West Virginia has a few spots where nature is just strikingly strange and beautiful. You’ll find one of those spots in the Cranesville Swamp Preserve on the edge of Preston county.
Cranesville Swamp Preserve is a boreal bog in Preston County, West Virginia, owned by the Nature Conservatory.
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A boardwalk takes you through the bog area of the Preserve.
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Trails wind through the surrounding trees on the higher ground.
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The location and geography of Cranesville Swamp has produced a rare climate and landscape.
WikiMedia Commons/Bohemian Baltimore Cranesville Swamp is situated in a “frost pocket” which traps cold air and moisture, creating a climate which is more similar to regions of Canada than the climate of most of West Virginia.
Most deciduous trees can’t grow in the area, but evergreens dot the landscape.
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Moss, sedges, cranberries, and other moisture-loving plants thrive in the area.
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You might even see some carnivorous plants, like the sundew.
WikiMedia Commons/Petr Dlouhý
A portion of the Cranesville Swamp Preserve also lies in Garrett County, Maryland, so you can walk right into another state!
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You can read more about the Cranesville Swamp Preserve at the Nature Conservancy’s website.
WikiMedia Commons/Brian M. Powell
WikiMedia Commons/Bohemian Baltimore
Freestock/Nicolas Raymond
Cranesville Swamp is situated in a “frost pocket” which traps cold air and moisture, creating a climate which is more similar to regions of Canada than the climate of most of West Virginia.
WikiMedia Commons/Petr Dlouhý
To see more natural wonders in West Virginia, try this road trip through the Monongahela National Forest!
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