When talking to people about things to do in West Virginia, three places were suggested time and time again – Spruce Knob, Seneca Rocks and Dolly Sods Wilderness.
Shae and I recently spent 11 nights in Davis, WV while on our 5 year, 50 state road trip and got to visit all three of those places as they were all fairly close to the Airbnb we were staying at. We’ll share more about our hikes at Seneca Rocks and Dolly Sods Wilderness in the coming days, but for now here’s more about our visit to Spruce Knob.
Spruce Knob was so frequently mentioned because at 4,863 feet above sea level, it’s West Virginia’s highest point.
Despite its height, you don’t have to go on a long, uphill hike to reach the top. That’s because you can drive all the way to the peak. There’s a good-sized parking lot at the top; there were only a few other vehicles when we visited on a chilly Monday lunchtime in November, but I imagine it’s much busier in the summer.
In the parking lot there’s a noticeboard with some information about Spruce Knob and its observation tower, as well as a sign directing you towards the half-mile Whispering Spruce Trail.
The trail is fairly flat, so there’s no need for hiking boots.
As you walk along the trail you’ll see several information boards. These are a nice touch as it turns the visit into an opportunity to learn more about geology, nature, etc.
After a short distance you’ll come upon Spruce Knob Tower. Construction of the observation tower finished in 1969 and originally provided excellent views of the surrounding area.
Since then, spruce trees have grown all around, somewhat blocking the views.
While this is a little disappointing, the Forest Service has decided not to cut them down as several endangered species rely on the trees as their habitat.
Don’t worry though as you can get much better views from several other overlooks a little further along the Whispering Spruce Trail.
Along with the even better views comes an opportunity to continue learning with more information boards.
At one end of the peak there’s a bench where you can sit and enjoy the views of the surrounding Allegheny Mountains.
One of the nice features of Spruce Knob is that it’s pet-friendly, so Truffles got to join us. As always, she decided to give Shae a lick while we tried to take a photo.
It’s definitely worth reading the boards as you walk around as they’re full of interesting information. For example, the red spruce trees that sit atop the mountain tend to only grow branches on one side. This is known as flagging and occurs due to the strong westerly winds that batter them.
The Whispering Spruce Trail continues looping around the top of the mountain, whereupon you’ll reach another overlook courtesy of a wooden platform that’s been built there.
Be sure to spend a moment to take in the view as it’s beautiful.
It was almost 3pm by this point and we hadn’t eaten lunch yet, so we grabbed our packed lunches from the car and sat down at one of several picnic tables next to the parking lot. Truffles couldn’t wait for us to get her food out, so she started licking Shae again.
Final Thoughts
Spruce Knob is worth a visit seeing as it’s the highest point in West Virginia and it has several overlooks giving beautiful views of the Allegheny Mountains.
There’s a parking lot at the top, so there’s no need to hike up there. It’s free to visit and is pet-friendly – two features we greatly appreciate on our travels! It’s also a fairly quick visit; we only spent an hour there which included having a picnic, so you’ll have plenty of time to visit other local attractions.
[…] visited Spruce Knob – the highest point in West Virginia – a few days earlier and enjoyed all the information boards they provided about the area. We […]