Calvin Price State Forest Overview & History

State Forest Overview

Located in eastern Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties, Calvin Price State Forest is covered in 9,000+ acres of mixed hardwoods and pine. It is named in honor of the late Calvin W. Price, a Marlinton newspaper editor who advocated for the purchase and designation of the area as a state forest. Uniquely, Calvin Price is mostly undeveloped, and instead relies on nearby Watoga State Park, one of state’s largest parks, for lodging and activities.

State Forest History

Calvin Price State Forest, is named in honor of the late Calvin W. Price, a Marlinton newspaper editor and prominent advocator for the designation of this area as a state forest. The majority of the land was purchased in 1953 from the New River Lumber Company. Before this, the forest stayed heavily logged between 1880 and 1920. In the 1900s, the Maryland Lumber Company harvested a large tract of this timber. The land was sold in 1922, divided into two sections, then resold. The section north of Laurel Run became part of Watoga State Park. The southern tract was sold to the state in 1953. The forest dedication took place on May 15, 1954.