The 784-acre Handley Wildlife Management Area (WMA) protects a hardwood forest that climbs rolling hills and scattered steep slopes in the Allegheny Mountains near the upper Williams River. Game traditionally hunted in the management area includes bear, deer, grouse, turkey, woodcock, and waterfowl. Handley Pond, at five acres, accommodates fishing for trout, bluegill, largemouth bass, and channel catfish among Class-Q anglers and children under 10 from March to May. The pond is stocked with trout during the first week of March. Thirteen primitive campsites in the management area have been developed with vault toilets and well water.
Directions: The Handley Wildlife Management Area is located in Pocahontas County in the southern Monongahela National Forest, 11 miles northwest of Marlinton, WV. To reach the area from Marlinton, follow highway US-219 north to Woodrow Road (CR-17). Continue on CR-17 four miles to left turn onto Williams River Road (CR-17/1). In two miles, make another left onto Forest Road 80 (CR-17/4) and follow the Wildlife Management Area signs to the area.
The Handley WMA is managed by the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service. It was formerly known as the Handley Public Hunting & Fishing Area.
Hotels near Handley WMA
Regional Information
Further information on lodging, dining, and recreation near the Handley Wildlife Management Area may be found in our guide to travel in the Allegheny Highlands Region of eastern West Virginia, in which the management area is located.
