USFS · Virginia

Brush Mountain East Wilderness

The outstanding feature of Brush Mountain East Wilderness is its rugged and unspoiled terrain close to Blacksburg and Roanoke, Virginia. The area includes the north side of Brush Mountain, which rises nearly 1,600 feet from Craig Creek to the ridge top. The Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T., FT #1) ascends via a beautiful route with views along the steep mountain face. The escarpment gives a dramatic backdrop to the views from VA 621 along Craig Creek, and provides the foreground for the view from the Audie Murphy Monument lookout near the top of the ridge.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness3,745 acresUSFSVADesignated 20091 campground within 10 mi1 trail
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Brush Mountain East Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateVirginia
Size3,745 acres
Designated2009, by Congress
Center point37.37° N, 80.24° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 12)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Brush Mountain East Wilderness30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.23 inches of precipitation, 7.7 inches of snowFebruary: 2.83 inches of precipitation, 7.0 inches of snowMarch: 3.78 inches of precipitation, 4.3 inches of snowApril: 3.77 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowMay: 4.47 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 4.27 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.21 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.57 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.45 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 2.91 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 2.85 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowDecember: 3.30 inches of precipitation, 4.7 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 31.9°F averageFebruary: 34.7°F averageMarch: 41.7°F averageApril: 51.4°F averageMay: 60.2°F averageJune: 67.9°F averageJuly: 71.7°F averageAugust: 70.4°F averageSeptember: 64.3°F averageOctober: 53.2°F averageNovember: 42.7°F averageDecember: 35.1°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Blacksburg Nwso, 15 miles from the center point at 2,103 feet, station USC00440766 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 43 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 25 inches a year on the same inches scale.

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

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · 2.6 mi
Caldwell Fields Group Campground
Reservable2 sites

Trails

Trailhead Atlas →

1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 385 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Appalachian Trail ↗384.9

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

National Register listings within 15 miles · 67 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Virginia

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Five-Star Trails: Tri-Cities of Tennessee and Virginia
    Johnny Molloy, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking Virginia
    Bill Burnham, 2018
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Appalachian trail guide to Southwest Virginia
    Bill Prueschner and Mary Ann Prueschner, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Hiking waterfalls in Virginia
    Andy Thompson, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Explorer's Guide 50 Hikes in Northern Virginia
    Leonard M. Adkins, 2015
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Brush Mountain East Wilderness?

3,745 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Brush Mountain East Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Brush Mountain East Wilderness in?

Virginia.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Brush Mountain East Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 2009.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Brush Mountain East Wilderness?

Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Brush Mountain East Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.367° N, 80.239° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Are there historic places near Brush Mountain East Wilderness?

The National Register has 67 listings within 15 miles, including Johnsville Meetinghouse and Gravel Hill Christian Church.

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.