We stumbled across Bear Heaven Recreation Area on one of our ramblings in West Virginia. We had gotten into the habit of just driving down a forest service road, or turning down a random rural road just to see where it would take us. Somehow, we ended up northeast of Elkins on a dirt road in the Otter Creek Wilderness Area — more specifically, on Bickle Knob, which is really fun to say.
Bickle Knob is located at the end of Forest Route 91A, a spur from Stuart Memorial Drive (FR 91). Both roads are gravel but can easily be traversed by normal passenger cars — we made it in our Town and Country Minivan. Stuart Memorial Drive is a scenic path as it traces the edge of the Shavers Fork canyon.
Know before you go: Please note that due to the high elevation of the area and the fact that FR 91 is not plowed in the winter, the road may be hazardous when snow is present. If you’re into primitive camping, there are a number of campsites available at Bear Heaven.
Getting there: This was another fortuitous accidental daytrip! Bear Heaven Recreation Area is located about 14 miles northeast of Elkins, WV, on FR91 (Stuart Memorial Drive).
Hours: Open 24/7 between mid-April and the beginning of December.
Dogs: Of course!
Website: http://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/mnf/recarea/?recid=6981
