Smoke Hole Canyon
Encyclopedia
Smoke Hole Canyon — often called simply the Smoke Hole — is a rugged 20 miles (32.2 km) long gorge carved by the South Branch Potomac River in the Allegheny Mountains
of eastern West Virginia
, USA. Defined to the east by Cave Mountain and to the west by North Fork Mountain
, the gorge has been part of the Monongahela National Forest
's Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area
since 1965, although some of it is still private land. The area is somewhat isolated and rugged with parts accessible only by boat.
and northern Pendleton Counties
. It is defined by North Fork Mountain
to the west and Cave Mountain to the east.
Narrow and winding secondary roads snake through the gorge. Two roads provide access into the Smoke Hole: Pendleton County Route 2 enters the Smoke Hole near Upper Tract
a small community located 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Petersburg
along US Route 220. CR 2 follows the river into the Canyon and parallels it downstream for about 8 miles (12.9 km). The first 5.5 miles (8.9 km) are paved but narrow.
At places the Canyon is over 1000 feet (304.8 m) deep with nearly vertical walls. (The riverbed is at about 1100 feet (335.3 m) above sea level and the summit of nearby Cave Mountain is 2470 feet (752.9 m).) Spectacular views of the Canyon can be had along the 24 miles (38.6 km) long North Fork Mountain Trail to the west where sods
and cedar barrens can be visited. Caves are common in the Canyon slopes. Some are home to the endangered Virginia big-eared bat and are therefore closed to visitors during critical nesting or hibernation periods.
by war veteran Colonel William Eagle who is buried near the towering rock that bears his name.
The origin of the name “Smoke Hole” is uncertain. Popular (and plausible) explanations include the claim that Native Americans used the caves of the gorge for smoking meat (some old timers used to call the canyon the "Smoke Holes”). It has also been noted that a misty fog often lies along the river and ascends, thus evoking a "smoky hole". Another story is that the fires of moonshiner
's still
s gave the gorge its name.
During the Great Depression
, many of the few people living in the Canyon left to find better jobs, and their homesteads were consolidated among a smaller number of landholders. The trend continued through World War II
. The network of mountain roads formerly connecting homesteads and farms throughout the Canyon is now largely abandoned.
The Smoke Hole region has become a primary protection project of The Nature Conservancy
, which purchased an 1126 acres (455.7 ha) easement there in April 2004.
Under the Monongahela National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (2006), over 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha) in the Smoke Hole area were set aside for non-motorized, primitive recreation and remote wildlife habitat. The West Virginia Division of Forestry
, in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy
, acquired conservation easements to protect private woodlands near Smoke Hole in 2009.
. This package of rocks is bounded on the lower and upper ends by two fairly competent sandstones: the Silurian
Tuscarora
and the Devonian
Oriskany (Ridgeley)
, respectively. The anticline trends N 34 degrees E, and is faulted along the southeast-dipping Cave Mountain thrust against the southeast limb of the Wills Mountain
anticline (North Fork Mountain
). The Cave Mountain anticline is asymmetric to the northwest with a slightly overturned northwest limb. Adjacent to this northwest limb is a highly folded and faulted zone that is representative of the designated Blue Rock synclinal "shear zone" complex of macroscale structures between the Cave Mountain and the Wills Mountain
anticlines. Furthermore, the Cave Mountain anticline is a doubly plunging fold showing a culmination at the Lower Silurian strata level near Big Bend in the center of the Smoke Holes. The anticline appears to divide into several plunging folds upsection, at the Lower Devonian strata level, toward each end of the fold. Particularly noticeable are the numerous plunging anticlinal noses at the northeastern end of the Smoke Holes.
The Cave Mountain anticline consists of subparallel northeast-trending folds and southeast-dipping thrust faults with a maximum stratigraphic displacement of approximately 1900 feet, throwing Lower Silurian rocks against Lower Devonian rocks. The Cave Mountain anticline is further structurally bounded to the northeast and southwest by major cross-strike structural discontinuities: the nearly east-west trending Petersburg
lineament and an extension of the northwest-southeast trending Parsons lineament, respectively.
Overall, this region reveals the interior of this thrusted anticlinal-synclinal structure and presents a phenomenal exposure of complex central Appalachian macroscale structures involving the Silurian-Devonian package of rocks. Geologically, the Smoke Holes are the most uniquely exposed region within the westernmost central Appalachians and they have served as a surface model for complex subsurface structures shown and/or suspected by seismic and exploratory drilling. Furthermore, this region provides detailed insight into the lowermost roof-sequence cover above the suspected duplex of Cambrian-Ordovician horse-blocks and blind-thrusts at depth.
.
The dry, prairie-like areas along the upper knobs and ridges of the Canyon are home to a variety of typically western plants such as prairie flax
and redroot. These plants are more commonly found west of the Mississippi River
. Due to the protective effect of surrounding mountains, rainfall in Smoke Hole is unusually light — only about 30-32 inches per year. This relatively low precipitation permits a small haven for these unusual species.
About a dozen species of plants and animals in Smoke Hole Canyon are considered to be “globally rare”.
or regionally endemic plant species are known from the Smoke Hole.
The Smoke Hole bergamot (Monarda fistulosa var. brevis)
, a member of the mint family, has some of its few worldwide occurrences within the Smoke Hole area.
Virginia nailwort (Paronychia virginica var. virginica)
is another rare plant known from the Smoke Hole. This species is so uncommon that the few small patches found among the rocks of the Canyon walls are thought to be the largest population in the world.
The prairie flax (Linum lewisii)
is a widespread western species quite rare in the east. Sometimes called "Lewis flax", it was originally discovered during the Lewis and Clark expedition
, and not known wild east of the Great Plains
until it was found in the Smoke Hole.
s, another endangered animal in the eastern US. The big-eared bat is highly sensitive and needs exacting conditions to hibernate. Its caves are therefore protected during critical months.
The Canyon is a prime area for neotropical migrants birds—those that spend their summers in the US but migrate to South America for the winter. Wood thrush
es, scarlet tanager
s and various warblers have all been in decline recently because of habitat loss on both continents, but can find sanctuary within the secluded Canyon. Bald eagle
s also nest in the surrounding mountainsides.
Rare species of butterfly (Columbine duskywing
, cobweb skipper) live in the open, grassy, limestone habitats of the Canyon. A variety of tiger beetle
lives in the sandy, cobblestone habitats along the banks of the South Branch.
The Canyon also has a significant black bear
and bobcat
population, and is known for its large number of timber rattlesnakes, a species now scarce elsewhere in the state. The Allegheny woodrat
, which lives in rocky terrain in the Canyon, has been declining throughout much of its range due to an epidemic of roundworm infestation (acquired from raccoon
s), among other causes.
was accidentally introduced into the U.S. during the last half of the 20th century and has become a major conservation nuisance nationwide. In recent years, the Canyon has been overwhelmed with this invasive species, first introduced into the state in 1980. The 1996 flood in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia spread the seed throughout Smoke Hole, and now it is the most abundantly growing plant in the area. When introduced into a new area, stiltgrass blankets the ground and suffocates other plant life that would ordinarily grow close to the ground. Unchecked, the plant can spread in a manner almost impossible to abate.
Another biological threat to the Canyon is the insect known as hemlock woolly adelgid
. Also from Asia and just recently introduced into the Canyon ecosystem, it has been attacking the stands of eastern hemlock
there. The bug coats and then kills the tree branches. The Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy are coordinating to find ways to stop the spread of both stiltgrass and the adelgid. A species of Asian beetle known to survive entirely by eating the adelgid is being considered for the Canyon, while a solution to the stiltgrass problem remains as yet unidentified.
Popular activities in Smoke Hole Canyon include fishing (rainbow
and golden trout
; largemouth
and smallmouth bass
), hunting (squirrel, grouse, turkey, deer, rabbit and bear), hiking, rock climbing
, caving
, canoeing and camping (Big Bend Campground). Kayaking
and whitewater
canoeing provide the best ways to see the Canyon, particularly the lower section where there are no roads or trails. (The entire Smoke Hole river run — from US 220 to Petersburg — is about 25 miles (40.2 km) long.)
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
of eastern West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, USA. Defined to the east by Cave Mountain and to the west by North Fork Mountain
North Fork Mountain
North Fork Mountain is a quartzite-capped mountain ridge in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA...
, the gorge has been part of the Monongahela National Forest
Monongahela National Forest
The Monongahela National Forest is a national forest located in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA. It protects over of federally-owned land within a proclamation boundary that includes much of the Potomac Highlands Region and portions of 10 counties.The MNF includes some...
's Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area
Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area
Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area located within the Monongahela National Forest of eastern West Virginia, USA.The National Recreation Area protects three prominent West Virginia landmarks:...
since 1965, although some of it is still private land. The area is somewhat isolated and rugged with parts accessible only by boat.
Geography and description
Smoke Hole is situated in southern GrantGrant County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,299 people, 4,591 households, and 3,273 families residing in the county. The population density was 24 people per square mile . There were 6,105 housing units at an average density of 13 per square mile...
and northern Pendleton Counties
Pendleton County, West Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,196 people, 3,350 households, and 2,355 families residing in the county. The population density was 12 people per square mile . There were 5,102 housing units at an average density of 7 per square mile...
. It is defined by North Fork Mountain
North Fork Mountain
North Fork Mountain is a quartzite-capped mountain ridge in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA...
to the west and Cave Mountain to the east.
Narrow and winding secondary roads snake through the gorge. Two roads provide access into the Smoke Hole: Pendleton County Route 2 enters the Smoke Hole near Upper Tract
Upper Tract, West Virginia
Upper Tract is an unincorporated community located in Pendleton County, West Virginia, USA. The community lies along U.S. Highway 220 at the confluence of Reeds Creek and the South Branch Potomac River....
a small community located 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Petersburg
Petersburg, West Virginia
Petersburg is a city in Grant County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,423 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grant County.-History:...
along US Route 220. CR 2 follows the river into the Canyon and parallels it downstream for about 8 miles (12.9 km). The first 5.5 miles (8.9 km) are paved but narrow.
At places the Canyon is over 1000 feet (304.8 m) deep with nearly vertical walls. (The riverbed is at about 1100 feet (335.3 m) above sea level and the summit of nearby Cave Mountain is 2470 feet (752.9 m).) Spectacular views of the Canyon can be had along the 24 miles (38.6 km) long North Fork Mountain Trail to the west where sods
Sods
Sods is a term used in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia for a mountain top meadow or bog, in an area that is otherwise generally forested...
and cedar barrens can be visited. Caves are common in the Canyon slopes. Some are home to the endangered Virginia big-eared bat and are therefore closed to visitors during critical nesting or hibernation periods.
History
Smoke Hole Canyon was settled in the years after the RevolutionAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
by war veteran Colonel William Eagle who is buried near the towering rock that bears his name.
The origin of the name “Smoke Hole” is uncertain. Popular (and plausible) explanations include the claim that Native Americans used the caves of the gorge for smoking meat (some old timers used to call the canyon the "Smoke Holes”). It has also been noted that a misty fog often lies along the river and ascends, thus evoking a "smoky hole". Another story is that the fires of moonshiner
Moonshiner
Moonshiner may refer to:*Moonshiner, one who makes moonshine, illegal distilled alcohol*"The Moonshiner", a traditional folk song...
's still
Still
A still is a permanent apparatus used to distill miscible or immiscible liquid mixtures by heating to selectively boil and then cooling to condense the vapor...
s gave the gorge its name.
During the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, many of the few people living in the Canyon left to find better jobs, and their homesteads were consolidated among a smaller number of landholders. The trend continued through World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The network of mountain roads formerly connecting homesteads and farms throughout the Canyon is now largely abandoned.
The Smoke Hole region has become a primary protection project of The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
, which purchased an 1126 acres (455.7 ha) easement there in April 2004.
Under the Monongahela National Forest Land and Resource Management Plan (2006), over 3000 acres (1,214.1 ha) in the Smoke Hole area were set aside for non-motorized, primitive recreation and remote wildlife habitat. The West Virginia Division of Forestry
West Virginia Division of Forestry
West Virginia Division of Forestry is a government agency of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is a division of the West Virginia Department of Commerce. The West Virginia Division of Forestry is responsible for regulating and maintaining West Virginia's state forests and other state-controlled...
, in conjunction with The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
, acquired conservation easements to protect private woodlands near Smoke Hole in 2009.
Geology
The geology of the Smoke Holes is dominated by the Cave Mountain anticline. The stratigraphic column exposed in this region contains Lower Silurian to Middle Devonian sandstones, limestones, and shalesShalës
Shalës is a municipality in the Elbasan District, Elbasan County, central Albania. The municipality consists of the villages Shalës, Licaj, Kurtalli, Xibrake, Xherie and Kodras....
. This package of rocks is bounded on the lower and upper ends by two fairly competent sandstones: the Silurian
Silurian
The Silurian is a geologic period and system that extends from the end of the Ordovician Period, about 443.7 ± 1.5 Mya , to the beginning of the Devonian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya . As with other geologic periods, the rock beds that define the period's start and end are well identified, but the...
Tuscarora
Tuscarora Formation
The Silurian Tuscarora Formation — also known as Tuscarora Sandstone or Tuscarora Quartzite — is a mapped bedrock unit in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia.-Description:...
and the Devonian
Devonian
The Devonian is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic Era spanning from the end of the Silurian Period, about 416.0 ± 2.8 Mya , to the beginning of the Carboniferous Period, about 359.2 ± 2.5 Mya...
Oriskany (Ridgeley)
Ridgeley sandstone
The Ridgeley sandstone is a sandstone or quartzite of Devonian age found in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, and Virginia, USA. The Ridgeley is fine-grained, siliceous, calcareous in its lower strata, sometimes fossiliferous, and sometimes locally pebbly or...
, respectively. The anticline trends N 34 degrees E, and is faulted along the southeast-dipping Cave Mountain thrust against the southeast limb of the Wills Mountain
Wills Mountain
Wills Mountain is a quartzite-capped ridge in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA, extending from near Bedford, Pennsylvania to near Cumberland, Maryland...
anticline (North Fork Mountain
North Fork Mountain
North Fork Mountain is a quartzite-capped mountain ridge in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, USA...
). The Cave Mountain anticline is asymmetric to the northwest with a slightly overturned northwest limb. Adjacent to this northwest limb is a highly folded and faulted zone that is representative of the designated Blue Rock synclinal "shear zone" complex of macroscale structures between the Cave Mountain and the Wills Mountain
Wills Mountain
Wills Mountain is a quartzite-capped ridge in the Ridge and Valley physiographic province of the Appalachian Mountains in Pennsylvania and Maryland, USA, extending from near Bedford, Pennsylvania to near Cumberland, Maryland...
anticlines. Furthermore, the Cave Mountain anticline is a doubly plunging fold showing a culmination at the Lower Silurian strata level near Big Bend in the center of the Smoke Holes. The anticline appears to divide into several plunging folds upsection, at the Lower Devonian strata level, toward each end of the fold. Particularly noticeable are the numerous plunging anticlinal noses at the northeastern end of the Smoke Holes.
The Cave Mountain anticline consists of subparallel northeast-trending folds and southeast-dipping thrust faults with a maximum stratigraphic displacement of approximately 1900 feet, throwing Lower Silurian rocks against Lower Devonian rocks. The Cave Mountain anticline is further structurally bounded to the northeast and southwest by major cross-strike structural discontinuities: the nearly east-west trending Petersburg
Petersburg, West Virginia
Petersburg is a city in Grant County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 2,423 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Grant County.-History:...
lineament and an extension of the northwest-southeast trending Parsons lineament, respectively.
Overall, this region reveals the interior of this thrusted anticlinal-synclinal structure and presents a phenomenal exposure of complex central Appalachian macroscale structures involving the Silurian-Devonian package of rocks. Geologically, the Smoke Holes are the most uniquely exposed region within the westernmost central Appalachians and they have served as a surface model for complex subsurface structures shown and/or suspected by seismic and exploratory drilling. Furthermore, this region provides detailed insight into the lowermost roof-sequence cover above the suspected duplex of Cambrian-Ordovician horse-blocks and blind-thrusts at depth.
Ecology
Smoke Hole is a biologically diverse area classified as an upland limestone-based ecosystem. It is believed that the Canyon is the largest area of limestone forest left in this region of the country. Most of the forest soil in West Virginia is naturally acidic, only growing a certain range of plants. But limestone soil is not acidic and tends to be richer in certain nutrients than are other soils, thus supporting a different type of plant life. The plant species mix is unique: common Appalachian plants along with prairie species such as prairie rocket, Indian grass and little bluestemLittle bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium, commonly known as little bluestem or beard grass, is a North American prairie grass. Little bluestem is a perennial bunchgrass and is prominent in tallgrass prairie, along with big bluestem , indiangrass and switchgrass...
.
The dry, prairie-like areas along the upper knobs and ridges of the Canyon are home to a variety of typically western plants such as prairie flax
Linum lewisii
Linum lewisii is a perennial plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River...
and redroot. These plants are more commonly found west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
. Due to the protective effect of surrounding mountains, rainfall in Smoke Hole is unusually light — only about 30-32 inches per year. This relatively low precipitation permits a small haven for these unusual species.
About a dozen species of plants and animals in Smoke Hole Canyon are considered to be “globally rare”.
Flora
The prairie-like regions and associated cedar glades around the Smoke Hole Canyon are the largest groupings of such habitats in the Central Appalachians, and a number of unusual disjunctDisjunct distribution
In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but widely separated from each other geographically...
or regionally endemic plant species are known from the Smoke Hole.
The Smoke Hole bergamot (Monarda fistulosa var. brevis)
Monarda fistulosa
Wild bergamot or Bee Balm is a wildflower in the mint family widespread and abundant as a native plant in much of North America. This plant, with showy summer-blooming white flowers, is often used as a honey plant, medicinal plant, and garden ornamental...
, a member of the mint family, has some of its few worldwide occurrences within the Smoke Hole area.
Virginia nailwort (Paronychia virginica var. virginica)
Paronychia (plant)
Paronychia is a genus of plants in the pink family with over 110 species worldwide, mostly from warm-temperate North America, Eurasia, South America and Africa. They are herbs that are annual or biennial or perennial in life span. Some species have a woody base...
is another rare plant known from the Smoke Hole. This species is so uncommon that the few small patches found among the rocks of the Canyon walls are thought to be the largest population in the world.
The prairie flax (Linum lewisii)
Linum lewisii
Linum lewisii is a perennial plant in the family Linaceae, native to western North America from Alaska south to Baja California, and from the Pacific Coast east to the Mississippi River...
is a widespread western species quite rare in the east. Sometimes called "Lewis flax", it was originally discovered during the Lewis and Clark expedition
Lewis and Clark Expedition
The Lewis and Clark Expedition, or ″Corps of Discovery Expedition" was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast by the United States. Commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson and led by two Virginia-born veterans of Indian wars in the Ohio Valley, Meriwether Lewis and William...
, and not known wild east of the Great Plains
Great Plains
The Great Plains are a broad expanse of flat land, much of it covered in prairie, steppe and grassland, which lies west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains in the United States and Canada. This area covers parts of the U.S...
until it was found in the Smoke Hole.
Fauna
The Canyon is home to about 40 percent of the world's Virginia big-eared bat population and the largest single colony of Indiana batIndiana bat
The Indiana bat is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in eastern and midwestern states and in parts of the south of the United States. The Indiana bat is gray, black, or chestnut in colour and is 1.2–2 inches and weighs about 1/4 an ounce...
s, another endangered animal in the eastern US. The big-eared bat is highly sensitive and needs exacting conditions to hibernate. Its caves are therefore protected during critical months.
The Canyon is a prime area for neotropical migrants birds—those that spend their summers in the US but migrate to South America for the winter. Wood thrush
Wood Thrush
The Wood Thrush, Hylocichla mustelina, is a North American passerine bird. It is closely related to other thrushes such as the American Robin and is widely distributed across North America, wintering in Central America and southern Mexico...
es, scarlet tanager
Scarlet Tanager
The Scarlet Tanager is a medium-sized American songbird. Formerly placed in the tanager family , it and other members of its genus are now classified in the cardinal family . The species's plumage and vocalizations are similar to other members of the cardinal family.-Description:Adults have pale...
s and various warblers have all been in decline recently because of habitat loss on both continents, but can find sanctuary within the secluded Canyon. Bald eagle
Bald Eagle
The Bald Eagle is a bird of prey found in North America. It is the national bird and symbol of the United States of America. This sea eagle has two known sub-species and forms a species pair with the White-tailed Eagle...
s also nest in the surrounding mountainsides.
Rare species of butterfly (Columbine duskywing
Duskywing
Erynnis is a genus in the Skippers butterfly family, Hesperiidae, known as the Duskywings.-Species and notable subspecies:Listed alphabetically.*Erynnis afranius – Afranius Duskywing...
, cobweb skipper) live in the open, grassy, limestone habitats of the Canyon. A variety of tiger beetle
Tiger beetle
The tiger beetles are a large group of beetles known for their aggressive predatory habits and running speed. The fastest species of tiger beetle can run at a speed of 9 km/h , which, relative to its body length, is about 22 times the speed of former Olympic sprinter Michael Johnson, the...
lives in the sandy, cobblestone habitats along the banks of the South Branch.
The Canyon also has a significant black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
and bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
population, and is known for its large number of timber rattlesnakes, a species now scarce elsewhere in the state. The Allegheny woodrat
Allegheny woodrat
The Allegheny woodrat, Neotoma magister, is a species of "pack rat" in the genus Neotoma. Once believed to be a subspecies of the Eastern Woodrat or Florida Woodrat, Neotoma floridana, extensive DNA analysis has proven it to be a distinct species....
, which lives in rocky terrain in the Canyon, has been declining throughout much of its range due to an epidemic of roundworm infestation (acquired from raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s), among other causes.
Invasive species
An Asian grass known as Japanese stiltgrassMicrostegium vimineum
Microstegium vimineum, commonly known as Japanese stiltgrass or Nepalese browntop, is an annual grass that is common in a wide variety of habitats and is well adapted to low light levels.-Geographic range:...
was accidentally introduced into the U.S. during the last half of the 20th century and has become a major conservation nuisance nationwide. In recent years, the Canyon has been overwhelmed with this invasive species, first introduced into the state in 1980. The 1996 flood in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia spread the seed throughout Smoke Hole, and now it is the most abundantly growing plant in the area. When introduced into a new area, stiltgrass blankets the ground and suffocates other plant life that would ordinarily grow close to the ground. Unchecked, the plant can spread in a manner almost impossible to abate.
Another biological threat to the Canyon is the insect known as hemlock woolly adelgid
Hemlock Woolly Adelgid
Hemlock woolly adelgid , commonly abbreviated as HWA, is a true bug native to East Asia that feeds by sucking sap from hemlock trees . In eastern North America, it is a destructive pest that poses a major threat to the eastern hemlock and the Carolina hemlock...
. Also from Asia and just recently introduced into the Canyon ecosystem, it has been attacking the stands of eastern hemlock
Eastern Hemlock
Tsuga canadensis, also known as eastern or Canadian hemlock, and in the French-speaking regions of Canada as pruche du Canada, is a coniferous tree native to eastern North America. It ranges from northeastern Minnesota eastward through southern Quebec to Nova Scotia, and south in the Appalachian...
there. The bug coats and then kills the tree branches. The Forest Service and The Nature Conservancy are coordinating to find ways to stop the spread of both stiltgrass and the adelgid. A species of Asian beetle known to survive entirely by eating the adelgid is being considered for the Canyon, while a solution to the stiltgrass problem remains as yet unidentified.
Recreation
Rainbow trout
The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid native to tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia and North America. The steelhead is a sea run rainbow trout usually returning to freshwater to spawn after 2 to 3 years at sea. In other words, rainbow trout and steelhead trout are the same species....
and golden trout
Golden Trout
The golden trout is a sub-species of the rainbow trout, and it closley resembles the juvenile Rainbow trout. The fish is also known as the California golden trout and is native to Golden Trout Creek, Volcano Creek and the South Fork Kern River. Another variant, O. m...
; largemouth
Largemouth bass
The largemouth bass is a species of black bass in the sunfish family native to North America . It is also known as widemouth bass, bigmouth, black bass, bucketmouth, Potter's fish, Florida bass, Florida largemouth, green bass, green trout, linesides, Oswego bass, southern largemouth...
and smallmouth bass
Smallmouth bass
The smallmouth bass is a species of freshwater fish in the sunfish family of the order Perciformes. It is the type species of its genus...
), hunting (squirrel, grouse, turkey, deer, rabbit and bear), hiking, rock climbing
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, caving
Caving
Caving—also occasionally known as spelunking in the United States and potholing in the United Kingdom—is the recreational pastime of exploring wild cave systems...
, canoeing and camping (Big Bend Campground). Kayaking
Kayaking
Kayaking is the use of a kayak for moving across water. Kayaking and canoeing are also known as paddling. Kayaking is distinguished from canoeing by the sitting position of the paddler and the number of blades on the paddle...
and whitewater
Whitewater
Whitewater is formed in a rapid, when a river's gradient increases enough to disturb its laminar flow and create turbulence, i.e. form a bubbly, or aerated and unstable current; the frothy water appears white...
canoeing provide the best ways to see the Canyon, particularly the lower section where there are no roads or trails. (The entire Smoke Hole river run — from US 220 to Petersburg — is about 25 miles (40.2 km) long.)
Campgrounds
Big Bend Campground is located on a peninsula in the river and features 46 sites with water and flush toilets from April 15 to Oct. 1. Group camping is also available at the Jess Judy Camping Area along the river.Other sources
- This article contains information that originally came from US Government publications and websites and is in the public domain.
- United States Department of AgricultureUnited States Department of AgricultureThe United States Department of Agriculture is the United States federal executive department responsible for developing and executing U.S. federal government policy on farming, agriculture, and food...
, Smoke Hole Area Guide: Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, Monongahela National Forest (SuDoc A 13.36/2:SM 7/2).
- United States Department of Agriculture
- Sites, Roy S. (2005), “The Smoke Hole Region of West Virginia” at the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey website.
- West Virginia Writers' Program (1940), Smoke Hole and Its People, Charleston, West VirginiaCharleston, West VirginiaCharleston is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is located at the confluence of the Elk and Kanawha Rivers in Kanawha County. As of the 2010 census, it has a population of 51,400, and its metropolitan area 304,214. It is the county seat of Kanawha County.Early...
: West Virginia Writers Project, State Department of Education. - Local history:
- Shreve, D. Bardon, with Estyl C. Shreve (1997), A Place Called Smoke Hole, Fredericksburg, VirginiaFredericksburg, VirginiaFredericksburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia located south of Washington, D.C., and north of Richmond. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 24,286...
: Fredericksburg Press. - Shreve, D. Bardon, with Estyl C. Shreve (2000), More About Smoke Hole, Fredericksburg, Virginia: Fredericksburg Press.
- Shreve, D. Bardon, with Estyl C. Shreve (1997), A Place Called Smoke Hole, Fredericksburg, Virginia
External links
- MNF Webpage on Smoke Hole Canyon
- Geology of Smoke Hole Region
- "Smoke Hole canyon is a West Virginia treasure" article on Smoke Hole recreation