In the high wilderness of the Monongahela National Forest in Pocahontas County, West Virginia lies a tiny ecosystem that is unlike anything else in the entire state: Cranberry Glades Botanical Area. This 750-acre protected area is home to the Mountain State’s largest region of boreal bogs.
Bogs are wetlands full of decayed plant material called peat, and the bogs in Cranberry Glades are home to an arctic microclimate unlike anything else at this latitude since the glaciers retreated thousands of years ago.
Plants, animals, mosses and lichens that are normally at home in alpine tundra can be found here, including the cranberries that gave the area its name, and several other species that can be found nowhere further south.
Within the Cranberry Glades you can find at least two rare species of plants - the pitcher plant and the sundew - that supplement their diet of sunlight with insects.
They developed this eating habit due to the acidic, nutrient-poor spongy soil of the bogs, and it allows them to flourish here where other plants cannot.
The Cranberry Glades lies on the renowned Highland Scenic Highway, and it can be most easily enjoyed by the 0.5-mile boardwalk loop. The boardwalk, which is dotted with many informational signs, allows visitors to learn about and experience the amazing landscape without disturbing it.
The views of surrounding mountains are impressive, and there is the opportunity to see an array of wildlife - birds and even black bear. In the spring, the cranberries are blooming, and in the fall the bogs are thick with the brilliant red fruit.
Look for the pink sundew with its sticky tentacles and the purple-veined pitcher leaves where unsuspecting bugs meet their bane!
For those who want to enjoy more of this unique area, the six-mile Cowpasture Trail encircles the botanical area and offers more beautiful vistas. Whatever trail you choose, stay on it and protect this fragile ecosystem.
Unsurprisingly, at 3,400 feet of elevation, Cranberry Glades experiences a very cool and wet microclimate, collecting cold air from the 4000 foot mountains surrounding it. Frosts can occur even into the summer. In the summer, especially, come prepared for a welcome relief from lowland heat, but dress accordingly! And if you just love grisly yet fascinating plant life like these carnivorous plants, you might also want to learn more about West Virginia’s most gruesome fungus, Dead Man’s Fingers.
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