Cranberry Glades Botanical Area
| Cranberry Glades | |
| Part of Monongahela National Forest | |
| National Natural Landmark | |
 Fog over Cranberry Glades boardwalk
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| Country | United States |
|---|---|
| State | West Virginia |
| County | Pocahontas |
| Elevation | 3,400 ft (1,036.3 m) |
| Coordinates | 38°12′11″N 80°15′59″W / 38.20306°N 80.26639°WCoordinates: 38°12′11″N 80°15′59″W / 38.20306°N 80.26639°W |
| Area | 750 acres (303.5 ha) |
| Management | Monongahela National Forest |
| Owner | USDA Forest Service |
| Easiest access |
drive-up via  FR 102 |
| Topo map | USGS Lobelia |
| Nearest city | Hillsboro, West Virginia |
  Location of Cranberry Glades Botanical Area in West Virginia
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| Website: Cranberry Glades Botanical Area | |
Cranberry Glades — also known simply as The Glades — are a cluster of five small, boreal-type bogs in southwestern Pocahontas County, West Virginia, United States. This area, high in the Allegheny Mountains at about 3,400 feet (1,000 m), is protected as the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, part of the Monongahela National Forest. This site is the headwaters of the Cranberry River, a popular trout stream, and is adjacent to the nearly 50,000-acre (200 km2) Cranberry Wilderness.
The Glades are a 750-acre (3.0 km2) grouping of peat bogs resembling some Canadian bogs. The gladed land is highly acidic and supports plants commonly found at higher latitudes, including cranberries, sphagnum moss, skunk cabbage, and two carnivorous plants (purple pitcher plant, sundew). The Glades serve as the southernmost home of many of the plant species found there.
The Glades have been the subject of much scientific study, especially during the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. Professor Maurice Brooks conducted studies in 1930, 1934, and 1945. The work of Strausbaugh (1934), Darlington (1943), and Core (1955) followed.
In 1974, the Cranberry Glades Botanical Area was designated a National Natural Landmark.
The natural history of the Glades has been traced back at least 12,200 years. Apparently, a forest of conifer-northern hardwoods replaced tundra with the end of the last Ice Age. Over time the Glades formed into what it is today. Now, most of the bog is underlain by peat that is up to 10 feet (3.0 m) thick. Under the peat is a layer of algal ooze and the ooze by marl. Since a limestone source in the surrounding rocks is indicated, an ample source appears to be present in the underlying Hinton Formation, a circumstance that also has significant implications for the Glades' flora.
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Wikipedia