| George Washington and Jefferson National Forests | |
|---|---|
 White Rocks on Little Sluice Mountain in George Washington National Forest. | |
 Location of George Washington and Jefferson National Forests | |
| Location | United States |
| Coordinates | 38°30′0″N79°0′0″W / 38.50000°N 79.00000°W /38.50000; -79.00000 |
| Area | 1,790,933 acres (7,247.65 km2) |
| Established | 1995[1] |
| Website | George Washington and Jefferson National Forests |
TheGeorge 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 EasternUnited States. The forests cover 1.8 million acres (2,800 sq mi; 730,000 ha) of land in theAppalachian Mountains ofVirginia,West Virginia, andKentucky. Approximately 1 million acres (1,600 sq mi; 400,000 ha) of the forest are remote and undeveloped and 139,461 acres (218 sq mi; 56,438 ha)[2] have been designated aswilderness areas, which prohibits future development.
George Washington National Forest was established on May 16, 1918, as the Shenandoah National Forest. The forest was renamed after thefirst President on June 28, 1932. Natural Bridge National Forest was added on July 22, 1933.[3]
Jefferson National Forest was formed on April 21, 1936, by combining portions of theUnaka and George Washington National Forests with other land.[3] In 1995, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests were administratively combined.[1] The border between the two forests roughly follows theJames River. The combined forest is administered from its headquarters inRoanoke,Virginia.[1]
The Forests' vast and mountainous terrain harbors a great variety of plant life—over 50 species of trees and over 2,000 species of shrubs andherbaceous plants.[5]
The Forests contain some 230,000 acres (930 km2) ofold growth forests, representing all of the major forest communities found within them.[6][7] Locations of old growth include Peters Mountain,Mount Pleasant National Scenic Area,Rich Hole Wilderness, Flannery Ridge, Pick Breeches Ridge, and Laurel Fork Gorge,Pickem Mountain, andMount Rogers National Recreation Area.[8] TheRamsey's Draft andKimberling Creek Wildernesses in particular are mostly old-growth.[8][9][10]
Theblack bear is relatively common, enough so that there is a short hunting season to prevent overpopulation.White-tailed deer,bobcat,bald eagles,weasel,otter, andmarten are also known to inhabit the Forests.
The forests are popularhiking,mountain biking, andhunting destinations. TheAppalachian Trail extends for 330 miles (530 km) from the southern end ofShenandoah National Park through the forest and along theBlue Ridge Parkway. The forest is within a two-hour drive for over ten million people and thus receives large numbers of visitors, especially in the region closest to Shenandoah National Park.
The George Washington National Forest is a popular destination fortrail runners. It is the location for severalUltramarathons, including the Massanutten Mountain Trails 100 miler, the Old Dominion 100 miler, and the Old Dominion Memorial 100 miler.[11]
George Washington Forest is also the venue forNature Camp, a natural science education-oriented summer camp for youth.[12] The camp is located on national forest land near the town ofVesuvius,Virginia. It has operated at this location since the summer of 1953.[13]
Jefferson National Forest is located in 23 separate counties, more than any other National Forest exceptMark Twain National Forest inMissouri, which lies in 29 counties. Botetourt, Monroe, and Rockbridge counties, at the dividing line between the two forests, include parts of both forests. Thirdly, note that the state ofKentucky actually has very little area, with its two counties bringing up the tail end of Jefferson National Forest.
Ranger offices are the Forest Service's public service offices. Maps and other information about the forests can be obtained at these locations. These offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The Supervisor's Office in Roanoke is not located in the forest and is primarily an administrative location.[15]
District offices are listed from north to south. Counties are in Virginia unless otherwise indicated.
| District | Office Location | Counties served |
|---|---|---|
| Lee Ranger District | Edinburg, Virginia | Frederick, Hampshire (WV), Hardy (WV), Page, Rockingham, Shenandoah, Warren |
| North River Ranger District | Harrisonburg, Virginia | Augusta, Highland, Pendleton (WV), Rockingham |
| Warm Springs Ranger District | Hot Springs, Virginia | Bath, Highland |
| James River Ranger District | Covington, Virginia | Alleghany |
| Glenwood-Pedlar Ranger District | Natural Bridge Station, Virginia | Amherst, Augusta, Bedford, Botetourt, Nelson, and Rockbridge |
| Eastern Divide Ranger District | Blacksburg, Virginia | Bland, Botetourt, Craig, Giles, Monroe (WV), Montgomery, Pulaski, Roanoke, Smyth, Tazewell, Wythe |
| Clinch Ranger District | Norton, Virginia | Dickenson, Lee, Letcher (KY), Pike (KY), Scott, Wise |
| Mount Rogers National Recreation Area | Marion, Virginia | Carroll, Grayson, Smyth, Washington, Wythe |
There are 139,461 acres (564 km2)[2] of federally designatedwilderness areas in the two forests under the United StatesNational Wilderness Preservation System. All are in the state of Virginia, except as indicated. The largest of these is theMountain Lake Wilderness, at 16,511 acres (67 km2). There are 17 wildernesses in Jefferson National Forest, second only toTongass National Forest, which has 19.
In 1999 the Wilderness Society conducted a review of lands in the Jefferson National Forest to look for large, intact areas that satisfy a need for backcountry recreation, ecological study, biodiversity, and the preservation of cultural history from early America. The report found 67 such areas and identified them as “Mountain Treasures”.[16] In 2012 The New River Group of the Sierra Club commissioned a study to review the status of these areas. Some of the areas had been converted into Wilderness Areas, while others had not received any special protection.[17] Areas in close proximity were grouped with nearby wilderness areas into eleven clusters. The clusters, from north to south, are:
The first camp of theCivilian Conservation CorpsNF-1, Camp Roosevelt,[18] was established in the George Washington National Forest near Luray, Virginia. It is now the site of the Camp Roosevelt Recreation Area.[19]
In 2018–2019, protests occurred near Peters Mountain to block theMountain Valley Pipeline. The 303-milepipeline would transportnatural gas through the Jefferson National Forest and cross theAppalachian Trail.[20][21]
In 2023 a small plane carrying four people strayed into restricted Washington, D.C., airspace. Because of this, a number of F16 jets were sent to intercept the aircraft. The pilots of the jets noticed that the aircraft pilot was passed out. The plane eventually crashed landed in the park. There were no survivors.[22]
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