Roaring Plains West Wilderness

Roaring Plains West Wilderness
Part of Monongahela National Forest
Wilderness Area
Roaring Plains
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
Counties	Randolph, Pendleton

Elevation	4,027 ft (1,227.4 m) ^[1]
Coordinates	38°56′17″N 79°25′56″W / 38.93806°N 79.43222°W / 38.93806; -79.43222Coordinates: 38°56′17″N 79°25′56″W / 38.93806°N 79.43222°W / 38.93806; -79.43222
Highest point	Mount Porte Crayon ^[2]
- location	northwest of Seneca Rocks
- elevation	4,770 ft (1,453.9 m)
- coordinates	38°55′44″N 79°27′22″W / 38.92889°N 79.45611°W / 38.92889; -79.45611
Lowest point	Long Run ^[3]
- location	north of Onego
- elevation	2,367 ft (721.5 m)
- coordinates	38°53′36″N 79°24′17″W / 38.89333°N 79.40472°W / 38.89333; -79.40472

Area	6,792 acres (2,748.6 ha) ^[4]

Established	2009 ^[4]
Management	Monongahela National Forest
Owner	US Forest Service

IUCN category	Ib - Wilderness Area

Nearest city	Seneca Rocks, West Virginia

Location of Roaring Plains West Wilderness in West Virginia

The Roaring Plains West Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It is part of the Monongahela National Forest and includes Mount Porte Crayon, the sixth highest point in the state.

Known as “Roaring Plains West” to the advocates of a much larger area (15,138 acres) of proposed wilderness preservation, the RPW consists of 6,820 acres (27.6 km²) set aside by the Wild Monongahela Act, which was made law on 30 March 2009. (There are also areas known as “Roaring Plains North” and “Roaring Plains East” not included in the WMA.) Along with neighboring Flatrock Plains, these areas comprise the highest plateau in the eastern United States.

Geography

The Roaring Plains and Flatrock Plains areas include portions of Randolph and Pendleton Counties. These high-elevation plateaux, which encompass the highest sphagnum bogs in West Virginia, consist of vast expanses of rocky, tree-studded plains surrounded by rock outcrops and cliffs offering impressive views of the surrounding mountain ridges. Elevations range from 2,360 to 4,770 feet (1,450 m) and the area includes the Allegheny Front, the name for the Eastern Continental Divide in this area. The bogs serve to regulate stream flow at the headwaters for both sides of the Front. Recreational trails provide loops within the area as well as connecting to Red Creek Plains, Dolly Sods Wilderness and even further north to Canaan Valley.

An average of 180 inches (15 ft) of snow falls on the area annually, affording opportunities for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Snow typically falls from early October into early May. Blizzard conditions can frequent the high ground above 4,000 feet from November into April making travel perilous at times.

About 5.5 square miles (14 square km) lie at or above the 4,500 foot contour, making this the largest and highest flat-topped plateau in eastern North America.

Ecology

The dominant vegetation in the RPW consists of a mesic habitat with red spruce, mixed hardwoods and open brush terrain. Extensive and virtually impenetrable mountain laurel and rhododendron thickets are also present. (The former bloom spectacularly in late June with pink and white blossoms.) The seven known high-elevation wetlands (sphagnum bogs) provide habitat to rare plants and animals such as the snowshoe hare, bog lemming, bobcat and fisher. The area provides protection to the federally threatened Cheat Mountain salamander. Deer, turkey, black bear and other native animals are abundant.

References

Citations

↑ "Roaring Plains West Wilderness". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
↑ "Roaring Plains West Wilderness Map" (PDF). US Forest Service. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
↑ "Long Run leaving Roaring Plains West Wilderness". Elevation Query. U.S. Geological Survey. Retrieved 2009-05-14.
1 2 "Omnibus Public Lands Management Act of 2009". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2009-05-14.

Other sources

Core, Earl L. (1939), "The Flora of Roaring Plains, West Virginia", Proc. W.Va. Acad. Sci., 12:33-35.

External links

West Virginia Wilderness Coalition

Monongahela National Forest

National Recreation Areas	Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area

Wilderness areas	Big Draft Wilderness Cranberry Wilderness Dolly Sods Wilderness Laurel Fork North Wilderness Laurel Fork South Wilderness Otter Creek Wilderness Roaring Plains West Wilderness Spice Run Wilderness

Mountains and summits	Allegheny Front Allegheny Mountain Back Allegheny Mountain Backbone Mountain Barton Knob Bickle Knob Champe Rocks Cheat Mountain Gaudineer Knob Mount Porte Crayon North Fork Mountain River Knobs Seneca Rocks Shavers Mountain Spruce Knob Spruce Mountain

Rivers and creeks	Black Fork Blackwater River Cheat River Cranberry River Dry Fork Elk River Gauley River Glady Fork Greenbrier River Laurel Fork Seneca Creek South Branch Potomac River Shavers Fork Tygart Valley River Williams River

Canyons and valleys	Blackwater Canyon Canaan Valley Germany Valley Smoke Hole Canyon

Lakes and bogs	Lake Sherwood Spruce Knob Lake Summit Lake Cranberry Glades

Observation towers	Bickle Knob Olson Tower

Other features	Bear Rocks Preserve Camp Allegheny Cheat Summit Fort Fernow Experimental Forest Gaudineer Scenic Area Highland Scenic Highway Middle Mountain Cabins Mill Point Federal Prison Sinks of Gandy

US Forest Service

Protected areas of West Virginia

Federal

National Historical Parks	Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Harpers Ferry

National Forests	George Washington and Jefferson Monongahela

National Recreation Areas	Gauley River (NPS) Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks (USFS)

National Wildlife Refuges	Canaan Valley Ohio River Islands

National Trails System	Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Wilderness Areas	Big Draft Wilderness Cranberry Wilderness Dolly Sods Wilderness Laurel Fork North Wilderness Laurel Fork South Wilderness Mountain Lake Wilderness Otter Creek Wilderness Roaring Plains Wilderness Spice Run Wilderness

National Rivers	Bluestone NSR New River Gorge

State

State parks	Audra Babcock Beartown Beech Fork Berkeley Springs Blackwater Falls Blennerhassett Island Bluestone Cacapon Resort Camp Creek Canaan Valley Resort Carnifex Ferry Battlefield Cass Scenic Railroad Cathedral Cedar Creek Chief Logan Droop Mountain Battlefield Fairfax Stone Greenbrier River Trail Hawks Nest Holly River Little Beaver Lost River Moncove Lake North Bend Rail Trail North Bend Pinnacle Rock Pipestem Resort Prickett's Fort Stonewall Jackson Lake Tomlinson Run Tu-Endie-Wei Twin Falls Resort Tygart Lake Valley Falls Watoga Watters Smith Memorial

State forests	Cabwaylingo Calvin Price Camp Creek Coopers Rock Greenbrier Kanawha Kumbrabow Seneca

Wildlife management areas	Allegheny Amherst-Plymouth Anawalt Lake Bear Rock Lakes Becky Creek Beech Fork Lake Berwind Lake Beury Mountain Big Ditch Big Ugly Bluestone Burches Run Burnsville Lake Castleman Run Lake Cecil H. Underwood Center Branch Cheat Canyon Chief Cornstalk Conaway Run Lake Cross Creek Dents Run Dunkard Fork East Lynn Lake Edwards Run Elk Creek Elk River Fairfox Pond-Rehe Fort Mill Ridge Fox Forest Frozen Camp Green Bottom Handley Hilbert Hillcrest Horse Creek Hughes River Huttonsville State Farm Lantz Farm and Nature Preserve Laurel Lake Lewis Wetzel Little Indian Creek McClintic Meadow River Mill Creek Moncove Lake Morris Creek Nathaniel Mountain Panther Pedlar Pleasant Creek Plum Orchard Lake Pruntytown State Farm R.D. Bailey Lake Ritchie Mines Sand Hill Shannondale Springs Short Mountain Slatyfork Sleepy Creek Smoke Camp Snake Hill South Branch Stonecoal Lake Stonewall Jackson Lake Stumptown Summersville Lake Tate Lohr Teter Creek Lake The Jug Thorn Creek Tug Fork Turkey Run Upper Deckers Creek Upper Mud River Valley Bend Wetlands Wallback Widmeyer Woodrum Lake

Other WVDNR sites	West Virginia State Wildlife Center

Non-
governmental

Nature Conservancy preserves	Brush Creek Bear Rocks Cranesville Swamp Greenland Gap Hungry Beech Ice Mountain Mount Porte Crayon Murphy Panther Knob Pike Knob Slaty Mountain Upper Shavers Fork Yankauer

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