Cranberry Wilderness · WV
North-South Trail
The main spine of the Cranberry Wilderness and backbone of the classic backpacking loop, running the high plateau through red spruce and northern hardwoods. Rough, unblazed and often muddy; GPS recommended.
Live · updated
Today
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Today's best: trail running
Conditions
Score by activity
Hiking
Skip the hiking plan today.
Trail running
Skip the trail running plan today.
Score breakdown
- − 81°F air — Above trail running's comfort zone (28–78°F)
- − Thunderstorms — Get off exposed ridges before they arrive
- ✓ Trail: prime — No meaningful rain in the last 48 hours. Trail surface is dry and tacky — prime traction.
- − 91 min of daylight — You need at least 125 min with margin. Bring a headlamp or start tomorrow.
Trail facts
- Distance
- 7.41 mi
- Elevation gain
- 698 ft
- Surface
- dirt
- Difficulty
- hard
Trailhead
Coordinates
38.2839, -80.2872 — WV.
Park
Part of Cranberry Wilderness.
Peak nymphal tick activity — check yourself within 2 hours of leaving the trail.
Nearby Trails
Frequently Asked
How long is North-South Trail?
North-South Trail is a 7.41-mile route with 698 feet of elevation gain — hard — significant elevation gain, technical terrain, or both; come prepared. The trail facts panel on this page lists distance, surface, and access tags as they appear in OpenStreetMap.
What's the trail surface like at North-South Trail?
North-South Trail is natural dirt singletrack — soft underfoot, holds water, slow to dry after rain. Today's mud rating, derived from recent precipitation and the surface type, is shown in the conditions panel above.
Who manages North-South Trail, and where do closure alerts come from?
North-South Trail is in Cranberry Wilderness, which is managed by the managing agency. Closure and advisory data on this page comes from the agency. Always confirm against the park's own page before driving — emergency closures can post faster than scrapers refresh.