Spesard Knob, a wildland in the

George Washington and Jefferson National Forests The George Washington and Jefferson National Forests is an administrative entity combining two U.S. National Forests into one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. The forests cover of land in the Appalachian Mountain ...

of western Virginia, has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a "Mountain Treasure". With 226 acres of possible old growth forest and unfragmented habit for black bear, the area offers a unique off-trail hiking experience in a remote forest near New Castle. The area is part of the ''

Craig Creek Cluster The Craig Creek Cluster is a region recognized by The Wilderness Society for its unique high elevation mountains, vistas, trout streams and wildlife habitat. The cluster contains wildlands and wilderness areas along Craig Creek, a 65-mile long cr ...

''.

Location and access

The area is located in the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. The ...

of Southwestern Virginia, about 3 miles south of

New Castle, Virginia New Castle (historically spelled as one word; "Newcastle") is the only town in Craig County, Virginia, United States. The population was 125 at the 2020 census.https://www.census.gov/search-results.html?searchType=web&cssp=SERP&q=New%20Castle%20 ...

. State Route Va 618 passes along the eastern and southern side of the area. A powerline separates the area from the Broad Run wild area on the north. There are no trails or roads into the area. Boundary of the Spesard Knob wildland as identified by the Wilderness Society

Boundary of the Spesard Knob wildland as identified by the Wilderness Society

The boundary of the wildland, as determined by the Wilderness Society, is shown in the adjacent map. Additional roads in the vicinity are given on National Geographic Maps 788 (Covington, Alleghany Highlands). Beyond maintained trails, old logging roads can be used to explore the area. The Appalachian Mountains were extensively timbered in the early twentieth century leaving logging roads that are becoming overgrown but still passable. Old logging roads and railroad grades can be located by consulting the historical topographic maps available from the

United States Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), formerly simply known as the Geological Survey, is a scientific agency of the United States government. The scientists of the USGS study the landscape of the United States, its natural resources, ...

(USGS). The Spesard Knob wild area is covered by USGS topographic map ''Catawba''.

Natural history

The area is within th
Ridge and Valley Subsection of the Northern Ridge and Valley Section in the Central Appalachian Broadleaf Coniferous Forest-Meadow Province
A shale barren, the Broad Run barren, is on the western side of the area. Shale barrens in western Virginia provide habitat for th
Appalachian grizzled skipper
Although small, the area forms an important

wildlife corridor A wildlife corridor, habitat corridor, or green corridor is an area of habitat (ecology), habitat connecting wildlife populations separated by human activities or structures (such as roads, development, or logging). This allows an exchange of i ...

between the Broad Run wild area to the north and North Mountain on the southeast. Several old growth tracts have trees as old as 140 years of age or older.

Topography

The area includes several peaks over 2000 feet elevation, including the 2034-foot Spesard Knob on the southwestern side of the area. Spesard Knob is part of a mountain complex at the southern end of Broad Run Mountain where Craig Creek has breached the ridge that continues as Sinking Creek Mountain on the south. Broad Run flows along the southeastern side of the area. Lick Branch, on the north boundary of the area, drains into Craig Creek. Other streams in the area are also part of the Craig Creek drainage, a tributary of the

James River The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Ches ...

Forest Service management

The Forest Service has conducted a survey of their lands to determine the potential for wilderness designation. Wilderness designation provides a high degree of protection from development. The areas that were found suitable are referred to as

inventoried roadless area Inventoried Roadless Areas are a group of United States Forest Service lands that have been identified by government reviews as lands without existing roads that could be suitable for roadless area conservation as wilderness or other non-standard pr ...

s. Later a Roadless Rule was adopted that limited road construction in these areas. The rule provided some degree of protection by reducing the negative environmental impact of road construction and thus promoting the conservation of roadless areas. Spesard Knob was not inventoried in the roadless area review, and therefore not protected from possible road construction and timber sales. The Cuba wildfire in 2008 burned a large part on the north side of the area as well as part of the adjacent Broad Run wild area. The forest service classifies areas under their management by a recreational opportunity setting that informs visitors of the diverse range of opportunities available in the forest. Most of the area is designated "Backcountry-Non Motorized". A portion on the western tip is designated as "Rare Community".

References

External links

George Washington and Jefferson National Forest

Wilderness Society
George Washington and Jefferson National Forests Southwest Virginia Mountains of Virginia