An Amateur’s Guide To Richwood, West Virginia (or, a
guide to Richwood West Virginia, by an amateur)
By Philip J. Heald
I learned a lot of what I know about fly fishing in the rivers and creeks around
Richwood, West Virginia. Richwood is a mountain hamlet situated about fifteen or
twenty miles east of Summersville. As the name indicates, the timber industry is
important to Richwood. Logging goes on all over the mountains surrounding
Richwood, and there is a big timber processing yard right in the middle of town.
But I suspect that the timber industry is not what it
once was in Richwood. Most of the downtown
buildings have become a little ragged, and many of
their storefronts are vacant. You can just look at
Richwood and see a bustling past has mostly
gone away. Still, I love going to Richwood. The
residents are genuinely friendly and helpful, the
setting is beautiful, and there are great places to
stay and to shop.
Richwood is situated on the Southern end of the
Monongahela National Forest, right near the
magnificent Cranberry Wilderness/Backcountry
and Cranberry Glades. The Cranberry Glades are
made up of four peat bogs that contain plant life
normally found much farther north. The Glades
also give rise to the Cranberry River, which then
flows down through the mountain valleys and
through the heart of the Cranberry Wilderness and
Cranberry Backcountry. Fishing in the Cranberry
River is outstanding.
Most of the length of the river is only accessible on foot, horse, or bicycle, so fishing
pressure is minimal.
The easiest way I have found into the Cranberry area is to take Route 39/55 East out of
Richwood, and then Route 76 just as you leave town. Route 76 will be on your left,
accompanied by a US Forest Service sign pointing you to the Cranberry River. Route
76 eventually stops at the Cranberry Campground. This is the boundary to the
Backcountry/Wilderness area, so the road is blocked off, and from there on motorized
vehicles are prohibited. By the way, this is a nice campground but they don't have
electric hookups.
The Forest Service maintains an excellent road through the Backcountry that takes
you to the eastern edge of the Wilderness. There are camp shelters with trash and
toilet facilities at intervals along the way. If you like your camping experience a little
more rustic than the campground, you will love this. Of course, the road follows the
Cranberry River upstream, so your opportunity to fish is only limited by how far you
want to travel.
The Cranberry Wilderness is a little farther east and a little wilder than the
Backcountry. It is bounded on its west by Route 150, the Highland Scenic Highway.
This road rides a mountain ridge over 4,600 feet above sea level, and is truly beautiful
drive, especially on a sunny day. There are several trail heads along this road that give
access into the Cranberry Wilderness. From here, you can hike to the upper reaches
of the Cranberry River and fish either of its forks. I would caution, however, that while
these trails are well marked and well maintained, they are in mountainous terrain, and
while the walk down to the river might be pleasant enough, the walk back up to your
car can be strenuous.
In this area is also the Williams River, a much loved trout stream in its own right.
Perhaps some day I will spend more time there, and then I will write a full report.
guide to Richwood West Virginia, by an amateur)
By Philip J. Heald
I learned a lot of what I know about fly fishing in the rivers and creeks around
Richwood, West Virginia. Richwood is a mountain hamlet situated about fifteen or
twenty miles east of Summersville. As the name indicates, the timber industry is
important to Richwood. Logging goes on all over the mountains surrounding
Richwood, and there is a big timber processing yard right in the middle of town.
But I suspect that the timber industry is not what it
once was in Richwood. Most of the downtown
buildings have become a little ragged, and many of
their storefronts are vacant. You can just look at
Richwood and see a bustling past has mostly
gone away. Still, I love going to Richwood. The
residents are genuinely friendly and helpful, the
setting is beautiful, and there are great places to
stay and to shop.
Richwood is situated on the Southern end of the
Monongahela National Forest, right near the
magnificent Cranberry Wilderness/Backcountry
and Cranberry Glades. The Cranberry Glades are
made up of four peat bogs that contain plant life
normally found much farther north. The Glades
also give rise to the Cranberry River, which then
flows down through the mountain valleys and
through the heart of the Cranberry Wilderness and
Cranberry Backcountry. Fishing in the Cranberry
River is outstanding.
Most of the length of the river is only accessible on foot, horse, or bicycle, so fishing
pressure is minimal.
The easiest way I have found into the Cranberry area is to take Route 39/55 East out of
Richwood, and then Route 76 just as you leave town. Route 76 will be on your left,
accompanied by a US Forest Service sign pointing you to the Cranberry River. Route
76 eventually stops at the Cranberry Campground. This is the boundary to the
Backcountry/Wilderness area, so the road is blocked off, and from there on motorized
vehicles are prohibited. By the way, this is a nice campground but they don't have
electric hookups.
The Forest Service maintains an excellent road through the Backcountry that takes
you to the eastern edge of the Wilderness. There are camp shelters with trash and
toilet facilities at intervals along the way. If you like your camping experience a little
more rustic than the campground, you will love this. Of course, the road follows the
Cranberry River upstream, so your opportunity to fish is only limited by how far you
want to travel.
The Cranberry Wilderness is a little farther east and a little wilder than the
Backcountry. It is bounded on its west by Route 150, the Highland Scenic Highway.
This road rides a mountain ridge over 4,600 feet above sea level, and is truly beautiful
drive, especially on a sunny day. There are several trail heads along this road that give
access into the Cranberry Wilderness. From here, you can hike to the upper reaches
of the Cranberry River and fish either of its forks. I would caution, however, that while
these trails are well marked and well maintained, they are in mountainous terrain, and
while the walk down to the river might be pleasant enough, the walk back up to your
car can be strenuous.
In this area is also the Williams River, a much loved trout stream in its own right.
Perhaps some day I will spend more time there, and then I will write a full report.
Not in the Cranberry area, but an important part of the Richwood experience nonetheless, is the Cherry
River. The Cherry starts as two forks coming from two separate mountain valleys east of Richwood. The
forks flow east and then meet right in the heart of Richwood. South Fork is shadowed by a gravel road for
most of its length. The road comes into Richwood on the east end of town, and you can follow it up the
river for at least fifteen miles to the east. Logging takes place in the mountains surrounding the South Fork,
so you are likely to see and hear logging trucks and equipment. A few members of a sportsman’s club
River. The Cherry starts as two forks coming from two separate mountain valleys east of Richwood. The
forks flow east and then meet right in the heart of Richwood. South Fork is shadowed by a gravel road for
most of its length. The road comes into Richwood on the east end of town, and you can follow it up the
river for at least fifteen miles to the east. Logging takes place in the mountains surrounding the South Fork,
so you are likely to see and hear logging trucks and equipment. A few members of a sportsman’s club
place tents, campers, and other temporary structures along the river and there are parts of
the land bordering the river marked no trespassing, as well. But it is worth fishing the South Fork, even if
you don't have access to all points along the river. I have never caught any big trout there, but there
seems to be a nice population of brook trout, judging by the numbers I have caught on a Parachute
Adams or an Irresistible during the warm months. I don’t fish the South Fork every time I’m in Richwood,
but it is definitely on my list of “keepers.”
The North Fork of the Cherry flows down out of the mountains from the same area that gives rise to the
Cranberry. Route 39/55 borders the river for nearly its entire length, all the way from the top of Black
Mountain, twenty miles east into Richwood. It is a beautiful drive. The North Fork is rugged and
surrounded almost completely by a canopy of hemlock and rhododendron. The great part about the river
is that it is easily accessible (if somewhat challenging to fish). The not so great part is that the river has
some mining activity in its past, resulting in water that can be more acidic than trout like. To remedy this,
the federal and/or state authorities add lime to the water at intervals along its length, in an effort to
balance the pH and make the fishing better.
The acid problem has never stopped me from fishing the North Fork, however, because I have always
caught some fish, and it’s so doggone easy and convenient to get to. The North Fork, to me, is a great
place to fish while you are in the Richwood area and not on a foray to a farther flung area.
Just to the east of Richwood, on Route 39/55, is a great motel called The Four Seasons Lodge. The Four
Seasons is situated next to Rudolph Falls, where the North Fork rolls over a bedrock formation and into a
series of pools. It is a beautiful setting for a motel. It is a nice, clean, friendly place, close to town, close to
the North Fork, and close to Route 76, the road to the Cranberry. I have stayed at the Four Seasons many
times, and I would recommend it to anyone. After a long day of hiking and fishing in the Cranberry, I like
the comfort of a real bed and a hot shower. So many times I have sat on the balcony of my room after a
long day on the river, enjoying the smell and sound of a gentle mountain rain, and thinking how happy I
was not to be in a tent. But, that’s just me.
They don’t have food at the Four Seasons, but some of the rooms have microwaves and/or refrigerators,
and there is a fine grocery store right in town, at the Cherry River Plaza shopping center. Two or three
doors down from there is a Pizza Hut. They don’t deliver, but after a long day of fishing, we normally
drive into town, order the pizza, and while we’re waiting, we swing by the grocery store or the drug store
(also at the Cherry River Plaza) to take care of our legal beverages and snack needs. The pizza is usually
ready in just a few minutes.
I haven’t scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in the Richwood area. I will end this
installment, however, by suggesting that in addition to the trout fishing opportunities in the immediate
area, Richwood can be a good hub for an extended fishing trip taking in several watersheds. The
Greenbrier, Elk, Shaver’s Fork, and Gauley watersheds are all close by, and they each provide numerous
opportunities for the trout fisherman, as well as some great smallmouth bass fisheries.
Back to Page 1
the land bordering the river marked no trespassing, as well. But it is worth fishing the South Fork, even if
you don't have access to all points along the river. I have never caught any big trout there, but there
seems to be a nice population of brook trout, judging by the numbers I have caught on a Parachute
Adams or an Irresistible during the warm months. I don’t fish the South Fork every time I’m in Richwood,
but it is definitely on my list of “keepers.”
The North Fork of the Cherry flows down out of the mountains from the same area that gives rise to the
Cranberry. Route 39/55 borders the river for nearly its entire length, all the way from the top of Black
Mountain, twenty miles east into Richwood. It is a beautiful drive. The North Fork is rugged and
surrounded almost completely by a canopy of hemlock and rhododendron. The great part about the river
is that it is easily accessible (if somewhat challenging to fish). The not so great part is that the river has
some mining activity in its past, resulting in water that can be more acidic than trout like. To remedy this,
the federal and/or state authorities add lime to the water at intervals along its length, in an effort to
balance the pH and make the fishing better.
The acid problem has never stopped me from fishing the North Fork, however, because I have always
caught some fish, and it’s so doggone easy and convenient to get to. The North Fork, to me, is a great
place to fish while you are in the Richwood area and not on a foray to a farther flung area.
Just to the east of Richwood, on Route 39/55, is a great motel called The Four Seasons Lodge. The Four
Seasons is situated next to Rudolph Falls, where the North Fork rolls over a bedrock formation and into a
series of pools. It is a beautiful setting for a motel. It is a nice, clean, friendly place, close to town, close to
the North Fork, and close to Route 76, the road to the Cranberry. I have stayed at the Four Seasons many
times, and I would recommend it to anyone. After a long day of hiking and fishing in the Cranberry, I like
the comfort of a real bed and a hot shower. So many times I have sat on the balcony of my room after a
long day on the river, enjoying the smell and sound of a gentle mountain rain, and thinking how happy I
was not to be in a tent. But, that’s just me.
They don’t have food at the Four Seasons, but some of the rooms have microwaves and/or refrigerators,
and there is a fine grocery store right in town, at the Cherry River Plaza shopping center. Two or three
doors down from there is a Pizza Hut. They don’t deliver, but after a long day of fishing, we normally
drive into town, order the pizza, and while we’re waiting, we swing by the grocery store or the drug store
(also at the Cherry River Plaza) to take care of our legal beverages and snack needs. The pizza is usually
ready in just a few minutes.
I haven’t scratched the surface of all there is to see and do in the Richwood area. I will end this
installment, however, by suggesting that in addition to the trout fishing opportunities in the immediate
area, Richwood can be a good hub for an extended fishing trip taking in several watersheds. The
Greenbrier, Elk, Shaver’s Fork, and Gauley watersheds are all close by, and they each provide numerous
opportunities for the trout fisherman, as well as some great smallmouth bass fisheries.
Back to Page 1
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