Laurel Fork Proposed Wilderness (proposed in 2004, but dropped in 2011)
Beaver Pond along Buck Run
Laurel Fork is a wild, remote, and unique area that lies outside Shenandoah Mountain. In 2004, Friends of Shenandoah Mountain proposed that it be designated as a Wilderness area because it is such an exceptional candidate.
Where: Highland County, Warm Springs Ranger District, George Washington National Forest, along the West Virginia border
Size: 10,153 acres
Note: The GWNF Forest Stakeholders Consensus Agreement of Oct. 17, 2011, does not include a recommendation for Laurel Fork as Wilderness, and Laurel Fork is not included in the Shenandoah Mountain Act of 2022. Fortunately, the GWNF Management Plan does not permit Laurel Fork to be leased for gas, and most of it will be managed as a Special Biological Area, offering a measure of protection for the life of the plan.
Where: Highland County, Warm Springs Ranger District, George Washington National Forest, along the West Virginia border
Size: 10,153 acres
Note: The GWNF Forest Stakeholders Consensus Agreement of Oct. 17, 2011, does not include a recommendation for Laurel Fork as Wilderness, and Laurel Fork is not included in the Shenandoah Mountain Act of 2022. Fortunately, the GWNF Management Plan does not permit Laurel Fork to be leased for gas, and most of it will be managed as a Special Biological Area, offering a measure of protection for the life of the plan.
Notable Characteristics:
Spruce forest © Holly Marcus
Laurel Fork is one of the most beautiful and biologically rich areas in Virginia
- Contains one of the finest examples of Northern Boreal natural community complexes in Virginia
- Unique representative of the Allegheny Plateau Ecoregion within the Commonwealth
- At least 25 species of plants and animals found nowhere else in Virginia
- Known for salamanders, birds, beaver ponds, spruce forest
- An exceptional native trout stream
- Excellent opportunities for birding, hiking, backpacking, and fishing
