Beartown Wilderness
Beartown Wilderness is a steep, remote and rugged area, particularly at the heads of its drainages. The principal streams are Roaring Fork, Barkcamp Branch, and Cove Branch. Roaring Fork contains a population of native trout. The vegetation is diverse, featuring Appalachian hardwoods, northern spruce-fir, northern hardwoods, hemlock, and a sphagnum bog. The Wilderness ranges in elevation from 2,400 to 4,480 feet. There are about two miles of trail within the Wilderness. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T., FT #1) is adjacent to the southern boundary for about four miles. Trail information is available on National Geographic-Trails Illustrated Map # 787 (Blacksburg-New River Valley).
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Virginia |
| Size | 5,613 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 37.06° N, 81.44° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
No federal campground is within ten miles of the boundary in the Campsite Atlas index. Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from trails and water, with no facilities; the managing agency page has the permit and group-size rules.
Trails
1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 3 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Roaring Fork | 3 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 3.8 miBurke's Garden Central Church And Cemetery ↗Burke's Garden, VA
- 4 mi
- 4.2 miWynn, James, House ↗Tazewell, VA
- 5.5 miTazewell Depot ↗Tazewell, VA
- 7.6 miChimney Rock Farm ↗Tazewell, VA
- 10.3 miSt. Clair, Alexander, House ↗Bluefield, VA
- 11 miKimberling Lutheran Cemetery ↗Rural Retreat, VA
- 11.5 miMoore, Capt. James, Homestead ↗Boissevain, VA
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Virginia
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Appalachian trail guide to Southwest VirginiaBill Prueschner and Mary Ann Prueschner, 2016Find at Bookshop.org
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Beartown Wilderness?
5,613 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Beartown Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Beartown Wilderness in?
Virginia.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Beartown Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
How do I get to Beartown Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 37.063° N, 81.436° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Beartown Wilderness?
The National Register has 23 listings within 15 miles, including Burke's Garden Central Church And Cemetery and Sharon Lutheran Church and Cemetery.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.