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Canaan Valley, West Virginia

Canaan Valley
National Natural Landmark
CanaanValley2.JPG
View of the southern end of Canaan Valley from atop Harmon Knob.
Country United States
State West Virginia
County Tucker
Elevation 3,200 ft (975.4 m)
Coordinates 39°07′36″N 79°22′41″W / 39.12667°N 79.37806°W / 39.12667; -79.37806Coordinates: 39°07′36″N 79°22′41″W / 39.12667°N 79.37806°W / 39.12667; -79.37806
Area 25,000 acres (10,117.1 ha) approximately
Established December 1974
Owner USDA Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources and private owners
IUCN category III - Natural Monument
Nearest city Davis, West Virginia
Location of Canaan Valley in West Virginia
Website: Canaan Valley

Canaan Valley (local /kəˈnn/) is an oval, bowl-like upland valley in northeastern Tucker County, West Virginia, USA. Within it are extensive wetlands and the headwaters of the Blackwater River which spills out of the valley at Blackwater Falls. It is a well-known and partially undeveloped scenic attraction and tourist draw, associated with the Canaan Valley Resort State Park and the Blackwater Falls State Park.

Canaan Valley was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1974. The National Park Service citation indicates that the Valley is "a splendid 'museum' of habitats ... contain[ing] ... an aggregation of these habitats seldom found in the eastern United States. It is unique as a northern boreal relict community at this latitude by virtue of its size, elevation and diversity." Since 1994, almost 70% of the Valley has become the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge, the nation's 500th National Wildlife Refuge.

The local pronunciation of "Canaan" is /kəˈnn/, rather than the conventional /ˈknən/ for the Biblical region from which the area takes its name.


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