Potomac Highlands

The Potomac Highlands cover the high mountain country of eastern West Virginia — eight counties (Grant, Hampshire, Hardy, Mineral, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, Tucker) running along the Allegheny Front and into the Appalachian high country beyond. The terrain holds the highest land in the state: Spruce Knob at 4,863 feet, the Dolly Sods plateau, the Canaan Valley basin at 3,200 feet, and the dramatic limestone face of Seneca Rocks. Elkins anchors Randolph County and the Monongahela National Forest’s western entrance; Davis and Thomas in Tucker County hold Blackwater Falls State Park and Canaan Valley Resort; Petersburg, Moorefield, and Romney run the South Branch Potomac corridor; Snowshoe Mountain Resort fills the Pocahontas County highlands beside the Cass Scenic Railroad; Seneca Rocks rises above the Pendleton County village of the same name; Keyser holds Mineral County and the North Branch Potomac. Trips here are outdoor. Snowshoe runs the largest ski operation in the mid-Atlantic; Canaan Valley and Timberline add Tucker County’s resort skiing; the Highland Scenic Highway, Dolly Sods Wilderness, and the Cranberry Glades cover summer and fall hiking; Cass Scenic Railroad runs steam trains up to Bald Knob. Snow comes early and stays late.