Saint Mary's Wilderness
Saint Mary's Wilderness, located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, ranges in elevation from 1,700 feet to 3,640 feet and includes the upper portion of the Saint Mary's River watershed including the Cellar Hollow and Spy Run drainages. The Wilderness is dominated by the Saint Mary's River which narrows to a rhododendron and mountain laurel lined gorge for over a mile and features a significant waterfall. This rugged area is also dissected by tributary streams and is comprised primarily of the southern Appalachian hardwood ecosystem. The area was mined for iron ore and manganese until the mid-1900s, and evidence of those activities remains along the Saint Mary's River gorge. The area contains approximately 17 miles of trail.
Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).
| Designation | Wilderness |
| Managed by | U.S. Forest Service |
| State | Virginia |
| Size | 9,826 acres |
| Designated | 1984, by Congress |
| Center point | 37.93° N, 79.11° 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 2 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
7 named Forest Service trails enter this wilderness, 19 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Saint Mary'S ↗ | 6.7 | |
| Cold Springs | 3.7 | |
| Cellar Mountain | 3.3 | |
| Bald Mountain Overlook | 2.2 | |
| Mine Bank Creek | 2 | |
| Saint Mary'S Gorge | 0.8 | |
| Mine Bank Mountain | 0.5 |
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
- 12.4 miBlue Ridge Parkway ↗National Historic Landmark
- 0.3 miHaines Chapel and Cemetery ↗Vesuvius, VA
- 3.7 miThompson, Fannie, House ↗Greenville, VA
- 4.6 miMt. Torry Furnace ↗Sherando, VA
- 6.8 miDutch Hollow Hanger Cemetery ↗Middlebrook, VA
- 6.9 miHarper House ↗Stuarts Draft, VA
- 7.2 miMiller, A. J., House ↗Middlebrook, VA
- 7.6 miTyro Mill ↗Tyro, 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 Saint Mary's Wilderness?
9,826 acres.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Who manages Saint Mary's Wilderness?
The U.S. Forest Service.
Source: Wilderness Connect
What state is Saint Mary's Wilderness in?
Virginia.
Source: Wilderness Connect
When was Saint Mary's Wilderness designated?
Congress designated it in 1984.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Can I camp at Saint Mary's 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 Saint Mary's Wilderness?
A point inside the boundary is at 37.927° N, 79.106° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Wilderness Connect
Are there historic places near Saint Mary's Wilderness?
The National Register has 63 listings within 15 miles, including Blue Ridge Parkway and Haines Chapel 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.