PENDLETON
/ GRANT COUNTIES
Nine hundred feet of
Tuscarora sandstone lays vigil over a landscape of
agricultural valleys, fish-filled rivers and outrageous
outcroppings that jut from the surrounding mountaintops.
Rock climbers come from around the world to challenge the
craggy face of Seneca Rocks.
Pendleton County is the birthing ground of the great Potomac. All three rivers — the North Fork and the South Fork of the South Branch, and the South Branch meander downward from the cedar-spotted highlands south of Franklin and Brandywine through beautifully-farmed valleys on their way to Grant County where they converge to become the full-fledged South Branch, renowned for its float trips and angling for bass. US Route 33 crosses all three rivers and follows the North Fork of the South Branch into Seneca Rocks.
Seneca Rocks is not only
the intersection of US Route 33 and State Route 28, it is
the home of the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National
Recreation Area and a new Visitors Center where regional
information can be easily obtained.
Rocks on top, caves underneath, this area is famous for its caving and commercial caverns — SenecaCaverns on Rt. 33 and Smoke Hole Caverns to the north on Rt. 28, south of Petersburg.
The barren outcroppings
of Seneca Rocks, Nelson Rocks and North Mountain are
signatures of the area. Pendleton County is also the home
of Spruce Knob, the highest point in West
Virginia.
POINTS OF INTEREST
Bear Rocks / Dolly Sods Wilderness Area
Brandywine Recreation Area
Buckhorn
Trout Farm
Fort Mulligan
Greenland Gap Preserve
Schaefer
Antiques
Seneca
Caverns
Sites Homestead
Smoke
Hole Caverns
Smoke Hole Recreation Area
Spruce Knob Recreation Area
Seneca
Rocks --------------------