USFS · Virginia

Rich Hole Wilderness

Rich Hole Wilderness includes the 1,336 acre Rich Hole National Natural Landmark (NNL), an example of mature southern Appalachian cove hardwood forest. Rich Hole Wilderness consists primarily of Brushy Mountain and portions of Mill Mountain with their drainages, the North Branch of Simpson Creek and Alum Creek. The area exhibits a mature hardwood ecosystem with large old hemlocks in the drainage bottoms, and chestnut oaks and yellow pines on the south-facing slopes. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, iron ore was mined from some of the hillsides in this area, and trees were cut to make charcoal for the iron ore furnaces. Traces of this activity, including an old mountain homestead with a small orchard, remain today in Rich Hole Wilderness.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness6,532 acresUSFSVADesignated 19882 trails
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Rich Hole Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateVirginia
Size6,532 acres
Designated1988, by Congress
Center point37.87° N, 79.64° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

1 outline

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

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Rich Hole Wilderness30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 3.15 inches of precipitation, 2.9 inches of snowFebruary: 2.76 inches of precipitation, 4.7 inches of snowMarch: 3.52 inches of precipitation, 2.3 inches of snowApril: 3.71 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowMay: 4.11 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 4.80 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.10 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.31 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.67 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.06 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 3.23 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowDecember: 3.47 inches of precipitation, 3.4 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 34.2°F averageFebruary: 37.0°F averageMarch: 44.3°F averageApril: 54.4°F averageMay: 63.1°F averageJune: 71.2°F averageJuly: 75.3°F averageAugust: 74.0°F averageSeptember: 67.3°F averageOctober: 56.0°F averageNovember: 44.8°F averageDecember: 37.3°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 in5 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Lexington, 13 miles from the center point at 1,097 feet, station USC00444876 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 43 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 13 inches a year on the same inches scale. The station sits about 2,000 feet lower than the center point, so temperatures on the ground run cooler.

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 →

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

Trailhead Atlas →

2 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 12 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Rich Hole ↗5.8
White Rock Tower ↗5.7

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 · 44 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 Rich Hole Wilderness?

6,532 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Rich Hole Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Rich Hole Wilderness in?

Virginia.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Rich Hole Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1988.

Source: Wilderness Connect

How do I get to Rich Hole Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.871° N, 79.638° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Are there historic places near Rich Hole Wilderness?

The National Register has 44 listings within 15 miles, including Lee Chapel, Washington and Lee University and Barracks, Virginia Military Institute.

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.