Nature
Whitetop Mountain is a protected wildland in southwestern Virginia within the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests and the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. Rising prominently above the surrounding Appalachians, it is the recreation area’s second highest mountain and includes part of the Appalachian Trail. The area is valued for broad views, old-growth stands, and traces of earlier logging and railroad use. Its summit forests, trout streams, and exceptional salamander diversity make it especially important for rare species habitat. Geological features, a major drainage divide at Elk Garden, and mountain balds maintained by prescribed burning add to its ecological and scientific significance.
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Virginia · United States
