Tucked away in the northernmost stretch of the Monongahela National Forest along the spine of the Allegheny Mountains lies the Canaan Valley and two of my favorite places to photograph. Blackwater Falls State Park and the Dolly Sods Wilderness offer unlimited photographic opportunities, especially in Fall with dazzling color on the hills. Dubbed the West Virginia Highlands or the Potomac Highlands, this region is saturated with stunning scenery. The Dolly Sods Wilderness area exists on a high-altitude rocky plateau teaming with vegetation associated with northern reaches of Canada. The plateau offers stunted trees, heath and blueberry barrens, and sphagnum bogs in a “meadow” created by logging and fires. The area known as Bear Rocks Preserve offers stunning views into the Allegheny Mountains with interesting rock formations in the foreground.
The first three photos in this gallery are my favorites from nine trips to photograph the area. Many have won awards. Beyond the first three are images from Dolly Sods Wilderness area, followed by waterfalls in Blackwater Falls State Park. My favorite of these waterfalls is Elakala Falls. The waterfall image with orange acid-stained rocks (from several beehive-shaped ovens upstream that were once used to burn coal into a substance known as coke) is of Douglas Falls in Thomas, West Virginia. A few images look out over the Allegheny Mountains.
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Pingback: The Significance of Return Visits – Canaan Valley | Deb Snelson Photography | Fine Art
Amir Boroumand
21 Feb 2015Amazing work!
Deb Snelson
21 Feb 2015Thank you Amir!
Debbie Roberts
10 Nov 2014Absolutely stunning photography Deb.
Deb Snelson
10 Nov 2014Thank you Debbie!
matt winans
31 Dec 2013I have a photography hobby and wanted to speak with you, your work is great.
matt
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Deb Snelson
1 Jan 2014I’ll contact you after the holidays – Happy New Year!