Cheat Canyon

Cheat Canyon is a forested gorge in northeastern West Virginia, cut by the Cheat River along the western edge of the Allegheny Mountains. Its steep sandstone walls, talus fields, and limestone caves create a rugged landscape, while the river is known for major whitewater rapids and annual paddling events. The gorge also has a long human and environmental history, from the Dunkards’ settlement there in 1772 to later damage from coal mining, poor forest management, and a private dam that helped make the Cheat one of the nation’s most endangered rivers in the 1990s. Today it is prized for both wild scenery and ongoing conservation struggles.

Greensboro, Pennsylvania · United States