Saint Mary's Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area 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 Moun ...
. The wilderness area is located next to the
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and National Scenic Byway, All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is the longest linear park in the U.S., runs for through 29 counties in Virginia and ...
near the Parkway's northern terminus and consists of . Saint Mary's Wilderness is the largest Virginia Wilderness on national forest land.
Saint Mary's Wilderness ranges in elevation from about to . The area has about of hiking trails within or near its boundaries.
Saint Mary's Wilderness includes the drainages of Cellar Hollow, Spy Run, and the upper part of the Saint Mary's River. Each waterway is a
tributary
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream (''main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they ...
of the
South River; via the
Maury and
James
James may refer to:
People
* James (given name)
* James (surname)
* James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician
* James, brother of Jesus
* King James (disambiguation), various kings named James
* Prince Ja ...
rivers, which are part of the
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...
watershed.
History
The Saint Mary's River gorge was mined for manganese ore and iron ore from the early 1900s until the mines were abandoned in the 1950s. Scattered remains of the mining operations are still evident.
Mine Bank Mountain, a creek, and a trail are all named Mine Bank after the mining operations.
Saint Mary's was designated a Wilderness as a part of the Virginia Wilderness Act of 1984.
Recreation
Saint Mary's Wilderness is particularly popular during summer due to a large number of waterfalls within its boundaries. Fishermen can take native trout from the Saint Mary's River.
There is an extensive network of hiking trails, including:
*Saint Mary's River Trail
*Saint Mary's Gorge Trail
*Mine Bank Creek Trail
*Cellar Mountain Trail
See also
*
List of U.S. Wilderness Areas
The National Wilderness Preservation System includes 806 wilderness areas protecting of federal land . They are managed by four agencies:
*National Park Service (NPS)
*United States Forest Service (USFS)
*United States Fish and Wildlife Service ...
*
Wilderness Act
The Wilderness Act of 1964 () is a federal land management statute meant to protect U.S. Wilderness Area, federal wilderness and to create a formal mechanism for designating wilderness. It was written by Howard Zahniser of The Wilderness Socie ...
References
External links
National Forest Web site
Hiking Upward website account of Saint Mary's hike
Wilderness.net
TopoQuest topographic map
Details of a joint Forest Service/James Madison University project to lime streams in Saint Mary's Wilderness
{{Authority control
Protected areas of Augusta County, Virginia
George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
IUCN Category Ib
Wilderness areas of Virginia
Protected areas established in 1984
1984 establishments in Virginia