Cranberry Wilderness
The 47,815 acre Cranberry Wilderness is located in Pocahontas and Webster Counties, West Virginia. Broad mountains are dissected by deep and narrow valleys with elevations ranging from 2,400 feet to more than 4,600 feet in Cranberry Wilderness, the largest Forest Service Wilderness Area in the eastern United States. Here on the Allegheny Plateau, the Wilderness contains the entire drainage of the Middle Fork of the Williams River and the North Fork of the Cranberry River. The Williams River forms the northern Wilderness boundary, and the South Fork of the Cranberry River marks the southwestern boundary. You'll find primarily Appalachian hardwoods, but there are also stands of red spruce at the highest elevations.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | West Virginia |
| Size | 47,742 acres |
| Designated | 1983, by Congress |
| Center point | 38.29° N, 80.31° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 10) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 9 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
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Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 2 recreation sites inside this wilderness, among them 1 backpacking, 1 dispersed camping. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 1 miCranberry Wilderness ↗Backpacking
- 5 miWilliams River Sites ↗Dispersed camping · mid-March to end of November
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
16 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 83 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| North-South Trail ↗ | 16 | |
| Middle Fork Trail ↗ | 10.2 | |
| County Line Trail ↗ | 8.9 | |
| North Fork Trail ↗ | 7.8 | |
| Big Beechy ↗ | 6.8 | |
| Forks of Cranberry ↗ | 5.5 | |
| South Fork Trail ↗ | 5.1 | |
| Laurelly Branch | 3.4 | |
| Little Fork Trail | 3.4 | |
| Rough Run | 3.3 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedArrowhead Trails Rx
44 mi from the center point · 195 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 4.1 miMcNeel Mill ↗Mill Point, WV
- 4.3 miSeebert Lane Colored School ↗Seebert, WV
- 4.6 miPleasant Green Methodist Episcopal Church ↗Seebert, WV
- 6.3 miHunter, Frank and Anna, House ↗Marlinton, WV
- 6.6 miPocahontas Times Print Shop ↗Marlinton, WV
- 6.6 miMarlinton Opera House ↗Marlinton, WV
- 6.7 miMarlinton Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad Station ↗Marlinton, WV
- 7 miPocahontas County Courthouse and Jail ↗Marlinton, WV
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for West Virginia
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Cranberry Wilderness?
47,742 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Cranberry Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Cranberry Wilderness in?
West Virginia.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Cranberry Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1983.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Cranberry Wilderness?
Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Cranberry Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 38.295° N, 80.314° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Is there a fire near Cranberry Wilderness right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Arrowhead Trails Rx at 44 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Are there historic places near Cranberry Wilderness?
The National Register has 15 listings within 15 miles, including McNeel Mill and Seebert Lane Colored School.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.