Beartown Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in the Eastern Divide Ranger District of the

George Washington and Jefferson National Forests The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover of land in the Appalachian Mountai ...

. It is a very rural Wilderness, consisting of an area of with elevations ranging from . It was created from existing National Forest lands in 1984 by the Virginia Wilderness Act of 1984. With its remote location, steep terrain and thick vegetation, the wilderness is rarely visited. It contains a unique combination of fast flowing streams, rare old-growth communities, sphagnum bogs and outstanding views. The area is part of the '' Garden Mountain Cluster''.

Location and Access

Lying to the southwest of Burke's Garden, Virginia in

Tazewell County, Virginia Tazewell County () is a county located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,429. Its county seat is Tazewell. Tazewell County is part of the Bluefield, WV-VA Micropolitan S ...

, the wilderness is bounded on the northwest by Clinch Mountain and on the southeast by Chestnut Ridge. The Appalachian Trail follows the boundary of the wilderness for about four miles as it passes along Chestnut Ridge from the trailhead on Route 222.General Information
Wilderness.net - Beartown Wilderness - General Information
accessdate: April 30, 2017 The Roaring Fork Trail, FS 6504, is a 2.3 mile trail following Roaring Fork, with trailhead on Forest Rd 222 that is reached by taking SR 625 from Va 42 at Ceres, Va. A difficult 8.2 mile roundtrip, overnight-backpack begins at a trailhead on Forest Road 631. A few logging roads, no longer maintained, allowing access by foot, can be identified by looking at older editions of the USGS topos (Hutchinson Rock) Some of these difficult hikes are: *Coon Branch, 4 Miles, 1600 foot elevation change, trailhead Forest Service Road 631 *Clinch Mountain Trail, 2.7 miles, 600 foot elevation change, trailhead Coon Branch Trail *Roaring Fork Connector Trail, 1.7 miles, 150 foot elevation change, trailhead Forest Service Road 631 *Hutchinson Rock Trail, 1.9 miles, 250 foot elevation change, trailhead Roaring Fork Connector Trail

Natural History

An oak-hickory forest dominates the southern border giving way, at higher elevations, to northern hardwoods, spruce and yellow birch.Virginia Wilderness Committee

accessdate: April 30, 2017 A cove forest in the valley between Clinch Mountain and Chestnut Ridge contains large tuliptrees, Fraser magnolia, cucumber magnolia and basswood . Old growth forest can be found on Redoak Ridge, Barkcamp Branch, the north-facing slope west of Heniger Gap and steep ravines in the midsection of Cove Branch where the rough terrain has offered protection from logging. A basin running from the headwaters of Cove Branch contains a

sphagnum bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

and beaver-formed ponds. The basin provides habitat for the rare long stalked holly and beaked dodder. Other flowers in the wilderness include Indian cucumber, alumroot, trillium, and plants such as yellow birch and hobble bush. The forest provides good habitat for black bear, white-tailed deer, grouse and northern flying squirrel. The forest also contains blackcapped chickadee, red-breasted nuthatch and winter wren, birds more commonly found in more northern forests. The Beartown beetle is not found anywhere else in the world.

Topography

Elevations in the wilderness range from 2400 to 4480 feet, with several peaks over 4000 feet; Clinch Mountain at 4450 feet, Hutchinson Rock at 4480 feet in the far northeast corner and adjacent Chestnut Ridge at 4400 feet.National Geographic Store
787 Blacksburg/New River Valley - National Geographic Store
, accessdate: April 30, 2017 The principal drainage is Roaring Fork with tributaries Cove Branch, Barkcamp Branch and Coon Branch rapidly descending through the wilderness. Clinch Mountain is created from shale and sandstone, with some pockets of limestone mixed with the shale and sandstone to form pockets of rich habitat.

Management

The area is managed as a wilderness by the Forest Service through the Eastern Divide Ranger District of the George Washington & Jefferson National Forests. There are some regulations to maintain the integrity of the area. For example, motorized equipment, motor vehicles and mountain bikes are prohibited, group size is limited to ten people, and limits are placed on camping.Rules and Regulations
Wilderness.net - Beartown Wilderness - Rules and Regulations
accessdate: April 30, 2017

Cultural History

Over the years many airplanes have crashed into Beartown Mountain leaving remnants which can still be seen today, including a WWII-era P-51D Mustang.Beartown Wilderness Area, Virginia Photo Gallery by Ed Talbott at pbase.com
P-51 Mustang Crash Site - Beartown Wilderness Area, Virginia Photo Gallery by Ed Talbott at pbase.com
accessdate: April 30, 2017

References

External links

Map of trailsWilderness Connect
{{Protected areas of Virginia George Washington and Jefferson National Forests IUCN Category Ib Wilderness areas of Virginia Protected areas of Tazewell County, Virginia Protected areas established in 1984 1984 establishments in Virginia