Allegheny Mountains & National Forest Hiking Info.
Allegheny Mountains, Allegheny National Forest, & Spruce Knob hiking, camping, waterfalls, and trails, resources. Save time and frustration... The Allegheny Mountains range over 500 miles from Pennsylvania south through the western part of Maryland, eastern West Virginia, and then on to western Virginia. They also lie within the western part of the Appalachian Mountain system. They are the most extensive wilderness area close to the East Coast. The Alleghenies range in height from 2,000 feet in the north to 4,000 feet in the south. And the trees that line the Allegheny Mountain slopes consist of oak, hickory, maple, walnut, and conifers. Although the winds on the peak of Spruce Knob are strong enough that the spruce trees only have limbs on one side. Allegheny National Forest is over 515,000 acres and has over 234 miles of hiking trails. 312 different wildlife species including wild turkey, black bear, white-tail deer, Indiana bat, bald eagle, hawk, great blue heron, owl, river otter, the Riffeshell mussel, Clubshell mussel and an orchid called the small-whorled pogonia live within the area. If you want to do a little fishing there are brook, brown, and rainbow trout as well as small/large-mouth bass, catfish, and panfish at the Allegheny Reservoir. If you want to take a rest from hiking and exercise your nerve the Allegheny River offers white water rafting. And the Lower New River is like a roller coaster on water with over 25 Class II-IV+ stomach churners. ;-) Camping ranges from primitive areas with hold-your-breath vault toilets and hand-pumps to highly developed camping areas that include hot water showers and flush toilets. In total there are over 600 campsites within the forest. The following information should give you a good start in finding your perfect hike in the Allegheny Mountains. Books/Resources You'll want to tuck these in with your hiking gear and other equipment used for camping... 50 Hikes in Northern Virginia: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks from the Allegheny Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay, 4.5/5 rating, by Leonard M. Adkins: This guy has 14,000+ miles of long-distance hiking. This book will point out new trails even if you're a local. Directions to trailheads, topographic maps, and detailed information of short, long, and over-night hikes. Waterfalls of Virginia and West Virginia, by Kevin Adams: If you're interested in good directions to over 200 waterfalls available to the public in Virginia and West Virginia have a look at this book. It also covers the information you want to know before you spend your time getting there like height, the size of the watershed, type, and difficulty. Also includes some photos and maps. A Guide to the Allegheny National Forest, by Tom Dwyer: Though it's not ranked highly yet, because the author didn't rate himself, it's still worth a mention. This book isn't focused specifically on hiking/backpacking, but it does have 30 maps, trail descriptions, and directions to trailheads. It's the best guide that I've found to the park. 50 Hikes in Maryland: Walks, Hikes, and Backpacks from the Allegheny Plateau to the Atlantic Ocean, 4.5/5 rating, by Leonard M. Adkins: Another book by Leonard Adkins, this guy gets around. :-) If you're going to visit Maryland or the D.C. area and want to do some hiking take a look at this book. Hikes range from short day hikes to 4 day trips. 51 maps and photographs as well as some historical information make it more interesting. National and State Parks
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