Scenic Routes & Byways West Virginia by Su Clauson-Wicker

Author:Su Clauson-Wicker
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780762795963
Publisher: Globe Pequot
Published: 2015-04-20T00:00:00+00:00

approaching Seneca Rocks

Champe Knobs is only a precursor to mammoth Seneca Rocks a few miles ahead. Look for its craggy top on the left around the bend in the road as you approach the intersection with US 33 and the entrance to the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center. An icon of West Virginia, this 900-foot-high behemoth of sandstone was known to Native Americans and appeared on European settlers’ earliest maps of the state.

Sandstone cliffs tower along the drive to Seneca Rocks.

The bare rock face, known as one of the most challenging climbs in the East, attracts climbers from around the country. If you want to try your hand at this, two nearby climbing schools will literally show you the ropes, even if you are a total beginner. You can also test your skills on the free beginner’s climbing wall in the Discovery Center. If bare cliffs are not for you, you can still hike the steep West Side Trail 1.3 miles to an observation platform just below the ridgeline. This path is heavy on the stairsteps and switchbacks, but generous with trailside benches. At the top, you’ll be rewarded with a stunning view of the valley—and you’ll be able to look down on the swirling vultures. If you’re a geocacher, take your GPS unit; there are several caches at the top of the trail as of this writing.

The Sites Homestead is located within walking distance of the Discovery Center. The first home built in the area by a European-American settler, the Jacob Sites home was originally constructed as a single-pin log home in 1839. The additions were constructed during Civil War times. Tours of the home are available on Saturday during the summer, and visitors can survey the heirloom gardens at any time during the regular day-use hours. Picnic sites are available here as well.

Seneca Rocks’ first recorded climbers scaled its face in 1938. At the top they were surprised to find “D. B. Sept. 16, 1908” carved into the stone. Since then, climbers have developed dozens of routes up the rock face. During World War II, army mountaineer troops came here to train for action in the Alps.

Seneca Rocks challenges photographers as well. The west-facing rock is in shadow for most of the day. As the afternoon sun illuminates it, the rocks can shine a brilliant golden or soft yellow with dramatic hues and shadows. Early photographs and postcards show Seneca Rocks as having three humps. In 1987, the center piece, 20 tons of rock known as the Gendarme, suddenly collapsed, leaving Seneca Rocks with its current snaggletoothed appearance.

Both Champe Knobs and Seneca Rocks were formed in the nearly pure quartz of the Tuscarora sandstone, which has been folded here from its original horizontal position into a near-vertical orientation. The rock formations originally above and below the sandstone—softer shale and limestone—have been eroded away, leaving the imposing cliffs of sandstone.

Other trails lead through the thick woods to scenic overlooks on the ridge behind Seneca Rocks. Ask at the visitor center for information and maps.

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