Destination Thursday: Sweet Root Natural Area Steeped in History and Hemlock

The Sweet Root Natural Area, located in the vicinity of Chaneysville in Bedford County, was officially designated by the State Forest Commission in 1970 to be "preserved for scientific, scenic, and educational values" where no motorized activity is permitted.

Originally consisting of a 69-acre virgin "Hemlock-cove Hardwood" stand along scenic Sweet Root Run, the natural area has since been enlarged to 1,400 acres with the addition of second growth oak and oak-hard pine stands. The virgin timber can be reached by a trail beginning at the Sweet Root Picnic Area on Pa. Route 326, if permission is obtained from the private landowner. It can also be reached by turning onto Blankley Road from SR 326 south of Rainsburg at the summit of Rainsburg Mountain. The drive provides many scenic overlooks into Friends Cove, Rainsburg Gap and Sweet Root Gap.

In 1979 the natural area was designated for amphibian and reptile protection; whereby "the taking, catching, killing, and possession of naturally occurring species of amphibians or reptiles, are prohibited."

There is a saltpeter cave within the Sweet Root Natural Area where saltpeter had been produced for gunpowder before and during the American Revolution. Close by are the Resettlement Lands, containing several old cemeteries that date back to pre-Civil War days. This, along with the remnants of a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, an early sawmill and one of the first trading posts in Bedford County, makes the Sweet Root Natural Area an area rich in history and well worth visiting, a cool walk on any hot summer day.

[Reference: Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR)]

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