The first national recreation area within a U.S. national forest was established on September 28, 1965, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Public Law 89-207, creating the Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area. This area encompasses Spruce Knob, West Virginia’s highest peak, and Seneca Rocks, a nearby towering rock formation, both located in Pendleton County, and both part of the Monongahela National Forest. Senators Robert C. Byrd and Jennings Randolph, Representative Harley Staggers, and other members of West Virginia’s congressional delegation were strong supporters of the legislation.

During the 1960s, the national demand for outdoor recreational opportunities increased significantly.  One federal approach to this demand was to create national recreation areas across the country.  Established by law via an act of Congress, National recreation areas are generally limited to areas with a high recreation-carrying capacity (greater than 20,000 acres), located within a 250-mile radius of at least 30 million people. Today there are 40 national recreation areas across 26 states. Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks and the Gauley River National Recreation Area are the only two NRAs in West Virginia.

Visitor facilities in the 100,000-acre Spruce Knob-Seneca Rocks National Recreation Area include the Seneca Rocks Discovery Center, Seneca Shadows, Big Bend Campgrounds, and Spruce Knob Tower. 

In 1966, a Philadelphia family camping in the Smoke Hole region of the newly established national recreation area posed for a series of publicity photos.  The images show Joe Tekel, the Potomac District Ranger from 1964 to 1970, welcoming them to the area. These photos were used later to illustrate a story in the Department of Agriculture’s 1967 Yearbook and in the Department of Natural Resources’ Outdoor West Virginia (now Wonderful West Virginia).