The Priest Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the Glenwood/Pedlar 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 ...
. The wilderness area is located just south of the
Tye River
The Tye River is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed April 1, 2011 tributary of the James River in central Virginia in the United States. Originating on the eastern slope ...
, the
Three Ridges Wilderness
Three Ridges Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the Glenwood/Pedlar Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The wilderness area is located just east of the Blue Ridge Parkway between the Tye River and Winterg ...
, and
Virginia State Route 56
State Route 56 (SR 56) is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs from U.S. Route 11 (US 11) at Steeles Tavern east to US 60 near Buckingham. SR 56 is the main east–west highway of Nelson County. ...
. The wilderness consists of and ranges in elevation from at the Tye River to at the summit of
The Priest.
Recreation
The
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
is the only major trail within the boundaries of this wilderness area. The AT here is maintained by the Natural Bridge Appalachian Trail Club, a trail maintenance club affiliated with the
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy (ATC) (formerly Appalachian Trail Conference) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the conservation of the Appalachian Trail, a route in the eastern United States that runs from Maine to Georgia. Founded in ...
. The AT southbound from Virginia State Route 56 to the summit of the Priest Mountain offers a 3,100 foot elevation gain over 4.3 miles. There is one Appalachian Trail shelter within the wilderness, the Priest Shelter, near the summit of The Priest.
Appalachian Trail Shelters: Priest Shelter
/ref>
See also
*List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes 803 wilderness areas protecting of federal land . They are managed by four agencies:
*United States National Park Service (NPS)
*United States Forest Service (USFS)
*United States Fish and Wild ...
*Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 () was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Society. It created the legal definition of wilderness in the United States, and protected 9.1 million acres (37,000 km²) of federal land. The result of a lon ...
References
External links
National Forest Web site
Wilderness.net
TopoQuest topographic map
The Priest hike detail
{{Protected Areas of Virginia
George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
IUCN Category Ib
Protected areas of Nelson County, Virginia
Wilderness areas of Virginia
Protected areas established in 2000
2000 establishments in Virginia