Dismal Creek

The area is in the Appalachian Mountains of Southwestern Virginia, about 3 miles west of White Gate, Virginia. The wildland is mostly composed of the drainage of Dismal Creek, formed by a bowl between Flat Top Mountain on the northwest, Brushy Mountain on the southeast, and Sugar Run Mountain on the north. Old logging roads and railroad grades can be located by consulting the historical topographic maps available from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The Dismal Creek wild area is covered by USGS topographic maps Narrows and Pearisburg. ==Natural history==

The area is within the Ridge and Valley Subsection of the Northern Ridge and Valley Section in the Central Appalachian Broadleaf Coniferous Forest-Meadow Province. The large tract of connected land, unbroken by roads and removed from human habitation, offers good habitat for black bear, and supports many species of migratory birds. Dismal Creek is rated a class iii streams. Small tracts of old growth forest have been found on high elevations, but these tracts, designated "Small Tract-Custodial" by the Forest Service, could be traded for other lands and lost to the National Forest. ==Topography==

The area, which includes the upper watershed of Dismal Creek, is a combination of high ridges and floodplain forests. ==Forest Service management==

The Forest Service has conducted a survey of their lands to determine the potential for wilderness designation. Wilderness designation provides a high degree of protection from development. The areas that were found suitable are referred to as inventoried roadless areas. Later a Roadless Rule was adopted that limited road construction in these areas. The rule provides some degree of protection by reducing the negative environmental impact of road construction and thus promoting the conservation of roadless areas. The area includes tracts designated as "Appalachian Trail Corridor", "Old Growth with Disturbance", "Mix of Successional Habitats", "Rare Communitiy", "Dispersed Recreation Area – Unsuitable" and "Custodial=Small Areas". While there are no plans for logging, the Forest Service has allowed firewood logging along roads in the area. ==See also==