Peters Mountain Wilderness

Peters Mountain Wilderness
Peters Mountain Wilderness
	Swamp Branch in Peters Mountain Wilderness
	Location of Peters Mountain Wilderness in Virginia
Location	Giles County, Virginia, United States
Coordinates	37°25′59″N80°37′21″W / 37.43306°N 80.62250°W
Area	4,531 acres (18.34 km2)
Established	1984
Operator	George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

Last updated August 07, 2024

The Peters Mountain Wilderness is an area protected by act of Congress 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 diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.^[2]

The ridge of Peters Mountain offers excellent vantage points overlooking the hills of West Virginia, and the area includes interesting bogs and mountain outcrops. The deep forests are occupied by the northern saw whet owl and many species of warblers. The mountain is home of the rare Peters Mountain Mallow.^[3]^: 25–27

The area is part of the Mountain Lake Wilderness Cluster .

Location and access

The area is located on Peters Mountain in the Jefferson National Forest, about 10 miles north of Pearisburg, Virginia. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail travels about 1.5 miles through the middle of the area. The section of the Appalachian Trail passing through the wilderness can be reached by following the Appalachian Trail south from the trail head at Stony Creek or going north from the trail head at the New River.

Besides the Appalachian Trail, there are several other trails in the area. These include the Allegheny Trail extending along the ridge of Peters Mountain, and the Ground Hog Trail, a 2-mile blue-blazed trail that begins at Painters Run Road (Rt. 657) off of Route 219 in West Virginia.^[3]^: 28 Trail information is available on National Geographic-Trails Illustrated Map #787 (Blacksburg-New River Valley).

Natural History

Vegetation in the wilderness is primarily upland oak with yellow poplar, red oak, and hickory with at least three tracts of old growth forest. There are numerous sandstone outcroppings along the crest of the mountain and a number of high mountain bogs on Pine Swamp Ridge.^[1] Peters Mountain Mallow, one of the rarest plants in the United States, is unique to the mountain. It is protected in a 398-acre preserve purchased by the Nature Conservancy of Virginia that is located just outside of the wilderness area.^[3]^: 27^[4]

Peters Mountain mallow was discovered in 1927 by botanists who found 50 specimens. The plant was placed on the endangered species list in 1986 when a survey crew found only four specimens. In order to sprout, dormant seeds require fire to crack open and let water in. Cores from nearby trees showed that no fires had burned in the area for two decades. After a small blaze was lit in 1992 a few mallows sprouted. and later 500 seedlings were found.^[5]

In 1849 John James Audubon and John Bachman found a fisher on Peters Mountain, just south of Peterstown, West Virginia. The fisher is a secretive, dark-colored mammal that once ranged as far south as the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. The fisher is no longer found in this area, but it has been introduced in parts of West Virginia and could return to the wild habitat provided by the Peters Mountain Wilderness.^[3]^: 25

Stony Creek contains the colorful candy darter, an imperiled fish found in only a few tributaries of the New River.^[3]^: 27

A bog at the head of Pine Branch Swamp near the crest of Peters Mountain contains cinnamon fern, sphagnum moss and sundew. Loggers last cut the area in the 1920s and 1930s leaving a 10-acre stand of old-growth hemlocks.^[6]

Topography

Peters Mountain straddles the Virginia - West Virginia state line. It is a long, rugged ridge extending from the New River on the South, through Monroe County, West Virginia and into Alleghany County, Virginia. The elevation ranges from about 2000 feet near the southern boundary on Big Stony Creek to 3956 feet on the ridge near Pine Swamp Ridge. The northern boundary of the wilderness is the ridge of Peters Mountain. Pine Swamp Ridge defines the central region of Peters Mountain and marks the watershed between Pine Swamp Branch and Dismal Branch. Foster Knob is a mid-slope outlier with good views down Stony Creek. The ridge crest is capped with weather resistant sandstone with many rock outcrops.^[7]

Dismal Creek and Pine Swamp Branch are two small creeks in the area that drain into Stony Creek.^[8]

Management

This wilderness was designated by congress in 1984 and is managed by the Forest Service.^[9] There are some regulations to maintain the integrity of the area. For example, motorized equipment, motor vehicles and mountain bikes are prohibited, group size is limited to ten people, and limits are placed on camping.

Further information can be obtained from the Eastern Divide Ranger District, 110 SouthPark Drive, Blacksburg, Va 24060, phone 540-552-4641, website

Nearby Wildlands

The Peters Mountain Wilderness is in the Mountain Lake Wilderness Cluster. Other areas in the cluster are:

Related Research Articles

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 1.8 million acres (2,800 sq mi) of land in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Approximately 1 million acres (1,600 sq mi) of the forest are remote and undeveloped and 139,461 acres (218 sq mi) have been designated as wilderness areas, which prohibits future development.

Mountain Lake Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The wilderness area is located next to privately owned Mountain Lake, and consists of 8,314 acres (3,365 ha) in Virginia and 2,721 acres (1,101 ha) in West Virginia.

Peters Mountain is a 52-mile (84 km) mountain in the U.S. states of Virginia and West Virginia. It is located on the border between Alleghany County, VA, Monroe County, WV, Giles Co.,VA, and Craig Co.,VA. Its elevation ranges from 4,073 feet (1,241 m) on the mountaintop to a low of 2,300 feet (700 m). It produces some of the water supply for Monroe County.

Hickory Flats is an area in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. It is in a remote location at the headwaters of two streams with a wetland that contains rare plants and provides an unusual habitat for wildlife.

The Mountain Lake Wilderness Cluster is a region recognized by The Wilderness Society for its unique waterfalls, vistas, trout stream and wildlife habitat. The heart of the region is the Mountain Lake Wilderness, the largest wilderness in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. These public lands are enhanced by the presence of private lands which are preserved to maintain their natural integrity. The region includes the Mountain Lake Biological Station that studies distinctive wildlife and ecology of the area.

Barbours Creek Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in the Eastern Divide Ranger District of George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia, United States. The wilderness area was established in 1988 and consists of 5,382 acres (2,178 ha) of forests in the Appalachian Mountains ranging in elevation from 1,700 to 3,800 feet.

Stone Mountain Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in the Clinch Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. It is a small tract of land in western Virginia, consisting of an area of 3,273 acres (13.25 km²) next to the banks of the Powell River. It was designated as wilderness area in 2009 by Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009.

Garden Mountain Wilderness is a U.S. wilderness area in the Eastern Divide Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. It is a small wilderness area in western Virginia, consisting of an area of 3,331 acres (13.48 km²) and bordering the Beartown and Hunting Camp Creek Wilderness. It was designated as wilderness area in 2009 by Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. The wilderness area also borders a portion of the Appalachian Trail.

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 Shawvers Run Wilderness, a 5784-acre area located less than one mile south of Potts Creek, Virginia, is protected by the Eastern Wilderness Act of Congress to maintain its present, natural condition. As part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, it helps to preserve a variety of natural life forms and contributes to a diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.

The Hunting Camp Creek Wilderness is an area protected by the Eastern Wilderness Act of Congress 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 diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.

The Lynn Camp Creek Wilderness Study Area, a 3226-acre site in the Eastern Divide Ranger District of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, was designated a wilderness study area by the Omnibus Public Lands Act of 2009.

The Lewis Fork Wilderness is an area in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area protected by the Eastern Wilderness Act of Congress to maintain its present, natural condition. As part of the wilderness system, it is intended to preserve a variety of natural life forms and contribute to a diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.

James River Face Wilderness Addition is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. Adjacent to the James River Face Wilderness, it extends the wildland opportunities of the wilderness on the east to the Jefferson National Forest boundary. The area, managed for bear, has hardwood forests with ages between 60 and almost 100 years.

Mount Rogers Crest Zone is a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia that 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".

London Bridge Branch, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia and the Cherokee National Forest 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".

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 extends over the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area and into part of the Cherokee National Forest.

Barbours Creek Wilderness Addition, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia, 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".

The Barbours Creek-Shawvers Run Cluster is a region in the Jefferson National Forest recognized by The Wilderness Society for its unique high elevation mountains, vistas, trout streams and wildlife habitat. With over 25,000 acres in a remote corner of the national forest, the cluster provides protection for black bear, clean water and backcountry hiking.

The Kimberling Creek Cluster is a region in the Jefferson National Forest recognized by The Wilderness Society for its diversity of habitats extending along parts of Brushy and Hogback Mountains. Kimberling Creek, with headwaters in the cluster, flows into Big Walker Creek, a tributary of the New River.

References

1 2 Wilderness.net - Peters Mountain Wilderness, accessdate: September 4, 2016
↑ "Why Wilderness?" . Retrieved October 18, 2016.
1 2 3 4 5 Bamford, Sherman (October 2014). 18 Wonders of Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. ISBN 978-0-926487-79-6.
↑ "Peter's Mountain mallow" (PDF). Virginia Natural Heritage Fact Sheet. Virginia Natural Heritage. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
↑ "Saving a Plant Becomes a Burning Issue". National Geographic. 185: 147. June 1994.
↑ Horan, Jack (1997). Where Nature Reigns, The Wilderness Areas of the Southern Appalachians. Asheboro, North Carolina: Down Home Press. pp. 182–183. ISBN 1-878086-58-8.
↑ Virginia Wilderness Committee: , accessdate: August 29, 2016
↑ Steven Carroll and Mark Miller (1995). Wilderness Virginia. Lexington, Virginia: Old Forge Productions. p. 145. ISBN 0-9646692-1-8.
↑ General Information: Wilderness.net - Peters Mountain Wilderness - General Information, accessdate: August 28, 2016

External links

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[wildernessSite.net-1] 1 2 Wilderness.net - Peters Mountain Wilderness, accessdate: September 4, 2016

[http://wilderness.org/why-2] "Why Wilderness?" . Retrieved October 18, 2016.

[BAMwild-3] 1 2 3 4 5 Bamford, Sherman (October 2014). 18 Wonders of Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. ISBN 978-0-926487-79-6.

[4] "Peter's Mountain mallow" (PDF). Virginia Natural Heritage Fact Sheet. Virginia Natural Heritage. Retrieved 25 September 2016.

[5] "Saving a Plant Becomes a Burning Issue". National Geographic. 185: 147. June 1994.

[6] Horan, Jack (1997). Where Nature Reigns, The Wilderness Areas of the Southern Appalachians. Asheboro, North Carolina: Down Home Press. pp. 182–183. ISBN 1-878086-58-8.

[vawilderness.org-7] Virginia Wilderness Committee: , accessdate: August 29, 2016

[8] Steven Carroll and Mark Miller (1995). Wilderness Virginia. Lexington, Virginia: Old Forge Productions. p. 145. ISBN 0-9646692-1-8.

[wilderness.netSite-9] General Information: Wilderness.net - Peters Mountain Wilderness - General Information, accessdate: August 28, 2016

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