Spice Run Wilderness (SRW) is a

U.S. Wilderness area The National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) of the United States protects federally managed wilderness areas designated for preservation in their natural condition. Activity on formally designated wilderness areas is coordinated by the Na ...

within the Monongahela National Forest of

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

in the United States. The remote area has no passenger car access.

Access

Users of SRW must enter it via the

Greenbrier River The Greenbrier River is a tributary of the New River, long,McNeel, William P. "Greenbrier River." ''The West Virginia Encyclopedia''. Ken Sullivan, editor. Charleston, WV: West Virginia Humanities Council. 2006. . in southeastern West Virginia ...

(easily fordable at low-normal flows upstream of Spice Run), or by hiking in from the adjacent

Calvin Price State Forest Calvin Price State Forest is a state forest in eastern Pocahontas and Greenbrier counties, West Virginia. The forest is the newest in West Virginia's system, having been mostly purchased in 1953 from New River Lumber Company. The forest is name ...

, or by driving a high-clearance vehicle to the southeastern corner of the Wilderness along Greenbrier County Route 16.

History

Spice Run was named after a native shrub, ''

Lindera benzoin ''Lindera benzoin'' (commonly called spicebush, common spicebush, northern spicebush, wild allspice, or Benjamin bush) is a shrub in the Lauraceae, laurel family, native to Eastern United States, eastern North America, ranging from Maine and New ...

'' — known as "spicebush" or "spicewood". The Spice Run Lumber Company created a logging

boom town A boomtown is a community that undergoes sudden and rapid population and economic growth, or that is started from scratch. The growth is normally attributed to the nearby discovery of a precious resource such as gold, silver, or oil, although t ...

that harvested stands of timber to float down the

for the

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

s. So great were these log runs, that the waterways were choked. In 2009, Spice Run was designated a

Wilderness Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

along with several other areas of Monongahela National Forest.

Ecology

Aside from Spice Run, the Davy Run and Kincaid Run watersheds are within the Spice Run Wilderness. All three are native

brook trout The brook trout (''Salvelinus fontinalis'') is a species of freshwater fish in the char genus ''Salvelinus'' of the salmon family Salmonidae. It is native to Eastern North America in the United States and Canada, but has been introduced elsewhere ...

tributaries to the

. Besides

fishing Fishing is the activity of trying to catch fish. Fish are often caught as wildlife from the natural environment, but may also be caught from stocked bodies of water such as ponds, canals, park wetlands and reservoirs. Fishing techniques inclu ...

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

botany Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek w ...

and bird watching are popular activities. There are at least 230 species of birds to watch. Nine animals are on the Federal list for

endangered species An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inv ...

threatened species Threatened species are any species (including animals, plants and fungi) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. Species that are threatened are sometimes characterised by the population dynamics measure of ''critical depensa ...

such as the northern flying squirrel. Across the

rests the Greenbrier River Trail, maintained by the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources along the former

Chesapeake and Ohio Railway The Chesapeake and Ohio Railway was a Class I railroad formed in 1869 in Virginia from several smaller Virginia railroads begun in the 19th century. Led by industrialist Collis P. Huntington, it reached from Virginia's capital city of Richmond t ...

Greenbrier Subdivision Greenbrier or Green Brier may refer to: * ''Smilax'', a plant genus commonly called greenbrier Places in the United States * Greenbrier, Alabama * Greenbrier, Arkansas * Green Brier, Illinois * Greenbrier, Indiana (disambiguation) * Greenbrie ...

. This portion still shows traces of the old lumber-mill on the banks where the flow of logs was controlled. Of the original community of Spice Run, only one house remains standing.

References

External links

U.S. Forest Service: Spice Run Wilderness
{{Protected areas of West Virginia Protected areas of Greenbrier County, West Virginia IUCN Category Ib Protected areas of Pocahontas County, West Virginia Wilderness areas of West Virginia Monongahela National Forest

Access

History

Ecology

See also

References

External links