cranberry glades

We visit the Cranberry Glades year round and hike in the Cranberry Wilderness. Most recently we hiked the Cowpasture Trail around the Glades in about 5" of snow and even saw bear tracks near a small foot bridge. The Glades boardwalk always provides the walker with fascinating flora and fauna and lovely views of the high mountain wetlands. The area is lightly used and there are never crowds.

To walk though an area that was not touched by glacial ice yet had land as sensitive as tundra was immensely unique. We enjoyed the board walk through the glades in mid October.

We didn't get a chance to stop by the nature center but we loved the trail. The signage and trail were very well maintained and I loved walking through the interesting micro climates and seeing the fall color on the mountains all around. I would love to come back in the spring and see the wild flowers that bloom in the glades.

Nice scenery. Easy to walk boardwalk, even for a stroller. A little slippery when wet. Visited in fall, but would like to visit in spring for flowers. Very quiet, no car noise, just people!

What a beautiful place and a majestic experience. I can't wait to return. I loved the boardwalk and seeing the natural cranberry bogs. The cranberries were actually bright red and easily visible on our walk thru the Glades. It was an easy stroll with beautiful views of the mountains.

Extremely interesting place, especially considering the typical terrain of the state. The fall colors were beautiful. We enjoyed the boardwalk and seeing all the plants and reading the signs along the way.

You are going back in time to the ice age. Does this make sense with Mother Nature?? Walk the board walk and read the signs. Wow, how wonderful to be in West Virginia. Stop and see this place & take your camera.

The Glades are absolutely gorgeous this time of year- they're a must! We loved being able to walk through several of the different environments and see the cranberries the Glades are named for.

This is a must stop and see during your travels! The walkway through the Cranberry bog was very interesting and showed me botanicals I had not seen before. Amazing this exist here in the mountains.

We were there this past weekend for Labor Day. We really enjoyed it and thought it was beautiful. We were hoping to see a bear though but we would totally go back.

We walked the designated nature trail and it was gorgeous. We saw cranberries, butterflies, lichen, mushrooms, and numerous wildflowers. Absolutely stunning. We wish we had time to hike some of the other rustic trails. As we were leaving, we spied a barred owl. Got some terrific shots of him in a tree. The highlight of our whole trip!

Wife & I went there with our 2, 12, & 15 year old. I had made the trip with my parents approximately 25 years ago & saw my first wild bear & loved it!! Maybe that set the bar too high for me personally, but I was kind of disappointed as were the wife & kids. Boardwalk was not well maintained, and it just seemed over ran; not the way I remembered it at all. Hope someday I can get the wife & kids to go back and give it another shot!

We stopped by the Glades on our way home from a short weekend trip to the mountains of Webster county and took the long way home. We were the only visitors at the time of our visit. The walkway through the glades was very peaceful and serene. The scenery was very interesting, with the flora and habitat. There are informational signs throughout the walk that describe the landscape. If you have a chance, try to stop and walk through!

I visited here with my 2 younger sons last summer. We loved this place and were having a blissful visit walking around the boardwalk....when suddenly a large BEAR stepped out onto the boardwalk about 20 feet ahead of us!! Since we were on a boardwalk, we did not want to walk backward and fall off, so we turned around and just walked away slowly...never to see that bear again!!! I have to say that I have never been so scared in my life, but we now have a great story about the Cranberry Glades! Also, when we arrived, we were the only people out there, as the location is remote. As we were retreating from the bear, we saw 2 scruffy-looking men approaching us--normally I would been nervous, but I was never happier to see 2 scruffy looking men in my life! We told them about the bear and they were excited, as they came hoping to see a bear. (Our hopes/expectations were a bit different, but to each his own!) This place is gorgeous, like a huge bowl in the mountains, with bright green mosses and cranberry bushes. Just be sure to make some noise as you arrive and be alert for bears.

We'd been going to the Marlinton area for years before we discoverd this amazing park. Definitely check out the visitor center, which has a collection of live rattlers that will enchant you. The Glade itself has a boardwalk meandering through most of it, so it's an easy walk. I was bound and determined to spot a carnivorous pitcher plant in the wild, and actually did on the second go around! If you're in the area, don't miss it!