Coopers Rock State Forest is a

state forest A state forest or national forest is a forest that is administered or protected by some agency of a sovereign or federated state, or territory. Background The precise application of the terms vary by jurisdiction. For example: * In Australia, a ...

in Monongalia and

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

counties in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...

. Its southern edge abuts

Cheat Lake Cheat Lake is a reservoir on the Cheat River in Monongalia County, West Virginia, United States. It was originally named Lake Lynn, but the Board on Geographic Names officially decided upon Cheat Lake as the reservoir's name in 1976. The sur ...

and the

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cu ...

section of

Cheat River The Cheat River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed August 15, 2011 tributary of the Monongahela River in eastern West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the Uni ...

, a popular

whitewater rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

river in the

eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

History

Coopers Rock State Forest gets its name from a legend about a fugitive who hid from the law near what is now the overlook. A cooper by trade, he resumed making barrels at his new mountain hideout, selling them to people in nearby communities. He lived and worked in the forest for many years. Much of Coopers Rock was originally developed by projects of the

Civilian Conservation Corps The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government unemployment, work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a ...

from 1936-1942. Many of these structures, including durable rustic picnic shelters made of

American chestnut The American chestnut (''Castanea dentata'') is a large, fast-growing deciduous tree of the beech family native to eastern North America. As is true of all species in genus Castanea, the American chestnut produces burred fruit with edible nuts. ...

, exist today and are listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

Forest management

The Coopers Rock forest is roughly bisected by

Interstate 68 Interstate 68 (I-68) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting I-79 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to I-70 in Hancock, Maryland. I-68 is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway ...

. The northern portion of the forest is managed by the forestry program at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...

and is lesser-developed. The southern part is jointly managed by the

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) is an agency of the government of the U.S. state of West Virginia. While formerly known as the cabinet-level Department of Natural Resources, it is now part of the West Virginia Department of ...

and

West Virginia Division of Forestry West Virginia Division of Forestry is a government agency of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is a division of the West Virginia Department of Commerce West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of ...

. It is more developed than some of the other state forests as it functions as a major recreation destination for the Morgantown area.

Recreation activities

Coopers Rock provides a diverse array of recreational opportunities. While the forest itself is open year-round, the main entrance to the southern portion of the park is closed each year from December 31 to March 31. During the winter, visitors will need to park at the first lot off

I-68 Interstate 68 (I-68) is a Interstate Highway in the US states of West Virginia and Maryland, connecting I-79 in Morgantown, West Virginia, to I-70 in Hancock, Maryland. I-68 is also Corridor E of the Appalachian Development Highway Syst ...

and walk in.

Overlooks

Main overlook

The forest is best known for its scenic overlooks of the Cheat River in Cheat Canyon. The main overlook is accessible by car and was developed as a CCC project. It provides excellent views of the Cheat,

Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area The Snake Hill Wildlife Management Area is a hill area covering along the Cheat canyon (78.3-mile-long) in Monongalia and Preston Counties, West Virginia. The wildlife management area mostly lies directly south of Coopers Rock State Forest, prot ...

across the river, and Morgantown to the west. The overlook is located on a large rock connected to the main land by a footbridge. It is not handicapped-accessible, but there is a nearby ADA-compliant overlook.

Raven Rock overlook

For a more rustic view, many people take the approximately hike to Raven Rock. This site, which is dominated by a high-voltage power line crossing of the

, is home to a series of large boulders and features a point that juts into the canyon. Hikers to this site with pets and children should be cautious as there are no railings - missteps could lead to significant and potentially fatal falls.

Hiking

Coopers Rock is home to a well-developed system of nearly of hiking trails. These trails are generally usable for cross-country skiing during the winter. One trail, approximately long, provides access to the former Mont Chateau State Park at

. The Rock City Trail leads through rock city, a long crevasse between towering outcrops.

Rock Climbing

Coopers Rock is a popular

bouldering Bouldering is a form of free climbing that is performed on small rock formations or artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers use climbing shoes to help se ...

area with boulder problems ranging from V0-V11 and numerous areas that can be easily set up for top-roping. Bolting is currently prohibited.

Campgrounds

The McCollum Camping Area is a 25-site campground at Coopers Rock open April 1- October 31. All sites have electric hookups and there is a showerhouse in the campground. Wi-Fi access is provided for registered campsites. The Rhododendron Camping Area is a 25-site campground at Coopers Rock open April 1 - October 31. All sites are non-electric and there is a central bathhouse. This campground is open only to tent/hammock camping.

Henry Clay Iron Furnace

Aside from the overlooks, the Henry Clay Iron Furnace is perhaps the most well-known portion of the forest. Accessible via the Clay Furnace or Clay Run trails, the furnace was built between 1834 and 1836 and produced

pig iron Pig iron, also known as crude iron, is an intermediate product of the iron industry in the production of steel which is obtained by smelting iron ore in a blast furnace. Pig iron has a high carbon content, typically 3.8–4.7%, along with ...

. Capable of producing 4 tons of iron each day, the furnace employed about 200 people and operated until 1847.Display located at Henry Clay Iron Furnace. It was listed on the

in 1970.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Protected areas of Monongalia County, West Virginia Protected areas of Preston County, West Virginia West Virginia state forests Civilian Conservation Corps in West Virginia Campgrounds in West Virginia