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Warm Springs Mountain Preserve

Warm Springs Mountain © Byron Jorjorian
Sunrise at Flag Rock © Byron Jorjorian
Warm Springs Mountain © Danny White
Bear Loop Overlook © Daniel White/TNC


Why You Should Visit
Warm Springs Mountain Preserve helps stitch together thousands of acres of forest and conservation lands in western Virginia’s Allegheny Highlands. The heart of the preserve protects a key wildlife corridor and habitat for an amazing diversity of natural communities, plants and animals.

Location
Bath County

Size
9,269 acres on and around Warm Springs Mountain

Conditions
Easy hiking trails. Please stay on the trails to avoid harming sensitive habitat. Trail brochures and maps are available at the Ingalls Overlook Trail visitor kiosk.

How to Begin Your Visit
Park at the Dan Ingalls Overlook, located on Route 39 just outside the village of Warm Springs. Here at the northern end of the preserve you will find the trailhead for the Ingalls Overlook Trail. This well-marked interpretive hiking trail (2.4 miles round trip) provides an excellent introduction to the mountain. Please see "Preserve Visitation Guidelines."

Field Trips
Local Conservancy staff members offer a slate of guided hikes, providing visitors with opportunities to explore many facets of the mountain. From spring wildflowers to birding to forest ecology—the field trip themes appeal to a wide variety of interests. For the current schedule, click here.

Ecological Significance
The preserve features Virginia’s only substantial montane pine barren, a globally rare, arid, fire- dependent landscape. The mountain harbors at least two other rare natural communities, three rare plants and eight rare invertebrates.

What to See: Animals
Migratory songbirds, raptors, black bear, bobcat, wild turkey, ruffed grouse, timber rattlesnake, wood frog, red-spotted newt

What to See: Plants
Stunted pitch pine, Catawba rhododendron, mountain laurel, scrub oak, variable sedge, bunchberry, Fraser’s marsh St. John’s-wort

Ongoing Conservation
Through diverse conservation partnerships, the Conservancy continues to research, protect and, in certain areas, restore the rich ecology of Warm Springs Mountain and the Allegheny Highlands.