Overview
Moorefield is a town in the Potomac Highlands region of West Virginia. This article also covers the nearby city of Petersburg and the surrounding area in the South Branch Valley.
7 sights · 6 things to do · 3 places to eat · 1 bars & cafés · 8 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Moorefield
McCoy's Grand Theater and Museum
Historic movie theater converted for stage performances.
Hardy County Historical Society Museum
Located in the historic Mullin Hotel at the center of town.
Clifford Hollow Bridge
Scenic overlook with nice views of the award-winning bridge.
Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area
Monongahela National Forest begins just southwest of Petersburg, with the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area contained within it.
South Branch Cinema Six Theatres
Multiplex cinema showing first run movies.
Smoke Hole Canyon
A stretch of the South Branch Potomac Rive popular for kayaking/canoeing/rafting and climbing. It is within Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Jun–Sep. Summer highs reach about 70°F; winter lows dip to about 14°F. Cold months (Jan, Feb, Mar, Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Dec and Jan. (climate data from nearby Snowshoe)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SHD Shenandoah Valley Regional Airport, Weyers Cave — 55 mi away. Directions
- MGW Morgantown Municipal Airport Walter L. (Bill) Hart Field, Morgantown — 65 mi away. Directions
- IAD Washington Dulles International Airport, Dulles — 81 mi away (major hub). Directions
Moorefield is not served by public transportation. No bus, train, or passenger airline service exists.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 3-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning McCoy's Grand Theater and Museum, Hardy County Historical Society Museum, South Branch Cinema Six Theatres
- Lunch Grillin' Time Diner
- Afternoon Fort Mulligan, Greenland Gap Preserve
- Dinner Pupuseria Emerita
- Evening West-Whitehill Winery
Day 2
- Morning Clifford Hollow Bridge, South Branch Wildlife Management Area
- Lunch The Taphouse
- Afternoon The Trough, Hardy County Heritage Weekend
Day 3
- Morning Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area, Smoke Hole Canyon
- Afternoon Civil War Trails
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Most of the restaurants in the area are American diner-type places, though there are a few Italian and Latin American restaurants as well.
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Moorefield is the main settlement on the South Branch of the Potomac River, and the county seat of Hardy County. It sits in the center of an unusually large area of flat land for the area, being completely surrounded by rugged mountains. The South Branch Valley used to be one of the more remote areas of West Virginia, but with the construction of U.S. 48 as a four-lane divided highway in the early 2010s, it is now much easier to reach.
Unlike the regions surrounding Davis to the west and Wardensville to the east, the South Branch Valley is not particularly touristy, instead being dominated by poultry and cattle farming. It however makes a good side trip from those two towns, as Moorefield has many more options for retail and dining. It is also itself a good base from which to explore the surrounding backcountry.
Hardy County has a tourism web site with an email contact link for more information.
Get in
Moorefield is not served by public transportation. No bus, train, or passenger airline service exists.
From anywhere outside the Appalachians, the best driving route is to take U.S. 48, which connects to I-81 near the I-66 junction in the east, and to I-79 in the west. As of 2020, most of U.S. 48 is a four-lane divided highway, with the exception of the easternmost portion from Wardensville to Strasburg, and a segment from north of Elkins to Davis.
If you're already in the Appalachians, U.S. 220 is the main north-south highway through the regions. It is a two-lane highway, so unless you're already close, it probably makes more sense to cut over to the Interstates and take U.S. 48 instead.
Get around
Moorefield has no public transportation. You will need a car to get to most destinations.
See
Moorefield is located in the scenic South Branch Valley of the Potomac Highlands, in the foothills of the Allegheny mountains. There is a lot of natural beauty.
Do
Outside the Monongahela National Forest, the land is mostly privately owned and there doesn't appear to be a lot of hiking. There are ample public access sites to the Potomac River for fishing and boating, though, and there are outfitters you can rent equipment from.
Do Smoke Hole Canyon
A stretch of the South Branch Potomac Rive popular for kayaking/canoeing/rafting and climbing. It is within Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area.
Do The Trough
Another stretch of the South Branch Potomac River popular for kayaking/canoeing/rafting.
Do Collect fossils
Six miles south of Moorefield is a road cut and quarry where middle Devonian fossils can be collected from the Mahantango Formation. Well-preserved brachiopods in the genera Mucrospirifer and Spinatrypa can be found here, as can detailed specimens of the trilobites Phacops and Trimerus. Other local fossils include the bivalve Modiomoprha concentrica, the bryozoan Fenestella, corals, crinoids, the gastropod Loxonema hamiltoniae, and the straight-shelled nautiloid Michelinoceras.
Buy
Shop Wal-Mart Super Center
Possibly the only big-box store in the region. Everything you need in one place.
Eat
Most of the restaurants in the area are American diner-type places, though there are a few Italian and Latin American restaurants as well.
Eat Pupuseria Emerita
Hole-in-the-wall El Salvadorian place.
Eat Grillin' Time Diner
Relatively new 50s-style American restaurant.
Drink
Drink West-Whitehill Winery
Local winery.
Sleep
Stay The Hermitage Motor Inn
The main building containing the office and restaurant is NRHP-listed, but the hotel rooms are in a 1960s-era inn behind it. It does not appear to have a web presence, but it is in fact operating as of September 2020.
Go next
- Davis, to the west beyond the Allegheny Front, has a number of natural areas to explore
- Wardensville to the east is the gateway to the Lost River Valley
- Romney, the next historic city to the north
- Franklin, the next historic city to the south
Nearby
Romney
City / town · 1 listings · 22 mi away
Davis
City / town · 32 listings · 27 mi away
Mount Jackson
City / town · 9 listings · 28 mi away
New Market
City / town · 4 listings · 33 mi away
Strasburg
City / town · 3 listings · 33 mi away
Oakland
City / town · 12 listings · 34 mi away
Franklin
City / town · 1 listings · 35 mi away
Middletown
City / town · 2 listings · 37 mi away
My experience
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