trips - BEAR TOWN WILDERNESS - TheBackpacker.com

Trip Info

Dates: 4/17 - 4/19/10
Trip Organizer: Refrigerator
Location: Jefferson NF

Number of Attendees: (view all)
1 yes
0 maybe

Description

Some of Virginia's most remote territory is nestled in Beartown Wilderness. No improved roads lead here, and the old dirt roads are being reclaimed by native vegetation. This country is steep and rugged, particularly at the heads of the drainages, and reaches elevations of almost 5,000 feet. The principal waterways are Roaring Fork Creek, Bark Camp Creek, and Cove Branch, which runs off Beartown Ridge. The creeks feed several beaver ponds. For native trout, fish Roaring Fork. The vegetation is diverse, featuring Appalachian hardwoods, northern spruce-fir, northern hardwoods, hemlock, a sphagnum bog, and a few rare plants. You may see bears, you may see deer, and you're certain to see many smaller mammals and a great variety of birds.

The United States Congress designated the Beartown Wilderness in 1984 and it now has a total of 5,609 acres.

The region is characterized by long, straight and winding sandstone ridges that close back on themselves to form features such as Burke's Garden, a 3100 foot (945 m) high agricultural valley composed largely of Ordovician limestones.
Regional precipitation falls in the range of 40 inches. The rather broad summit area of the Beartown Wilderness on Beartown Mountain, which has the highest elevations, is occupied by Red Spruce (Picea rubens) forest and northern hardwoods, and the latter also dominate some deep valleys such as that of Roaring Fork, which are subject to cold air drainage from the adjacent highlands. Great Rhododendron (Rhododendron maximum) is at all elevations in these forests, indicating a general abundance of moisture. However, high, narrow-topped ridges surrounding the Wilderness area, such as Chestnut Ridge, have milder, dryer climates, although they range above 4000 feet. It is likely that cold air originating on these ridges, as a consequence of radiation cooling, is readily shed to the valleys below, as there is nothing to trap it at the higher elevations.

Please Note:
This trip envolves some stream crossings and map and compass, GPS navagation. There are virtually no maintained trails in this wilderness area. If you want a true wilderness experience right here in Virginia, then this trip is for you.

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