Three Ridges 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 east of the

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenand ...

between 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 ...

and

Wintergreen Ski Resort Wintergreen Resort is a four-season mountain resort on the eastern slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains, located in Nelson County, Virginia and the town of Nellysford. The resort is also in close proximity to the cities of Lynchburg, Waynesboro, ...

. It is separated from the boundary of the

Priest Wilderness The Priest 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 south of the Tye River, the Three Ridges Wilderness, and Virginia S ...

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 Three Ridges Mountain.

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 ...

crosses through the wilderness for approximately ten miles. This section of the Appalachian Trail, combined with the other trail in the wilderness, the three mile long Mau-Har Trail, creates "one of the best loop trails in the state of Virginia," according to one guidebook. These trails are maintained by the Tidewater Appalachian Trail Club,Tidewater ATC website
/ref> 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 ...

. There are two Appalachian Trail shelters within the wilderness, the Maupin Field Shelter to the north, and the Harper's Creek Shelter, 2.6 trail miles from the Tye River.

References

External links

National Forest Web site

Wilderness.net

TopoQuest topographic map

Three Ridges hike detail
{{Protected Areas of Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains George Washington and Jefferson National Forests IUCN Category Ib Protected areas of Nelson County, Virginia Wilderness areas of Virginia

Recreation

See also

References

External links