The Cranberry Wilderness is a 47815 acre U.S. wilderness area in the Monongahela National Forest of southeast West Virginia, United States. Its name derives from the nearby Cranberry Glades as well as from the Cranberry River and Cranberry Mountain. In addition to being wilderness, it is a designated black bear sanctuary.

Geography

The Cranberry Wilderness is located mostly in Pocahontas County (West Virginia, USA), with a small portion in Webster County. The wilderness is drained by the Williams River and the Cranberry River, both of which are tributaries of the Gauley River, which in turn unites with the New River to form the Kanawha, a tributary of the Ohio river. The area just to the east of the Cranberry Wilderness is drained by tributaries of the Greenbrier River which flows into the New. The wilderness is located in the Yew Mountains, which are part of the Allegheny Mountains. The highest point in the wilderness is along Black Mountain at 4556 ft, although there is a slightly higher point at 4603 ft just outside the wilderness. The lowest elevation in the wilderness is at 2400 ft along the Williams River at Three Forks of Williams River, where it exits the wilderness.

History

Wilderness designation

Counterculture events

The national Rainbow Gathering has been held twice at the Cranberry Wilderness — in 1980 and in 2005.

2009 addition

The Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 added 11951 acre of adjacent land to the Cranberry Wilderness. This area, which was previously known as the Cranberry Backcountry, is located between the Williams River and the Cranberry River. It protects several tributaries of both the Williams and Cranberry Rivers which are popular trout streams. The area now has a trail system connected to the original wilderness.

Hiking trails