George Washington and Jefferson National Forests

One of the largest areas of public land in the eastern United States, the combined George Washington and Jefferson National Forests span 1.8 million acres across the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and a small portion of Kentucky. The forest encompasses 330 miles of the Appalachian Trail -- more than any other national forest. Mount Rogers, Virginia's highest peak at 5,729 feet, anchors the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area where herds of free-ranging wild ponies graze among the Grayson Highlands.\n\nThe Jefferson division protects the headwaters of major river systems flowing to both the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Some of the finest native brook trout streams in the eastern United States flow through the forest's rugged hollows. Extensive cave systems harbor rare subterranean ecosystems and bat hibernacula.\n\nEleven wilderness areas totaling over 100,000 acres provide backcountry solitude. The combined forests serve as a critical wildlife corridor supporting black bears, white-tailed deer, wild turkeys, and recovering peregrine falcon populations. The George Washington division frames the western side of Shenandoah National Park.