Watoga State Park
State park · Marlinton · West Virginia
West Virginia's largest state park, more than 10,000 acres of Pocahontas County forest around a small lake, with trails built by the Civilian Conservation Corps still in use today. It sits close enough to Cass and Green Bank to fold into a longer weekend through the Potomac Highlands.
Don’t miss
Plan your visit
Peak: October 5–October 9
Color builds from September 29 · mostly bare by October 30
Sampled at Watoga State Park’s own coordinates and elevation (822 m) rather than a regional average.
12 weather points cover West Virginia, and the model needs no correction to land on 1 published peak date from smokymountains.com. Against West Virginia's own climatology, the 2026 weather puts the peak 6 days earlier. How the forecast works
When to go to Watoga State Park
You get about 17 days of color here, from the first turn through to roughly October 16. Against West Virginia overall, that is 8 days earlier. At 2,697 ft, it turns before the lower ground nearby.
You will find it at Marlinton, WV, in West Virginia.
Watoga State Park on the map
Drag the date slider to see when color reaches this corner of West Virginia, or tap a pin for that stop’s own peak window.
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Frequently asked
- When does Watoga State Park peak in 2026?
- Peak color is predicted for October 5–October 9 (best estimate October 7). Color starts around September 29 and is mostly bare by October 30.
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