Spruce Knob Mountain Center
18 Woodlands Way, Circleville, WV 26804
Phone: 304-606-3233 · info@experience-learning.org · experience-learning.org
Get turn-by-turn navigation to the SKMC entrance, right from your phone:
Print your directions before you leave. SKMC sits inside the National Radio Quiet Zone around Green Bank Observatory — you will lose cell signal, and with it, live GPS navigation, for the last stretch of the drive. The one-tap buttons above are great for getting you most of the way there, but don’t rely on your phone for the final approach.
Two printable references: the Last-Leg Directions Map (PDF), originally prepared by Ed Takken, and the full AHSP Site Layout Map (PDF) showing the observing fields and other resources at SKMC.
The Last Leg (from Judy Gap)
However you approach from farther out, routes converge at Judy Gap. This final stretch is the trickiest part of the drive — and the part where your phone is most likely to lose signal — so it gets its own step-by-step, photo by photo.
- Follow Route 28 South through Circleville (3 miles) and Cherry Grove (3 miles).
- About 2–3 miles after Cherry Grove, turn right onto Sawmill Run Road / Co. Rte. 28/10 — marked with a Forest Service sign for Spruce Knob Lake. (Don’t take the earlier turnoff for Spruce Knob itself at the Gateway Restaurant.)
- After about 3 miles, turn left at a stop sign near a hairpin turn, then continue 4 more miles to a set of low stone columns and a red farm gate on the right at the top of a hill. (If you go down a long hill and cross a bridge over a small creek, you’ve gone too far.)
- Turn right through the red gate, marked “Experience Learning.” (If you end up at Spruce Knob Lake, you’ve gone too far.)
- Bear left and follow the dirt road about a mile through farmland to the top of the hill, before the large round yurt buildings. You’ll see the AHSP registration tent at the crest on the right.
Approaches by Direction
All of these lead to Judy Gap, where you’ll pick up the last-leg directions above.
From Washington, D.C. and points north
This is the all-around preferred route:
- Follow I-95 South to Washington, D.C., and take the Beltway (I-495) west around the city. Get on I-66 West and proceed to I-81.
- Follow I-81 South to the exit for Route 55/48 West (about three miles).
- Take 55/48 across the WV line through Wardensville — a notorious speed trap, so drive carefully.
- At the far end of Wardensville, 55/48 becomes the Corridor H divided highway (still 55/48). Take the Moorefield exit (not East Moorefield) and turn left.
- At the light at the T at the end of the exit ramp, turn left and stay on Route 28 through Moorefield.
- Continue through Petersburg — turn right in “downtown” Petersburg, then go up the hill past a Dairy Queen and out of town. The closest hospital to SKMC is on your left as you leave town.
- Continue on Route 28 through Seneca Rocks to Judy Gap.
Your GPS may suggest staying on the US 48 divided highway past Moorefield via County 5 instead — it’s about 2 minutes faster but 8 miles longer, on a pleasant 2-lane road through farmland. If you need to stop for food or supplies, go through Moorefield and Petersburg as described above.
An alternative via Harrisonburg, VA keeps you on interstates longer, but involves more mountain driving on US 33.
From points West
- Follow I-79 into West Virginia to exit 99 (US Route 33 East) at Weston and Buckhannon.
- Follow Route 33 East through Buckhannon and Elkins.
- Turn right onto Whitmer Rd. / Co. Rte. 29 into the National Forest backcountry. (Rich Mountain Rd. is a shortcut from 33 to Whitmer Rd. at Job, WV, over a mountain instead of following the stream valleys.)
- Turn right onto Dry Fork Rd. / Co. Rte. 40.
- Turn left onto Forest Road 916 and continue to its end at Forest Road 112.
- Follow 112 left about 1,000 ft., then turn right onto Sawmill Run Rd. / Co. Rte. 28/10. SKMC will be on your left.
This route is shorter with gentler grades, but more of it is on unpaved roads than the alternative of continuing on US 33 past Elkins and Seneca Rocks to Judy Gap, then south on 28. Either way, you will lose digital connectivity — print your directions.
From points Southwest
- Follow I-64 to exit 175 onto US 60 East.
- Follow 60 East through White Sulfur Springs to WV 92 North.
- At Dunmore, turn right onto 28 North.
- Turn sharp left onto Sawmill Run Road. (If you reach the Circleville post office, you’ve gone too far.) Follow the last-leg directions above.
From points Southeast
- Follow I-64 West to I-81 North to Harrisonburg.
- At exit 247, take US 33 West to Judy Gap. This mountain crossing at the VA/WV line is not ideal for RVs or trailers.
Site Layout & Aerial Views
Other Resources
- Monongahela National Forest — general park information and events
- Geologic survey — detailed geology and rock formations in the area
- Topographic map of the area