Mount Rogers National Recreation Area
One of the eastern United State's highest mountain areas and Virginia's highest peak is Mount Rogers, named after the state's first geologist, William Barton Rogers (1804-1882), who was a scientist, philosopher and poet. The summit's elevation is 5,729 feet and is part of a large forest district of more than 100,000 acres, the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (NRA). Jefferson National Forest, one of eight forest systems in the national network, surrounds the recreational area with approximately 700,000 acres.
Mount Rogers straddles the Smyth-Grayson County line and divides the waters of the Tennessee and New Rivers. The NRA area encompasses 400 miles of maintained trails, including a 60-mile stretch of America's scenic Appalachian Trail (AT) and 10,000 acres of wilderness. The well-known Lewis Fork Wilderness Area, designated by Congress in 1984, comprises 5,618 acres of that wilderness and holds about 5 miles of the AT.
Visitors to Virginia's rooftop can view awesome vistas throughout the four
season. There is a multitude of activities in which they can participate,
such as picnicking, biking, horseback riding, fishing, swimming, camping
under a canopy of stars, and more. Or perhaps the visit calls for doing
nothing by taking it all in through a drive on some of America's best crooked
roads. Whether you're driven by nature or just along for the ride, Mount
rogers is sure to be a high point on your journey through Smyth County,
Virginia.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/gwj/mr/