Little Dry Run Wilderness, Protected wilderness area in Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, Virginia, US.
Little Dry Run Wilderness is a 2,845-acre protected area at the east end of Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Wythe County, Virginia. Its watershed begins in a small bog and descends along Little Dry Run, a native trout stream lined with hemlocks and white pines. Elevations run from 2,440 feet on the stream to 3,614 feet at an unnamed peak, with Sindion Point at 3,018 feet.
Congress designated Little Dry Run Wilderness in 1984 under the Eastern Wilderness Act, setting aside 2,845 acres in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. The Forest Service manages the tract through the recreation area to keep it in its present, natural condition. The designation is part of a national wilderness system meant to preserve natural life forms and keep plant and animal gene pools diverse.
The wilderness management principles emphasize environmental protection through specific regulations that limit group sizes to ten people and prohibit motorized equipment.
The single maintained route is Forest Service Trail #305, marked with a few yellow blazes, 4.4 miles long and moderately difficult. Its trailheads sit on US 21 at the eastern end and at Comers Rock Campground on the west. The Virginia Highlands Horse Trail borders the south side, and the Ridge Top Area Bushwhack begins where that trail meets Trail #305.
A small bog at the headwaters of Little Dry Run creates a rare ecosystem found in few places. This wetland supports specialized plant species adapted to wet mountain conditions.
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