Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

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Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
Part of Jefferson National Forest
National Recreation Area
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area.jpg
Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, with Mount Rogers in the background
Country United States
State Virginia
Counties Grayson, Smyth, Washington, Wythe, Carroll
Location Elk Garden
 - elevation 4,475 ft (1,364 m)
 - coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Highest point Mount Rogers
 - location southwest of Troutdale
 - elevation 5,729 ft (1,746.2 m)
 - coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Area 154,816 acres (62,651.8 ha)
Established 1966-05-31
Management George Washington and Jefferson National Forests
Owner US Forest Service
IUCN category V - Protected Landscape/Seascape
Nearest city Abingdon, Virginia
Location of Mount Rogers National Recreation Area in Virginia
Wikimedia Commons: Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
Website: Mount Rogers National Recreation Area

Mount Rogers National Recreation Area is a United States National Recreation Area (NRA) located in southwestern Virginia near the border with Tennessee and North Carolina. The centerpiece of the recreation area is Mount Rogers, the highest point in the state of Virginia with a summit elevation of 5,729 feet (1746 m). The recreation area is under the jurisdiction of the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests. The recreation area was established by an act of the United States Congress on May 31, 1966.

Grayson Highlands State Park adjoins the recreation area on the south, near Mount Rogers, and the park provides the most well known access to the peak and the NRA generally.

Hiking

There are nearly 500 miles (800 kilometers) of hiking trails within Mount Rogers NRA making it one of the premier hiking hotspots in the Appalachian Mountains. Some of the trails in Mount Rogers NRA include:

  • A 78-mile (124.8 kilometer) segment of the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail itself does not reach the summit of Mount Rogers but rather passes about a half mile below it. A short spur trail leads hikers to the summit. As along the entire Appalachian Trail, there are several shelters for thru-hikers along this section of the trail.
  • The Virginia Creeper Trail
  • The shortest route to the summit of Mount Rogers is a 4.5-mile (7.2 km) hike from either Grayson Highlands State Park or from State Route 600 at Elk Garden.

Wilderness

There are three federally designated wilderness areas in Mount Rogers NRA:

Together, these three wilderness areas comprise about 14,000 acres of forest.

Other activities

External links