Rogers Ridge, a wildland in 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 ...

of western Virginia and the

Cherokee National Forest The Cherokee National Forest is a United States National Forest located in the U.S. states of Tennessee and North Carolina that was created on June 14, 1920. The forest is maintained and managed by the United States Forest Service. It encompasses ...

of eastern Tennessee, has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a "Mountain Treasure".Virginia's Mountain Treasures, report issued by The Wilderness Society, May, 1999Tennessee's Mountain Treasures, report issued by The Wilderness Society, May, 1996 High grassy ridges offer views of mountain ranges to the north and south; balds on Rogers Ridge are among the most extensive in the Southern Appalachians; and Gentry Creek has 30-foot waterfalls that cascade over high rock walls to clear pools below. With few midstory trees, tall trees with lush ground vegetation combine to give the hiker an experience of a mystical, openwoods atmosphere. The area is part of the ''

Mount Rogers Cluster The Mount Rogers Cluster is a region recognized by The Wilderness Society for its unique high elevation mountains, vistas, trout streams and wildlife habitat. The heart of the region is Mount Rogers, the highest mountain in Virginia. The area e ...

''.

Location and access

The area is located in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

of Southwestern Virginia and Eastern Tennessee, about 2 miles east of

Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee Laurel Bloomery is an unincorporated community in Johnson County, Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area ...

and 4 miles southwest of Konnarock, Virginia. It is bounded by Gentry Creek Rd. (Forest Road 123) on the south, private lands to the west and east, and Va 726 on the north. Trails into the area include: *Gentry Creek Falls Trail, FS 51, 2.6 miles *Rogers Ridge Horse Trail, FS 192, 5.8 miles Road access into the area is provided by Va 124. RogersRidge Wytheville 188819 1982 100000 geoScaledAreaUpdate

RogersRidge Wytheville 188819 1982 100000 geoScaledAreaUpdate

The boundary of the wildland as determined by the Wilderness Society is shown in the adjacent map. Additional roads and trails are given on National Geographic Maps 783 (Mount Rogers). and Map 783 (South Holston and Watauga Lakes) A great variety of information, including topographic maps, aerial views, satellite data and weather information, is obtained by selecting the link with the wild land's coordinates in the upper right of this page. Beyond maintained trails, old logging roads can be used to explore the area. The Appalachian Mountains were extensively timbered in the early twentieth century leaving logging roads that are becoming overgrown but still passable. Old logging roads and railroad grades can be located by consulting the historical topographic maps available from the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS). The Rogers Ridge wild area is covered by USGS topographic map ''Grayson''.

Natural history

A variety of wildflowers include the rare Silverling, Robbins ragwort, Rock skullcap, Roan rattlesnake root, Fraser's sedge, Mountain bitter cress, Appalchian twayblade, Rosy twisted stalk and Minnie bush. The site contains mountain bogs and two stands of old growth forests. The last authenticated siting of an

eastern cougar The eastern cougar or eastern puma (''Puma concolor couguar'') is a subspecies designation proposed in 1946 for cougar populations in eastern North America. The subspecies as described in 1946 was declared extinct by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife S ...

occurred here. The section of the area in the Cherokee National Forest has five streams with trout populations; Gentry Creek has rainbow trout and brook trout; Grindstone Branch has rainbow and brook; Cut Laurel Branch, rainbow and brook; Kate Branch, rainbow and brook; Richardson Branch, brook trout; and Whetstone Branch with brook trout. Brook trout is considered a native species. Valley Creek in the Virginia part of the area is recognized by Virginia for its water quality. Wild natural trout streams in Virginia are classified by the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries by their water quality, with class i the highest and class iv the lowest.9VAC25-260-370. Classification Column.
9VAC25-260-370. Classification Column.
accessdate: April 23, 2018 Valley Creek is a class iii trout stream.

Topography

With elevations ranging from 2600 feet in the lower drainages to 4880 feet, Rogers Ridge is a mountain ridge divided by small steep sideslope drainages.

Forest Service management

The Forest Service has conducted a survey of their lands to determine the potential for wilderness designation. Wilderness designation provides a high degree of protection from development. The areas that were found suitable are referred to as

inventoried roadless area Inventoried Roadless Areas are a group of United States Forest Service lands that have been identified by government reviews as lands without existing roads that could be suitable for roadless area conservation as wilderness or other non-standard pr ...

s. Later a Roadless Rule was adopted that limited road construction in these areas. The rule provided some degree of protection by reducing the negative environmental impact of road construction and thus promoting the conservation of roadless areas. Rogers Ridge was inventoried in the roadless area review, and therefore protected from possible road construction and timber sales. The forest service classifies areas under their management by a recreational opportunity setting that informs visitors of the diverse range of opportunities available in the forest. The area within the Jefferson National Forest has a "Scenic Area" prescription. The center of the area in the Cherokee National Forest has 3865 acres designated as the Rogers Ridge Scenic Area. The remaining area is designated Remote Back-country-Few Roads.

References

External links