USFS · West Virginia

Roaring Plains West Wilderness

The 6,792 acre Roaring Plains West Wilderness area is located approximately 3 miles southwest of the Dolly Sods Wilderness. Canaan Valley State Park is about 5 miles north of the area. Primary access is from the Flatrock Run Trail and Forest Road 70 (gated, but open during autumn hunting season). The vegetation is diverse and consists of mixed hardwoods, red spruce and brush, with an under-story of bogs, grasses and rhododendron. The elevations range from 3,000 along the southern perimeter of the area to over 4,700 feet at the top of Mt. Porte Crayon. The 4-mile trail system is open to hikers and equestrians and provides numerous scenic views.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness6,794 acresUSFSWVDesignated 20094 campgrounds within 10 mi2 trails
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Roaring Plains West Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateWest Virginia
Size6,794 acres
Designated2009, by Congress
Center point38.93° N, 79.43° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Roaring Plains West Wilderness20°30°40°50°60°70°January: 4.75 inches of precipitationFebruary: 4.42 inches of precipitationMarch: 5.27 inches of precipitationApril: 5.12 inches of precipitationMay: 5.77 inches of precipitationJune: 5.30 inches of precipitationJuly: 5.72 inches of precipitationAugust: 4.18 inches of precipitationSeptember: 3.97 inches of precipitationOctober: 3.70 inches of precipitationNovember: 3.76 inches of precipitationDecember: 4.75 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 25.8°F averageFebruary: 28.2°F averageMarch: 35.9°F averageApril: 46.1°F averageMay: 54.8°F averageJune: 61.7°F averageJuly: 65.2°F averageAugust: 64.3°F averageSeptember: 58.5°F averageOctober: 48.7°F averageNovember: 38.6°F averageDecember: 30.7°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Elkins 21 ENE, 7 miles from the center point at 3,390 feet, station USW00003733 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 57 inches a year.

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

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 4 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.

FS · 5 mi
Seneca Shadows
Reservable81 sites
FS · 7.4 mi
Jess Judy
Reservable3 sites
FS · 7.4 mi
Big Bend
Reservable46 sites
FS · 7.7 mi
Red Creek Campground
First-comeWV

Trails

Trailhead Atlas →

2 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 9 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Flatrock Run Trail ↗5.2
Roaring Plains Trail3.3

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.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 13 in all · Register Atlas

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.

  • Hiking West Virginia
    Mary T. Reed, 2013
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in West Virginia
    Leonard M. Adkins, 2013
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Exploring the Appalachian Trail
    David Lillard and Gwyn Hicks, 2013
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Best Easy Day Hikes New River Gorge
    Johnny Molloy, 2013
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Roaring Plains West Wilderness?

6,794 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Roaring Plains West Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Roaring Plains West Wilderness in?

West Virginia.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Roaring Plains West Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 2009.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Roaring Plains West 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 Roaring Plains West Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 38.927° N, 79.425° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Are there historic places near Roaring Plains West Wilderness?

The National Register has 13 listings within 15 miles, including Day--Vandevander Mill and Sites Homestead.

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.