One of the best ways to find out about really cool camping locations is word of mouth – especially when it comes from your brother-in-law. He and his wife had taken a rock-climbing class at a place called Seneca Rocks – and that was all it took for us to be off on our next adventure!
About 3 hours from DC, Seneca Rocks is a large crag and local landmark in Pendleton County in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, USA. Apparently it is the only “true peak” — a peak inaccessible except by technical rock climbing techniques — on the East Coast of the United States (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seneca_Rocks thanks Wikipedia!) and there are 375 major mapped climbing routes, varying in degree from 5.0 (the easiest) to 5.13 (the hardest).
Not a state park, Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks is actually a National Recreation Area (NRA) established within the Monongahela National Forest by an act of the U.S. Congress on September 28, 1965.
In addition to rock climbers, the Seneca Rocks area is a huge hunting and fishing draw – and the hundreds of miles of twisty mountain roads attract huge numbers of motorbikers on any given weekend.
For us, this was purely an exploratory trip to see what the camping was like, and get the lay of the land for future adventures. We aren’t trained rock-climbers (and we have no climbing equipment of our own) – and sadly the rock-climbing school was a little out of our price range – so camping and hiking were our two main activities for the weekend (that, and keeping cool with triple digit temps and triple digit humidity).
There is a hiking trail that takes you up to the rocks… with a bunch of signs at the end of the trail warning you not to scramble on the rocks (but everyone does). It’s 1.5 miles one way and about a 1500 foot rise in elevation –a bit challenging but not terribly difficult. There is an observation “porch” at the trailhead that gives some breathtaking views of the valley below. Unfortunately, this is the only real hiking trail in the area – but it definitely didn’t disappoint!
After some research, Darryl picked Seneca Shadows as our camping spot: http://www.recreation.gov/camping/seneca-shadows/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=70322
(My review: It is VERY well tended (the best I’ve ever seen actually) and extremely clean – I would highly recommend it! It was pretty easy to get into with the trailer, and has a number of electric sites as well as tent camping (50% reservable in advance, 50% saved for walk-ups).)
Cool campground, good hiking, excellent views… not a bad way to spend a weekend. Hat tip to the BIL for the recommendation – and if you are ever in the area, it is definitely worth the trip.
Welcome to Ride Camp Eat 