Richwood (West Virginia)

Richwood is a city of 1,900 people (as of 2019) in West Virginia. It used to be a lumber town - hence the name - Richwood now bills itself as a mountain vacation getaway and a convenient entry point to the Monongahela National Forest and the Cranberry Wilderness. It's also known as the Ramp Capital of the World, and hosts a yearly festival - the first of its kind in the US - celebrating the ramp, a kind of wild mountain leek with a pungent flavor that's prized throughout the Appalachians.

Get in
Richwood is located on WV-39 in the eastern corner of Nicholas County, between Summersville and Marlinton.

Get around
Be careful during winter; roads in this part of the state aren't always cleared during winter, and can be impassable even for four-wheel-drive vehicles.

See



 * Cranberry Glades Botanical Area, route 150, +1 304-653-4826 or +1 304-636-1800 (ext 343), . Protects the largest area of bogs in West Virginia. There's a half-mile boardwalk for walking and observation, and guided tours are given during the summer at 2 pm Saturday and Sunday.


 * Cranberry Wilderness, 932 North Fork Cherry Road, +1 304-846-2695, . Once an old-growth forest that was completely logged out by 1930, now a second-growth forest covering 35,864 acres. Approximately 60 miles of unmarked trails, wildlife including black bears (the area is part of a black bear sanctuary) and grouse, catch and release fishing.


 * Cranberry Mountain Nature Center, junction of route 150 and route 39/55, +1 304-653-4826 or +1 304-636-1800 (ext 343). Open May-Oct: daily 9AM to 4:30PM; Apr-Nov: Th-Sa 9AM to 4:30PM; closed Dec-Mar. Offers information about the national forest, with an exhibit hall, audio-visual programs, live programs on birds of prey and indigenous snakes, as well as special programs and guided tours.


 * Falls of Hill Creek, 5 miles west of the Cranberry Mountain Nature Center on route 55, +1 304-653-4826 in summer or +1 304-846-2695 in winter, . A 114-acre gorge with three waterfalls (25 feet, 45 feet, and 63 feet) - the highest of which is West Virginia's second-tallest waterfall - viewable from a 3/4-mile trail. The area also has lots of wildflowers in spring.



Events

 * Mountain Color Festival, +1 304-846-6790. Held during a week in early October. Art show, apple cider, apple butter making, crafts and craftmaking demonstrations, gospel singing.
 * Mountain Color Festival, +1 304-846-6790. Held during a week in early October. Art show, apple cider, apple butter making, crafts and craftmaking demonstrations, gospel singing.
 * Mountain Color Festival, +1 304-846-6790. Held during a week in early October. Art show, apple cider, apple butter making, crafts and craftmaking demonstrations, gospel singing.

Buy

 * G & N Ramp Farm Specialties, +1 304-846-4235. Pickled ramps, dehydrated ramps and ramp salt.

Eat
Ramps are, of course, a local delicacy. If you don't come for the Feast of the Ramson, you can find them on the menu at C & S and Rails to Trails.


 * Bright Spot Restaurant, Edgewood Avenue, +1 304-846-4066.

Go next

 * Summersville is about 40 minutes west on WV-39.
 * Marlinton is about 50 minutes east on WV-39.