Cathedral State Park
| Cathedral State Park | |
| West Virginia State Park National Natural Landmark |
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Cathedral Trail
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Preston |
| Elevation | 2,579 ft (786.1 m) |
| Coordinates | Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. |
| Highest point | 2,620 |
| Lowest point | 2,460 |
| Area | 132 acres (53.4 ha) [1] |
| Established | 1942 [2] |
| Owner | West Virginia Division of Natural Resources |
| Nearest city | Aurora, West Virginia |
  Location of Cathedral State Park in West Virginia
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| Website: Cathedral State Park | |
Cathedral State Park is the largest virgin timber tract remaining in West Virginia. The park features trees of up to 90 feet in height and 16 feet in circumference.[3] Located on 132 acres (53 ha)[1] about one mile (1.6 km) east of the town of Aurora and five miles west of Redhouse, Maryland, Cathedral is a mixed forest of predominantly eastern hemlock.[4] The Rhine Creek runs through the park.[3]
The United States National Park Service has designated the park as a National Natural Landmark in 1965.[5]
The park is under significant threat from the hemlock woolly adelgid, which has been detected within 20 miles (32 km) of the park.[6]
History
Mr Branson Haas, a workman for the Brookside hotel, purchased the land in 1922 and sold it to the state of West Virginia in 1942.[3] It was included in the Brookside Historic District.[7] The park was entered in the National Registry for Natural History Landmarks on October 6, 1966.[3] The Society of American Foresters recognized the park in 1983 in its National Natural Areas program.[3]
In 2004, the state's largest hemlock tree was felled by lightning.[3]
In October 2012, the park suffered extensive damage resulting from snowfall produced by Hurricane Sandy.[5]
Trails
| Trail Name | Trail Length in Feet |
|---|---|
| Cathedral Trail | 5,898 |
| Giant Hemlock Trail | 1,170 |
| Partridge Berry Trail | 2,931 |
| Trillium Trail | 668 |
| Cardinal Trail | 1,201 |
| Wood Thrush Trail | 3,274 |
| Old Oakland Road | 2,257 |
Photo gallery
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Cathedral State Park West Virginia Eastern Hemlock.jpg
An Eastern Hemlock in Cathedral State Park
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Hemlock tree in Cathedral State Park.jpg
Hemlock in Cathedral State Park
See also
- List of West Virginia state parks
- State park
- List of old growth forests
- List of National Natural Landmarks
- List of National Natural Landmarks in West Virginia
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 West Virginia State Parks Facilities Grid, accessed March 29, 2008
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Forests of the Appalachians Project web site, accessed July 22, 2006.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Cathedral State Park web site, access July 22, 2006
- ↑ "Trees last stand: Park may be last place to see uncut hemlock forest in state", Charleston Gazette, December 19, 2004, accessed July 22, 2006.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
