on I-79 S to Morgantown, WV. At Morgantown, follow I-68 E to Rt. 42 S, Friendsville, MD. Follow to Rt. 219 S through Oakland, MD, to Thomas, WV. At Thomas, take Rt. 32 S to Davis, WV.
(Don't laugh--the manway down to the floor of the gorge kicked my ass. Class II and III.)
Red Tape
Park admission is free. Check with the park for rates on the campground, cabins, lodge, and ski pull fees.Lindy Point.
Camping
There is an established developed campground in Blackwater Falls State Park. Check the park website for current rates. As far as I know, no camping is allowed inside the gorge itself within the park.mvi_1293e.mpg
External Links
Blackwater Falls State Park official site.Save Blackwater.org (website for the citizens organized to save the canyon from logging and to create a new National Park).
2 Routes