Arden, Barbour County, West Virginia

Not to be confused with Arden, Berkeley County, West Virginia.

Arden is a small unincorporated community located along the Tygart Valley River in Barbour County in the north central portion of the U.S. state of West Virginia.

Arden
Unincorporated community
Arden Location within the state of West Virginia Show map of West Virginia Arden Arden (the United States) Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 39°12′37″N 79°59′35″W
Country	United States
State	West Virginia
County	Barbour
Elevation [1]	1,270 ft (390 m)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
GNIS feature ID	1535001[1]

The Arden settlement was built up along a stretch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad tracks; a narrow-gauge railroad was first laid through this area in the early 1880s. It had its own post office at one time.

The community is known today to whitewater enthusiasts as being situated between two landmark rock formations: Hell's Gate and Devil's Den. Many such recreationalists shoot the shallow rapids of the river through this pristine section of the Valley with its numerous large boulders and small falls. The area is home to a notable number of native wildflowers and is locally notorious for its occasional drownings. The community contains the famous Party Rock known for its flat formation for people to have parties on, and also known to take many people’s lives from falling off the rock.

Notable person

• Ida Lilliard Reed (1865–1951), noted hymnwriter, lived nearby.