Cathedral State Park, in the northeastern corner of West Virginia, contains one of the last remaining tracts of virgin timber in the state. Towering trees up to 90 feet in height and 21 feet in circumference provide a shady canopy for hiking, picnicking and nature study in this day-use park. Throughout the woods, eastern hemlock is the dominant species.
While passing through West Virgina on a road trip I stopped and hiked four of the six marked trails in this 133 acre park. The longest of the trails is just over one mile in length. Even though the eastern United States was in the grip of a heat wave at the time of my visit, the forest was relatively cool, being shaded and at an elevation varying from 2460 to 2620 feet.
More than 170 species of flowering plants have been catalogued in the park. I took photos of several, including hemlock trees, ferns and flowering rhododendron. More than 50 species of wildflower have been recorded here, plus numerous birds and animals. It is a great place to study nature in a setting so beautiful that it is called a Cathedral.
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