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West
Virginia holds a secret. Its mountains rival New England in
tapestries of red, orange, gold, green and blue. And there
is no other finer spot in all of West Virginia in the fall
than the Monongahela National Forest. The Monongahela
National Forest contains over 910,155 acres of mountains,
streams, waterfalls, bogs, windswept ridges, Appalachian
hollows, rustic farms, an abundance of wildlife, 510 miles
of roads, 78,000 acres of designated wilderness, three
designated scenic areas, 825 miles of trails and 10 wildlife
management units. Are you beginning to get the picture? This
is an amazing place for nature and landscape photography in
any season, but in autumn it is truly awesome. From the
fiery red covered heath barrens of Bear Rocks and Dolly Sods
to swirling leaves in plunge pools of mighty waterfalls,
this area is by far the mid-Atlantic's best kept autumn
secret. Let me take you on a journey to some of the best
spots in the Monongahela for classic autumn color hot spots.
Let’s
start in the Potomac Highlands. The Potomac Highlands are
located in the Eastern Panhandle of the state and border
western Maryland and Virginia. The area boasts some of the
most dramatic and scenic areas in all of West Virginia. Here
are a few of my favorite spots in the Potomac Highlands.
Dolly Sods
The
Dolly Sods Wilderness is the highest plateau of its type
east of the Mississippi River with elevations ranging from
4,000 feet to 2,700 feet. Because of the high elevation and
extreme weather this is one of the first areas in the state
to change color and it usually reaches its peak in the last
week of September to the first week of October. If you visit
Dolly Sods you need to spend some time in the Bear Rocks
Preserve which is located off of forest road 75 in the
northeast section of the wilderness. This area is much more
reminiscent of the Canadian Tundra with sweeping vistas and
is nearly treeless. The area is covered by an extensive
network of heath barrens and bogs that turn a fiery red in
autumn. From the parking lot, hike out across the rock
formations with grand vistas of the Alleghany Mountains for
breathtaking scenic views. Bear Rocks is best at sunrise
and sunset. Make sure to bring your circular polarizer to
darken skies and remove any glare from wet foliage. Because
you will probably be shooting many wide angle scenics, a
set of graduated split neutral density filters will help in
balancing the exposure. But even after the sun has set it's
not quite time to pack up your equipment and head for camp.
This area is far enough removed from civilization and can be
a great place for nightscapes. The extremely graphic spruce
trees and interesting rock formations will serve as a
perfect silhouette for star trails.
Canaan Valley
The next area in the Potomac
Highlands that needs to be mentioned is Canaan
Valley and Blackwater Falls State Park. Canaan
Valley holds yet another one-of-a-kind claim to fame
that it is the highest valley east of the
Mississippi River. This area is phenomenal in the
fall and the color usually begins to change the
first week of October and will usually peak around
the second week. While in the area be sure to visit
Canaan Valley State Park on a wet and overcast day.
The park has some of the finest stands of woods in
the area with wide open fields and meadows perfect
for intimate fall color compositions.
While you’re in Canaan Valley
you won’t want to miss out on Blackwater Falls State
Park. The Blackwater River leaves its leisurely
course in Canaan Valley as it plummets 62 feet into
the rugged Blackwater Canyon. Blackwater Falls is
probably the most photographed waterfall in West
Virginia, and for good reason. There are essentially
two locations from which you can shoot the falls.
You can either walk down the boardwalk from the east
side of the river to a platform at the base of the
falls or access a platform on the west side of the
river for arial views of the waterfall. Both are
great shooting locations and offer very different
views. In autumn, I prefer the western viewpoint
from above the canyon as you can frame fall
foliage in the shot. It's best to shoot the waterfall
on a wet and overcast day, although at sunrise and
sunset you can still make some very dramatic images.
Make sure to use a circular polarizer to cut glare
from the wet rocks and water. While in Blackwater
Falls State Park you’ll want to visit a few other
places in the park. Don’t pass up shooting Shays Run.
You can access Shays Run from the trailhead to the
left of the lodge. Hike just a few hundred feet and
then climb down off trail to the base of Elakala
Falls for some great waterfall shots. Approach the
base of the falls were there are several plunge
pools and line up swirling leaves in the lower half
of the frame with Elakala spilling over in the
background.
For sunrise or sunset try
shooting from the Pendleton overlook. This great
view looks down Blackwater Canyon and has great
color in the autumn. Pendleton Overlook can also be
very rewarding on an overcast day. You can line up
some great long lens landscapes, picking out
interesting patterns of colors and shapes in the
canyon ridges.
Spruce Knob/Seneca Rocks
Heading a little further south
along Rt.32 will bring you to the Spruce Knob/Seneca
Rocks National Recreation Area. This is a great
place to spend a few days exploring and hiking.
Spruce Knob is a great sunset location as Seneca
Rocks rises 900 feet above the North Fork South
Branch of the Potomac River. At sunset it is possible to
shoot the profile of Seneca Rock with the Potomac
River in the foreground. Another great shot is a
close up of the notch in Seneca Rocks with late
evening light striking the Tuscarora quartzite as
its turns a rust orange.
A little to the east of Seneca
rocks is the trailhead for North Fork Mountain.
North Fork Mountain is without a doubt one of the
most scenic hikes in all of the state. Described by
Backpacker Magazine as some of the “best mountain
scenery in the east”, North Fork is a scenic hotspot
for sure. The North Fork Mountain Trail covers 24
miles of rough terrain from Judy Gap to Rt.33 on the
north end of the ridge. For the best scenic views I
recommend access at the northern trailhead off of
Smoketown Road near Rt.33. After about a 2.5 mile
hike and very steep climb you will reach the
Tuscarora Cliffs with excellent views north and
south. Sunset is the best time for scenic
photography and you will want to bring a head lamp, topo map and extra food and water as you will be
hiking back to the trailhead in the dark.
Heading deeper into the
Monongahela National Forest south of Seneca Rocks is
Spruce Knob, the highest point in West Virginia at
4,836 feet. A rough and grated forest road, Forest
road 112, will land you near the summit of Spruce
Knob. Once on the top a hiking trail leads to
spectacular scenic overlooks. Sunrise and sunset are
the best times for capturing the drama on this
mountain summit. After hiking past the lookout
tower, head down the trail to an open rock field and
stunning views to the west at sunset.
Spruce Knob Lake is manmade
but should not be overlooked for its photographic
potential. Its is definitely best at sunrise when
cool mornings often produce a blanket of fog over the
lake and surrounding meadows at first light. There
is a great nature trail that walks around the lake
and offers countless compositions of the autumn
draped hillsides reflecting in the still waters of
the lake. Don’t forget to explore and photograph the
open meadows around the lake as well. They are
bordered by a beautiful stand of Appalachian forest
and contain hundreds of spider webs perfect for
macro work.
Highland Scenic Highway
Heading down into the southern
portion of the Monongahela National Forest, there is
the Highland Scenic Area and Falls of Hills Creek.
The Highland Scenic Highway departs from Highway 219
and travels 22.5 miles to WV55. Along the route you
will encounter scenic overlooks, the Tea Creek
Wilderness and Cranberry Glades. Just about 2 miles
from the intersection with Highway 219 is a great
view looking northeast over the mountain ridges.
This is a perfect spot for sunrise and the valley
bottoms often fill with fog in the late summer and
autumn.
Heading further south on WV
150 (the Highland Scenic Highway) puts you into the
Tea Creek watershed. This is a great spot in the
early morning and late afternoon for shooting
reflections and abstracts. All along the Highland
Scenic Highway are pullouts and great shots of
autumn foliage on overcast days.
Keep going a little further
towards the southern terminus of the highway and you
will reach WV55/39. At the intersection turn right
and head over to Cranberry Glades. Cranberry Glades
is over 750 acres of peat bogs that are reminiscent
of those areas found in Canada. The bog is home to
some truly unique specimens including carnivorous
plants like the Pitcher Plant and Sundew. The plants
in the bog turn a crimson gold in autumn and many
macro opportunities await the nature photographer.
Black Bears also frequent the area and can
occasionally be photographed.
A bit further down the way on
WV55/39 is the Falls of Hills Creek Scenic Area.
Tucked away in a narrow gorge lies three waterfalls
ranging from 25 feet to 65 feet. This area is a
perfect day hike and the falls are best photographed
either early in the morning or on a wet overcast
day. Be sure to bring a telephoto lens for picking
out sections of the falls and a wide angle for sweeping
views of the waterfalls and surrounding forest.
West
Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest is too big to cover in
this article and there are countless wilderness trails,
hundreds of back roads and windswept mountain ridges that
beckon the adventurous photographer. Be sure to pick up a
DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer which has waterfall locations,
back roads, wilderness areas, covered bridges, state parks
and much, much more to guide you through the Appalachian
backcountry. |
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