Brush Mountain East Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in the Eastern Divide Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. It was designated as wilderness area in 2009 by Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The wilderness is adjacent to

Brush Mountain Wilderness The Brush Mountain Wilderness is an area protected by Act of Congress (Eastern Wilderness Act) to maintain its present, natural condition. As part of the wilderness system, it helps to preserve a variety of natural life forms and contributes to a ...

. Traversed by the Appalachian Trail, the wilderness is rugged and steep with contrasting habitats containing dry table mountain pine on the southwest ridges and sugar maples, white oaks, and hemlock in wetter drainages. Small tracts of

old-growth forest An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

support bird species dependent on mature, deciduous forests for breeding. The area is part of the ''

Craig Creek Cluster The Craig Creek Cluster is a region recognized by The Wilderness Society for its unique high elevation mountains, vistas, trout streams and wildlife habitat. The cluster contains wildlands and wilderness areas along Craig Creek, a 65-mile long cr ...

''.

Location and Access

The wilderness is about 8 miles southwest of

New Castle, Virginia New Castle (historically spelled as one word; "Newcastle") is the only town in Craig County, Virginia, United States. The population was 125 at the 2020 census.https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=New%20Castle%20to ...

and extends into Craig, Roanoke, and Montgomery Counties. It is bounded on the northwest by VA 621, on the northeast by VA 620, on the southeast by FS Road 11060, and a powerline on the south.National Geographic Store
787 Blacksburg/New River Valley - National Geographic Store
, accessdate: July 15, 2017 The Appalachian Trail travels for 7.5 miles through the wilderness from the northern trailhead on VA 620 to the southern trailhead on VA 621. Many old access and logging roads, offering additional access to the area, have become overgrown, but others are kept open by hikers and hunters. An older part of the Appalachian Trail, now abandoned, stretches a few miles along the midslope of Brush Mountain.Virginia Wilderness Committee
Brush Mountain East Wilderness - Virginia Wilderness Committee
accessdate: July 15, 2017

Natural history

The wilderness contains colluvial drainages, toeslopesDefined Term
Toeslope definitions - Defined Term
accessdate: July 15, 2017 and alluvial floodplains providing a rich environment that supports yellow poplar, northern red oak, white oak, basswood, cucumber tree, white ash, eastern hemlock, white pine and red maple. In the remaining land, white oak, northern red oak, and hickory are found to the north and west while chestnut oak, scarlet oak and yellow pine are found on ridgetops and slopes to the east and south. The area is one of the few sites in Virginia with table mountain pine and box huckleberry, species requiring fire to reproduce, and therefore becoming uncommon because of fire exclusion. The 20-acre Brush Mountain Special Biological Area is located on the crest of the mountain. The wilderness also contains the Central Appalachian Shale Barrens which support rare plant species such as the Virginia white-haired leatherflower and other unique rare species of plants and butterflies.Central Appalachian Shale Barrens
Central Appalachian Shale Barrens
accessdate: July 15, 2017 The forest type found in the wilderness is a habitat for songbirds such as cerulean warblers, Swainson’s warblers, black-throated green warblers, and winter wrens.

Topography

The area is part of the Ridge and Valley Subsection of the Northern Ridge and Valley Section with the Central Appalachian Broadleaf-Coniferous Forest-Meadow Province.A Decision Support System for Monitoring, Reporting and Forecasting the Ecological Conditions of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail

accessdate: July 15, 2017 This section is marked by ridges oriented along the northeast/southwest and composed of sandstone and shale. Wide valleys between the ridges are composed of limestone and shale. The drainage density is high with many tributaries feeding into Craig Creek on the north and Trout Creek on the east and south. Craig Creek, part of the James River watershed, was once part of the New River watershed before being captured by the James River. Elevations range from 1520 feet along Craig Creek to 3070 feet at the crest of Brush Mountain.

Cultural History

Audie Murphy, a 2nd world war hero, died in a plane crash on Brush Mountain in 1971. The crash site, near the Appalachian Trail on the crest of Brush Mountain, is marked by a stone monument erected by the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Management

The wilderness is managed by the Forest Service.General Information
Wilderness.net - Brush Mountain East Wilderness - General Information
accessdate: July 15, 2017 There are some regulations to maintain the integrity of the area as a wilderness. For example, motorized equipment, motor vehicles, and mountain bikes are prohibited, group size is limited to ten people, and limits are placed on camping.Rules and Regulations
Wilderness.net - Brush Mountain East Wilderness - Rules and Regulations
accessdate: July 15, 2017

References

External links

Wilderness connect

Trails
{{Protected areas of Virginia George Washington and Jefferson National Forests IUCN Category Ib Wilderness areas of Virginia Protected areas of Craig County, Virginia Protected areas established in 2009 2009 establishments in Virginia