Rough Mountain Wilderness

Rough Mountain Wilderness is approximately six miles long and two miles wide, an area of steep ridges and dry drainages with elevations ranging from 1,150 feet along the Cowpasture River to 2,842 feet on Rough Mountain. The ridges often afford great views across the Allegheny Mountains, the Blue Ridge, and the Cowpasture River Valley. Upland hardwoods dominate the ridges, and the drainages contain mainly oaks; the south-facing slopes contain a southern yellow pine component. Rough Mountain receives light visitor use, primarily due to difficult access. Most of the area borders CSX Railroad land and other privately owned acreage without legal access. The three-mile Crane Trail runs east-west through the middle of the Wilderness, but there is no legal access to either terminus on private land. A visit to aptly-named Rough Mountain requires cross-country foot travel from the north to reach the boundary.