Ramsey's Draft Wilderness

Ramsey’s Draft Wilderness is a protected backcountry area in Virginia’s George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, established in 1984 and managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Spanning 6,518 acres of steep terrain between Shenandoah Mountain and Bald Ridge, it takes its name from Ramsey’s Draft, a stream flowing to the Calfpasture River and the James watershed. Much of the land was never logged and had been treated much like wilderness since 1935. Its recent history includes a Civilian Conservation Corps road later damaged by Hurricane Camille and a 1985 flood. The area is valued for old-growth Canadian hemlock, native brook trout, diverse plant life, wildlife habitat, and hiking trails.

McDowell, Virginia · United States