A high-elevation Appalachian wilderness defined by red spruce wetlands, mountain bogs, and sweeping ridge views.
Mountain Lake Wilderness
Mountain Lake Wilderness is a U.S. Wilderness Area situated along the Eastern Continental Divide within the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The protected area straddles southwest Virginia and southeastern West Virginia, with its larger portion lying in Craig and Giles Counties in Virginia and a smaller extension reaching into Monroe County, West Virginia. The wilderness surrounds the privately owned Mountain Lake and protects a high-elevation landscape where the Ridge and Valley system of the central Appalachians meets cool, moist northern-type habitats.
Because of its elevation and frequent rainfall, the area supports ecological communities that are unusual in the southern Appalachians, including mountain bogs, vernal ponds, and red spruce wetlands. The wilderness combines these northern-affinity habitats with broad expanses of eastern hardwood forest, rocky outcrops with panoramic views, and roughly seventeen miles of trails, including a segment of the Appalachian Trail.
Mountain Lake Wilderness is part of the Mountain Lake Wilderness Cluster, and since its establishment in 1984 it has been managed to preserve its ecological character and backcountry feel. The area is recognized for its unusual combination of biological diversity, scenic vistas, and watershed significance, particularly for the headwaters of both the James River and the New River systems.
