Covid-19 Update (June 3, 2020)
West Virginia’s public preserves remain open, with the exception of Ice Mountain Preserve. We ask all visitors to please follow any local restrictions put in place for your safety as well as guidance from the West Virginia Department of Health & Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), including maintaining a distance of at least 6 feet from others (social distancing).
Parking may be limited at many of our preserves. If parking areas are full, or if you find you can’t social distance at any trail or preserve, it may be best to visit the area at another time.
Thank you for helping us in our efforts to protect our visitors’ health and well-being. Together, we can each do our part to stop the spread of COVID-19 so we can continue to do the important work needed in West Virginia.
Slaty Mountain Preserve is comprised of a dry hardwood and pine woodland including a globally rare shale barren community. The primary feature of the preserve is the high quality shale barren that is habitat to many rare species. The small dirt road accessing the preserve cuts across the shale barren community, allowing good views of the shale barren species and surrounding mountains. Hiking and visitation is limited to walking along this dirt road. All the shale barren species can be seen from the road side.
What TNC Is Doing
This preserve was given to the Conservancy as a generous gift from the MeadWestvaco Corporation. After acquiring the preserve, Conservancy volunteers cleaned a large trash dump on the preserve.