Monongahela National Forest

Known as the "birthplace of rivers," Monongahela National Forest gives rise to six major river systems -- the Potomac, Cheat, Elk, Greenbrier, Gauley, and Tygart Valley -- from its 921,000 acres in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia. The forest encompasses Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet, West Virginia's highest point. The otherworldly Dolly Sods Wilderness features wind-stunted red spruce, sphagnum bogs, and open heath barrens resembling the Canadian boreal forest.\n\nSeneca Rocks, an iconic 900-foot quartzite fin, is the premier rock climbing destination in the mid-Atlantic region. Eight federally designated wilderness areas protect old-growth red spruce forests, headwater streams teeming with native brook trout, and rare species like the Cheat Mountain salamander. Cranberry Glades preserves remnant plant communities from the last glacial period.\n\nThe Monongahela played a pivotal role in conservation history, as rampant clear-cutting led to the Monongahela National Forest Management Act of 1976, reforming timber harvesting across the entire national forest system. The Highland Scenic Highway offers one of America's most underappreciated scenic drives through spruce forests above 4,000 feet.