Canaan Valley & Blackwater Falls

Based in the outdoorsy West Virginia highland town of Davis, surrounded by Blackwater Falls, Canaan Valley skiing, Dolly Sods Wilderness and Seneca Rocks.

Canaan Valley–Blackwater Falls lies in Tucker County in northeastern West Virginia, at about 1,000 m on the Allegheny Plateau. The small town of Davis serves as the base, with the old coal town of Thomas just to the north. Canaan Valley is the highest large valley east of the Rocky Mountains, with cool summers (July average around 20°C) and snowy winters, and it's known as West Virginia's outdoor capital. The area breaks down into four parts: ① Blackwater Falls State Park, right next to Davis, with the amber-colored Blackwater Falls, the Lindy Point canyon overlook and Elakala Falls; ② Canaan Valley, with its resort state park, Timberline Mountain ski area and national wildlife refuge wetlands; ③ Dolly Sods Wilderness and Bear Rocks to the east, with highland wilds, rock formations and blueberry thickets, at their most spectacular in fall color season; ④ about 45 minutes south, Seneca Rocks (a climbing mecca), Spruce Knob, the state's highest point, and Seneca Caverns. Best seasons: Jun–Aug for hiking and escaping the heat; late September to mid-October for fall foliage, the busiest time of year; Dec–Mar for skiing, snowshoeing and sledding. Getting there: you'll need a car; it's about 3.5 hours from Washington, D.C., and 2.5 hours from Pittsburgh, and the nearest major airports are Washington Dulles and Pittsburgh. Plan on 2–3 days: one for Blackwater Falls and Thomas, one for Dolly Sods, and one for Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob. Note: the forest roads to Dolly Sods and Spruce Knob are mostly gravel and close in winter; mountain weather is changeable and cell service is weak, so download offline maps before heading into the backcountry. Dolly Sods was once an artillery training range and unexploded ordnance is occasionally found, so don't pick up any suspicious metal objects.

Top sights

Where to eat