James River Face Wilderness

Fire restrictions

County and local burn bans may also apply on private, state, or county land nearby. On federal land, follow the land manager's order; off it, follow the strictest county or local rule that applies. When both touch your trip, obey both.

Who manages James River Face Wilderness

Getting to James River Face Wilderness

• Glasgow, VA is the nearest town, 0.9 miles in a straight line from the boundary (not a driving distance). (US Census places, accessed 2026-09-30)

Trailheads at James River Face Wilderness

• Petites Gap A.T. (inside the boundary, 2,358 ft), at 37.5594, -79.4588
• Sulphur Springs (inside the boundary, 1,443 ft), at 37.5696, -79.4634
• James River Footbridge Trailhead (0.11 mi outside the boundary, 651 ft), at 37.5958, -79.3910
• Glenwood Horse Trail (0.33 mi outside the boundary, 874 ft), at 37.6081, -79.4808 (mapped on OpenStreetMap)
• Belfast (0.38 mi outside the boundary, 1,035 ft), at 37.5711, -79.4916
• Hellgate Horse Trailhead (0.51 mi outside the boundary, 839 ft), at 37.6100, -79.4831
• Locher Tract (0.54 mi outside the boundary, 753 ft), at 37.6183, -79.4703
• Rattlesnake Trailhead (south Pedler Atv (0.98 mi outside the boundary, 851 ft), at 37.5792, -79.3702

Trailhead locations: Forest Service recreation sites layer , accessed 2026-09-30. Elevations from USGS 3DEP.

Trailheads mapped on OpenStreetMap: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License , accessed 2026-09-30. The extract used here, with distances from the boundary: osm-trailheads-va.json. Where an agency layer lists the same trailhead, the agency's point is shown instead.

Named summits, canyons, and springs in James River Face Wilderness

• Highcock Knob summit about 3,082 ft
• Marble Spring spring
• Sulphur Spring spring

Features whose official location is inside the boundary, from the USGS Geographic Names Information System, accessed 2026-09-30. Summit elevations measured on the USGS 3DEP elevation model, which can read a few feet under a surveyed summit height.

Fishing and water

Rocky Row Run fishing (0.2 miles outside the boundary): its fishing and stocking record on fishypedia.com.

Public lands next to James River Face Wilderness

• National forestJames River Face Wilderness lies inside George Washington and Jefferson National Forest.
• National Park Service unitJames River Face Wilderness borders Blue Ridge Parkway, a National Park Service unit.
• Wilderness areaJames River Face Wilderness borders Thunder Ridge Wilderness.
• State parkNatural Bridge State Park (Virginia) is 3 miles away, straight line between the two boundaries.

Measured between the units' boundaries as mapped in USGS PAD-US. Distances are straight line, not driving.

Other wilderness areas in Virginia

• Kimberling Creek Wilderness (Bland County)
• Lewis Fork Wilderness (Smyth County)
• Little Dry Run Wilderness (Wythe County)
• Little Wilson Creek Wilderness (Grayson County)
• Mountain Lake Wilderness (Giles County)

Virginia wilderness areas