Cranberry Wilderness North South Loop Trail

Marlinton, West Virginia

Save

View all 3 photos

All 3 photos

Save Review Directions Add Photo

Details

Distance

17.1 miles

Elevation Gain

1617 ft

Route Type

Loop

Description

Added by Stephen Catalano

Cranberry Wilderness North South Loop Trail takes you through a beautiful, rugged, and remote wilderness area in West Virginia.

The Cranberry Wilderness is lesser known, but if you're looking for a rugged escape, this is it. Be mindful of your water intake, as there are a few stretches upwards of 6-8 miles where there is no access to fresh water. Those areas are well-known in most of the hiking blogs/guides (I'd recommend starting here and don't forget to checkout the .gov page for any advisories).

I've unfortunately forgotten where we came across it, but we ended up camping in an old camping hut one night. It had a raise floor, a roof, and a fire pit, all next to a cold stream. If you come across it, make note of its location and leave it in the comments!

Here is a link to a trail map for the wilderness area.

Download the Outbound mobile app

Find adventures and camping on the go, share photos, use GPX tracks, and download maps for offline use.

Get the app

Download GPX File

Features

Camping

Photography

Backpacking

Hiking

Forest

River

Scenic

Wildflowers

Wildlife

Swimming Hole

Cranberry Wilderness North South Loop Trail Reviews

Have you done this adventure? Be the first to leave a review!

Leave No Trace

Always practice Leave No Trace ethics on your adventures and follow local regulations. Please explore responsibly!

Nearby

Camp at Day Run Campground

Located in West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest about half way between Snowshoe and the Cranberry Glades makes this campground an ideal place to set up a base camp while you explore the surrounding area. It is located about five miles from Highland Scenic Highway (HW150), which makes it just far enough away to not hear any vehicles driving on the road but close enough to easily hop on an...

Williams River Overlook

Hike High Rocks

To reach High Rocks trailhead, drive about 3.3 miles along West Virginia’s Highland Scenic Highway (HW150) from Cranberry Mountain Nature Center. The parking lot and trailhead will be on the right side of the road. The High Rocks trail is 3.1 miles out and back and is fairly flat as it follows a ridge line most of the way. The dirt trail is well marked with blue diamond blazes and is very easy ...

Walk Around the Cranberry Glades, Monongahela NF

From the parking lot, the boardwalk trail breaks off of the right side of the lot. The boardwalk loop should be done in a clockwise direction and there are signs to direct you. The 1/2 mile boardwalk offers great views of the surrounding bog and mountains. The boardwalk itself is skirted by ferns, wild cranberry plants, orchids, and even some carnivorous plants. Although the walk is short, ...

Red Spruce Knob

To reach Red Spruce Knob trailhead from Marlinton, West Virginia, take HW 219N for about 7 miles then turn left onto HW150. Follow HW150 for about 5 miles, and the parking lot and trailhead will be on the left side of the road. The Red Spruce Knob trail is easy to follow and is well marked with blue diamond blazes. During the summer there are a few areas of the trail that become overgrown, but ...

Hike the Falls of Hills Creek, Monongahela NF

From the parking lot, the paved handicap-accessible trail switchbacks to a view of the upper falls (20'). The falls are a bit hard to see from the viewpoint, so it's best to continue down the trail. At the upper falls the trail changes to wooden stairs that descend gradually down. You will cross a wooden bridge over the stream, then there will be a viewing platform for the middle falls off to ...