Monongahela National Forest is a vast protected landscape in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia, spanning more than 921,000 acres and much of the state’s Potomac Highlands. Shaped by federal land purchases after the Weeks Act of 1911, it was formally established in 1920 on land heavily logged around the turn of the 20th century and now largely regrown as second-growth forest. Its wide elevation range supports varied habitats, important watersheds, and rich wildlife, including restored deer and reintroduced fisher populations. The forest also includes wilderness areas, major recreation lands, trout waters, and sites used for U.S. Army training during the Second World War.