The Kimberling Creek Wilderness is an area protected by the

Eastern Wilderness Act The Eastern Wilderness Areas Act () was signed into law by President Gerald Ford on January 3, 1975. The Act designated 16 new wilderness areas in the Eastern United States, including of wilderness on national lands in 13 states. A ...

of Congress to maintain its present, natural condition. It is managed as part of the

Jefferson National Forest 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 ...

. As part of the wilderness system, it helps to preserve a variety of natural life forms and contributes to a diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.General Information
Wilderness.net - Kimberling Creek Wilderness - General Information
accessdate: March 20, 2017Wilderness.org
Why Wilderness? , Wilderness.org
accessdate: March 20, 2017 With no official trails, the area offers the true wilderness experience amongst old growth forests. While there are some possibilities for off-trail walking, most of the forest and terrain are difficult to access. The wilderness is part of the

Kimberling Creek Cluster The Kimberling Creek Cluster is a region in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, Jefferson National Forest recognized by The Wilderness Society (United States), The Wilderness Society for its diversity of habitats extending along ...

Location and access

The area is about 3 miles west of

Bastian, Virginia Bastian is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Bland County, Virginia, United States. Bastian is north-northwest of Bland. It was first listed as a CDP in the 2020 census with a population of 343. Bastian has a po ...

in Bland County in southwestern Virginia. Extending for about five miles along the slopes of Hogback Mountain, the wilderness is bounded on the north by Forest Service Road 640, a dirt road requiring a four-wheel drive vehicle.Trail Maps
Blacksburg,_New_River_Valley_[George_Washington_and_Jefferson_National_Forests
-_Virginia_-_Trails_Illustrated_Maps_-_Trail_Maps.html" ;"title="eorge Washington and Jefferson National Forests">Blacksburg, New River Valley [George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
- Virginia - Trails Illustrated Maps - Trail Maps">eorge Washington and Jefferson National Forests">Blacksburg, New River Valley [George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
- Virginia - Trails Illustrated Maps - Trail Maps accessdate: March 20, 2017 The south side of the wilderness can be reached from Va. 281; the north end is reached from Va 640. With a rugged and steep terrain, there is a level of personal risk as one leaves the edge of the wilderness and could become lost or injured in a life-threatening situation. Visitors will require a degree of outdoor skill to traverse the area. While there are no maintained trails, several bushwhacks and old roads offer a chance to enter the area: *North Fork, 3.6 miles, trailhead on Forest Service Road 640 *Ridgetop Trail, 1.2 miles, trailhead on Forest Service Road 640 *Sulphur Spring Trail, 1.6 miles, trailhead on Forest Service Road 281 *Trail to the Ridge, 1 mile, trailhead on Forest Service Road 281

Natural history

Protected coves in the wilderness contain white oak, tulip poplar, Frazier magnolia and yellow birch, while ridges contain varieties of oak and hickory, and the whole forest has thickets of rhododendron covering the under-story. The wilderness has an abundance of new old growth trees. Compared to western forests where old growth trees can be quite large, new old growth trees in eastern forests are typically smaller and most readily identified by their scruffy appearance. New old growth forests can take more than 100 years to develop, then the forests will contain a variety of ages as younger trees are seeded and begin to compete with the older trees. The dense forests provide above-ground dens for

black bear Black bear or Blackbear may refer to: Animals * American black bear (''Ursus americanus''), a North American bear species * Asian black bear (''Ursus thibetanus''), an Asian bear species Music * Black Bear (band), a Canadian First Nations group ...

, and loose, flaking bark for good summer roosting spots for the endangered

Indiana bat The Indiana bat (''Myotis sodalis'') is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in Southern and Midwestern U.S. states and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is grey, black, or chestnut in colo ...

. The area was logged and frequently burned in the late 1800s and early 1900s.

Topography

The elevation rises from 2,282 feet on Kimberling Creek to 3,200 feet on Hogback Mountain. The center of the wilderness is drained by North Fork which begins on the summit of Hogback Mountain, is fed by many small streams, then flows out of the wilderness into Kimberling Creek. The south side of the wilderness is drained by Sulphur Spring Fork and the north by Wolfpen Branch. Kimberling Spring, on the wilderness boundary, feeds Sulphur Spring Fork.Virginia Wilderness Committee
Kimberling Creek Wilderness - Virginia Wilderness Committee
accessdate: March 20, 2017

Cultural history

The area was heavily logged in the early 20th century. Remnants of steel rails, cross ties, small bridge abutments and large tree stumps still provide evidence of the timbering industry that brought logs to local mills and kilns.

Nearby wild areas

* Little Walker Mountain (conservation area) * Long Spur (conservation area) * Seven Sisters (conservation area) * Crawfish Valley (Bear Creek) * Brushy Mountain (conservation area)

References

External links

MapWilderness ConnectNatural Atlas topo
{{Protected areas of Virginia Protected areas of Bland County, Virginia George Washington and Jefferson National Forests Wilderness areas of Virginia