Kanawha State Forest

The forest is laced with a network of trails that range from gentle walks along the creek bottoms to steep, lung-testing climbs onto the surrounding ridges. Old roadbeds, foot trails, and singletrack thread through the hollows, following streams up into the hills and cresting on ridgelines with filtered views of the wooded country.

The terrain is classic central-Appalachian, narrow valleys carved by creeks between steep, forested slopes. That relief means the trails offer real variety and real workout, from easy family strolls near the entrance to rugged loops that climb hundreds of feet. Mountain biking has become popular here as well, with the forest developing a reputation as a fine riding destination.

Kanawha State Forest is famous among West Virginia naturalists for its spring wildflowers. As the season warms, the hollows fill with a procession of blooms, trillium, bloodroot, trout lily, larkspur, and many more, one of the finest spring displays in the region and a magnet for wildflower enthusiasts and photographers.

The forest is equally celebrated for birds. Its varied habitat, from creek bottoms to ridgetops, supports a rich array of woodland species, and spring migration brings warblers and other songbirds in numbers that draw serious birders. The combination of flowers and birds makes spring the peak season, though the forest rewards a visit any time of year.

Like many of West Virginia's older public lands, Kanawha State Forest carries the mark of Depression-era public works. Crews in the 1930s developed roads, trails, and facilities here, creating a recreation forest close to the capital that generations of families have used ever since for hiking, picnicking, swimming, and camping.

That heritage of public use continues today. The forest remains a working recreation area with campgrounds, a pool, picnic areas, and shelters alongside its trail network, a place designed from the start to give city residents easy access to the woods. Its proximity to Charleston keeps it busy and beloved.

The forest shelters the full range of central-Appalachian wildlife, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, the occasional black bear, and a wealth of salamanders, songbirds, and woodpeckers among the hardwoods and along the streams. Its varied terrain packs a lot of habitat into a compact area near the city.

This land in the hills above the Kanawha River was part of the ancestral homeland and shared hunting ground of the Shawnee, the Lenape, the Moneton, and other peoples, whose descendant nations continue today beyond West Virginia. Each season transforms the forest, from the wildflower spring and green summer to the brilliant hardwood color of fall and the quiet, bare woods of winter.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.