Raccoon Branch Wilderness
Raccoon Branch Wilderness is located in Smyth County in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in southwest Virginia. It contains extremely rugged country rising to a height of 4,000 feet on the high point of Dickey Ridge. The ridges are capped with resistant lower Cambrian quartzite, which is responsible for the great variations in altitude within the area. The area is dissected by numerous high gradient and deeply incised streams, all of which flow into the South Fork of the Holston River. The vegetation is diverse with cove hardwoods in the protected valleys and more xeric oak-pine on the ridges. Fraser fir is found at the highest elevations.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Virginia |
| Size | 4,225 acres |
| Designated | 2009, by Congress |
| Center point | 36.74° N, 81.46° W |
| Night sky | About as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 14) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site
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
1 federal campground sits inside the boundary and 5 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trailheads and sites
The Forest Service lists 1 recreation site inside this wilderness, among them 1 RV camping. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.
- 2 miRaccoon Branch Campground ↗RV camping · mid-April to late-November
Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.
Trails
7 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 472 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Appalachian Trail ↗ | 384.9 | |
| Virginia Highlands ↗ | 80.8 | |
| Mullins Branch | 2.5 | |
| Dickey Knob | 2.3 | |
| Bobbys | 0.8 | |
| Hickory Ridge | 0.6 | |
| Raccoon Branch | 0.2 |
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
- 5 miThomas, Abijah, House ↗Marion, VA
- 6 mi
- 6.1 mi
- 6.1 miGreer, R. T., and Company ↗Marion, VA
- 6.1 miHotel Lincoln ↗Marion, VA
- 6.2 miMarion Male Academy ↗Marion, VA
- 6.2 miLincoln Theatre ↗Marion, VA
- 7 miNorfolk & Western Railway Depot ↗Marion, VA
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 Raccoon Branch Wilderness?
4,225 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Raccoon Branch Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Raccoon Branch Wilderness in?
Virginia.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Raccoon Branch Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 2009.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Raccoon Branch 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 Raccoon Branch Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 36.739° N, 81.459° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Raccoon Branch Wilderness?
The National Register has 21 listings within 15 miles, including Thomas, Abijah, House and Henderson Building, Southwestern State Hospital.
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.