Pendleton Lake Loop

Pendleton Lake Loop circles the four-acre Pendleton Lake at the heart of Blackwater Falls State Park, combining a pleasant lakeside walk with access to one of the most ecologically distinctive bog ecosystems in the Allegheny Highlands—a floating red spruce bog mat that represents a relict community from the last ice age. The lake itself was impounded by a CCC-era earthen dam across a tributary of the Blackwater River, and the combination of the reservoir's cold water and the surrounding boreal forest creates a microclimate significantly cooler than surrounding lowlands, explaining why Blackwater Falls and Davis WV are popular summer retreats for residents of the hot coastal plain. The red spruce bog on the lake's north shore features a floating mat of sphagnum moss dotted with carnivorous pitcher plants and sundews, leatherleaf shrubs, and scattered red spruce—a community more typical of boreal Canada that persists here due to the Canaan Valley region's exceptional cold air drainage. The loop's paved accessible section along the lake's south shore provides lake views and access to the fishing pier, where brook trout are stocked for the park's catch-and-release program. The dirt section through the bog-side forest passes beneath a dense canopy of mature red spruce whose layered branches accumulate significant snowfall, creating dramatic winter landscapes that have made Blackwater Falls a popular cross-country ski and snowshoe destination. Boreal bird species including yellow-bellied flycatcher and Swainson's thrush nest in the surrounding spruce forest.