West Virginia · Trail 567

Whispering Spruce Trail

Whispering Spruce Trail is a 0.6 miles trail in Monongahela National Forest, West Virginia. The Forest Service rates it trail class 4, highly developed. It is open to hiking.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Monongahela National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end38.7020, -79.5314 · Directions ↗
Other end38.6996, -79.5326 · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start.

The trail

Length0.6 miles
Trail class4, highly developed
Typeland trail
Surfaceimported compacted material
Typical grade0-5 percent
Typical tread width36-48 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityNot evaluated
National designationNational Recreation Trail or other national designation
Special management areaNRA - NATIONAL RECREATION AREA
Trail numbers567
ForestMonongahela National Forest (unit 0921)
StatesWest Virginia
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Whispering Spruce Trail30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 2.47 inches of precipitation, 8.1 inches of snowFebruary: 2.06 inches of precipitation, 8.1 inches of snowMarch: 3.22 inches of precipitation, 3.5 inches of snowApril: 3.36 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 4.22 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.44 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.84 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.54 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.84 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 2.55 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 2.36 inches of precipitation, 1.2 inches of snowDecember: 2.56 inches of precipitation, 5.8 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 32.5°F averageFebruary: 34.6°F averageMarch: 42.6°F averageApril: 52.4°F averageMay: 60.9°F averageJune: 68.1°F averageJuly: 71.8°F averageAugust: 70.4°F averageSeptember: 64.1°F averageOctober: 54.2°F averageNovember: 43.7°F averageDecember: 35.8°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 in10 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Franklin 2 NE, 12 miles from the trail midpoint at 1,900 feet, station USC00463215 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 38 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 27 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 3,000 feet lower than the trail midpoint, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Trailheads

The Forest Service recreation layer records no trailhead within a third of a mile of this trail's line. Many trails start from a road pullout or another trail with no trailhead record. The forest's recreation pages list the trailheads it does publish.

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Explore

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Whispering Spruce Trail?

0.6 miles, the sum of the 1 segment the Forest Service records under this name in Monongahela National Forest.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Whispering Spruce Trail?

hiking. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Whispering Spruce Trail start?

The line begins at 38.7020, -79.5314 and ends at 38.6996, -79.5326. No Forest Service trailhead is recorded within a third of a mile of it. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Whispering Spruce Trail in a wilderness area?

No. The trail line does not cross any polygon in the National Wilderness Preservation System layer.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Where can I camp near the Whispering Spruce Trail?

Spruce Knob Lake Campground (3 mi), Gatewood Group (3 mi) and Spruce Knob Lake (3.7 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Whispering Spruce Trail?

Trail class 4, which the Forest Service describes as highly developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Whispering Spruce Trail?

The typical grade is 0-5 percent. The typical tread is 36-48 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Whispering Spruce Trail a national trail?

Yes. The record marks it as a National Recreation Trail.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Whispering Spruce Trail?

Monongahela National Forest, Forest Service unit 0921. The trail is in West Virginia.

Source: Monongahela National Forest official page

Source

This page is built from 1 segment named WHISPERING SPRUCE TRAIL in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0921. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.