Gaudineer Knob (4,450 feet) and its scenic area are located on Cheat Mountain in Randolph and Pocahontas counties. It’s named for Donald Gaudineer, a forester who tragically died saving his children in a house fire.

The Knob is an example of a "high boreal island" in the Allegheny Mountains. This means its high elevation gives it a climate similar to northern Canada. The area has two main types of forest:

• Northern Evergreens: Such as red spruce trees

• Northern Hardwoods: Such as American beech and yellow birch trees

About a mile from the Knob is a 50-acre tract of virgin spruce—the original forest. Some of these trees are over 300 years old and more than three feet wide.

The cool high-altitude is home to species usually found much farther north, including the endangered northern flying squirrel, the snowshoe hare, and the rare Cheat Mountain salamander.

The variety of wood warblers and thrushes found here in the summer attracts many visitors. The U.S. Forest Service maintains a scenic overlook and picnic area at the top of the knob for visitors.