Beartown Wilderness

Beartown Wilderness is a 5,613-acre federally protected Wilderness Area in Virginia, managed by the Forest Service. The landscape is primitive backcountry—no roads, motorized vehicles, or mechanized travel are permitted. This is a place for foot travel only, where solitude and untracked terrain are the defining features.

Hiking and backpacking are the primary ways to experience Beartown. The wilderness offers the kind of quiet, non-motorized exploration that defines federal Wilderness designation. Visitors should expect to navigate by map and compass, camp in dispersed sites, and follow Leave No Trace principles strictly. Pack out everything you pack in, camp away from water sources, and travel lightly across the land.

Access is on foot from trailheads outside the Wilderness boundary. Spring through fall is the practical visiting window, though snow and ice can make winter travel hazardous. Come prepared for self-sufficiency—there are no facilities, no marked campsites, and no development inside the Wilderness. This is backcountry in the truest sense: a place where you navigate the landscape yourself and leave no trace of your passage.