Little Wilson Creek Wilderness
Adjoining Grayson Highlands State Park, Little Wilson Creek Wilderness is within the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Elevations range from 3,220 feet near the southern border to 4,857 near the northern boundary. The vegetation is primarily upland hardwoods with sugar maple, beech, yellow birch, and some stands of red spruce and Fraser fir. Deer and bear, grouse and quail, and numerous small mammals and birds are found here. Both Big Wilson and Little Wilson Creeks contain native trout. The Wilderness includes 15 miles of maintained trails, including about 1.3 miles of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail (A.T., FT #1).
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Virginia |
| Size | 5,461 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 36.66° N, 81.46° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13) |
Boundary map
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
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
None of the 6 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
11 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 409 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Trail ↗ | 384.9 | |
| Hightree Rock ↗ | 4.9 | |
| Bearpen | 3.2 | |
| First Peak | 3.2 | |
| Jackie Street | 2.5 | |
| Kabel | 2.2 | |
| Big Wilson Creek | 1.9 | |
| Third Peak | 1.7 | |
| Little Wilson Creek | 1.5 | |
| Switchback | 1.4 |
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
- 4.3 miWaddell, William, House ↗Grassy Creek, NC
- 5.6 miBaptist Chapel Church and Cemetery ↗Helton, NC
- 7.4 miThomas, Abijah, House ↗Marion, VA
- 9 miPierce, John M., House ↗Crumpler, NC
- 9 miClark-Miller Roller Mill ↗Lansing, NC
- 9.1 miLansing School ↗Lansing, NC
- 9.4 miThompson's Bromine and Arsenic Springs ↗Crumpler, NC
- 9.6 mi
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.
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 Little Wilson Creek Wilderness?
5,461 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Little Wilson Creek Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Little Wilson Creek Wilderness in?
Virginia.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Little Wilson Creek Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Little Wilson Creek 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 Little Wilson Creek Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 36.660° N, 81.462° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Little Wilson Creek Wilderness?
The National Register has 27 listings within 15 miles, including Waddell, William, House and Baptist Chapel 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.