Well hidden amid the tall ridges of the Allegheny Mountains, several narrow valleys define a very special region of the Mountaineer State— The Potomac Highlands, where the many branches of the mighty river carve deep valleys through rugged, rocky landscapes. This is West Virginia’s playground of stone, where narrow canyons, jagged cliffs, sparkling caverns, and windswept mountaintops await. Two hours beyond the nearest interstate, the tiny hamlet of Seneca Rocks is your base camp for exploring the area. This narrow valley is a step back to an earlier era, with its ten-room motels, family restaurants, and comfortable cabins nestled riverside.


WATCHING THE WALL CLIMBERS
From the deck of the Front Porch Restaurant you get a grandstand view of the rock climbers scaling the summit at Seneca Rocks. Members of the Tenth Mountain Division trained here during World War II so they could scale Mediterranean cliffs and take out Nazi fortifications. The imposing nine hundred foot tall wall of quartzite is considered the top climbing spot on the East Coast. Non-climbers can scramble up the rugged 1.3 mile Seneca Rocks Hiking Trail, a feat that takes nearly two hours—but worth it for the view. Stop in the Seneca Rocks visitor’s center to soak in the history of the region.

VISITING WEST VIRGINIA’S ROOF
East along US 33, an unpaved but good road leads to the summit of Spruce Knob, West Virginia’s tallest mountain at 4,861 feet. Lined with wildflowers in spring and summer, the mostly one lane gravel track provides many scenic views. Thick, wildflower-studded woods gives way to alpine-like terrain with the elevation gain. The mostly treeless mountainside, covered with sparkling white quartz conglomerate boulders, has blueberry and raspberry bushes covered with tempting fruit in the summer. At the summit, red spruce trees break up the rocky soil. The ½ mile long Whispering Spruce Trail leads around the windswept peak, where an observation tower affords a panoramic view that stretches across the Allegheny Mountains into Virginia.

UNDERGROUND WONDERS
North of Seneca Rocks on WV 55, Smoke Hole Caverns opened as a show cave in 1942. The natural entrance – a crack into the mountainside – leads into dry, dark rock where a stream once carved a channel through the mountain. The long, dark entrance tube has few formations. But the showy part is a fault in the earth’s surface, a huge crack, and once you climb up into the crack—wow! Spotlights suddenly sparkle on thousands of icy stalactites crowding each other on the high ceiling. Delicate soda straws, draperies, and perfectly aligned rows of cream-colored stalactites decorate the chamber. Further along, a spring bubbles from a large volcano-shaped mound, an artesian well that formed an unusual dome around itself. Dramatic flowstone creeps down the drippy walls, including one ribbon of stone weighing twenty five tons. Helicitites – unusual curvy stalactites – twirl in shades of white and peach, adding an odd accent to this long, narrow underground canyon.

Following US 33 east of Seneca Rocks, watch for the turnoff at the town of Riverton and the sign for Seneca Caverns. Unlike your average cavern tour, this one starts at one end of the cave and ends up coming out in a completely different spot—no backtracking! As you descend into the caverns, you’ll quickly notice that the big attraction here is the large number of pure calcite formations, glistening white and sparkling like freshly fallen snow. Flowstone drips in globby bunches like grapes, knobby cave coral (down near knee level) looks like mushrooms poking out of the wall, and huge white domes twinkle under the lights.


ALWAYS AN ADVENTURE
Some folks come to the valley just to kick back and relax in a cozy riverside cabin, but there are plenty of places to explore. Anglers enjoy casting for trout down in Smoke Hole Canyon, a secluded valley reached via dirt road from WV 55.  You’ll also catch folks fishing in almost every branch of the Potomac River—and there are many. Kayaks and canoes ply the waters, and hikers can burn off some energy at the unique Dolly Sods Wilderness, where a little hiking takes you a long way from civilization. Winter snows usher in cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.


IF YOU GO
From Pittsburgh, Seneca Rocks is a four hour drive along scenic highways. Take the turnpike to US. 119 south; US 40 east at Uniontown to MD; US 219 south past Deep Creek Lake, MD into West Virginia (with an opportunity for a side trip to the state’s biggest waterfall, Blackwater Falls) to WV 32 east; WV 55 north to Seneca Rocks. If you’re up for outdoor recreation, check at Harman’s General Store for outfitter information.

ACCOMODATIONS
Smoke Hole Log Cabins & Motel, 1-800-828-8478
Harman’s Cottages, 1-800-436-6254
Yokum’s Vacationland, 1-800-772-8342

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