Destination: The Seneca State Forest
By Rochelle Caviness - December 4, 2003
The Seneca State Forest is a West Virginia state forest located in the heart of the Monongahela National Forest. Seneca is located on WV Route 28, about fours miles south of Dunmore, WV. It can also be reached by heading east of Marlinton, WV on Route 39. Travel five miles, then turn right onto Route 28, and head north for 11 miles. The forest is located in Pocahontas county.
Seneca includes a variety of hiking trails, a stocked lake, cabins, and a camping area. Rowboats, canoes, and a paddle boat can be rented for use on the lake. The cabins located in the forest are 'rustic' log cabins, and the camping area is semi-primitive. The cabins lack electricity and running water, however gas powered refrigerators are available. In the campground, water is available via a hand pump, and vault toilets are located throughout the campground. The campground is located off of Route 28. It closes in the winter. The camping fee is currently $11.00 a night, reservations are not required. The campground is quiet, and the camping sites are large, well spread out and well treed, providing privacy and beauty to the campground. There is also a small picnic area located within the confines of the Forest.
The lake is a perhaps the biggest attraction in the forest, and you can always expect to find a few fishermen trying out their luck. Seneca Lake is stocked twice a year with trout, and you will also find largemouth bass and bluegills in the lake. A WV fishing license is required when fishing on the lake. The hiking trails are also a major attraction. There are about 23 miles of trails traversing the forest, including a segment of the Allegheny Trail. The trails are well maintained. My favorite trail is the Thorny Creek Trail. This trail can be used as a giant loop, or as two smaller loops. One segment of the trail follows the left shore of the lake and eventually merges with an unimproved dirt road that can be followed back to the lake. As the trail leaves the edge of the lake, it slowly becomes harder to follow as it is not traveled much beyond this point, so I'd recommend not following the complete loop unless you are adventurous. Up until the point that the trail begins to dissipate, the trail is an easy to moderate walk. This trail also heads off south (down) from the lake. This leg of the trails parallels the Little Thorny Creek for about half of the loop. It is a scenic and well traveled trail that can also be classed as an easy to moderate walk. There are several stream crossing on this trail. The portion of the trail that follows the Little Thorny Creek is the most scenic and interesting segment of the loop. As the trail leaves the creek, it climbs Little Mountain and emerges into some pasture land. The trail then loops back onto the road leading to the lake, and it is just a short walk back to the lake. If you do the entire loop, it is about six miles, making it one of the longest trails in the forest - however it can easily be broken up into shorter hikes.
Visitors to Seneca State Forest will not only find this forest to be well maintained and uncrowded, but they will also find themselves well situated for touring other attractions in the area, including the Greenbrier River and Greenbrier River Trail, Beartown State Park, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, Droop Mountain Battlefield State Park, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Pearl Buck's Birthplace, Watoga State Park, and Cranberry Glades. This is just a taste of the many attractions located in the area - assuming of course, that you have any time left-over for exploring after hiking all the trails in the Seneca State Forest!
