Dugger Mountain Wilderness, in Alabama’s Talladega National Forest between Anniston and Piedmont, was dedicated in April 2000 as the state’s third and newest wilderness area. Encompassing 9,200 acres in Calhoun and Cleburne counties, it contains some of Alabama’s most mountainous terrain and is centered on Dugger Mountain, the state’s second-highest peak at 2,140 feet. Because much of the broader 16,000-acre mountain area was too steep for profitable timber harvesting, this forest remained largely intact. It is now one of the last roadless areas in Alabama’s national forests, supports numerous endangered and threatened plant communities, and is crossed by the Pinhoti National Recreation Trail.