Crawfish Valley (Bear Creek)

The Appalachian Trail traverses this area for about 8 miles. The Crawfish, Bear Creek, and Walker Mountain trails also are key attractions of the area, and are popular with horseback riders. Monster Rock is a large outcropping along the old Appalachian Trail route near Rt. 21.

Reed Creek is a stocked trout stream. Found in Bear Creek are the Tennessee dace, bigeye chub, striped shiner, saffron shiner, mirror shiner, black sculpin, and banded sculpin — all listed as ranging from uncommon to endangered.

Crawfish Valley encompasses the headwaters for three major drainages: Bear Creek, Reed Creek, and Gullion Fork. The Forest Service calls the area Bear Creek; however, it should be renamed after the larger Crawfish Valley, a remote divide between Reed and Bear creeks.

The Forest Service characterizes 88 percent of this area as retaining unspoiled scenic beauty. The area includes approximately 2,355 acres of possible old growth. About two-thirds of the area provides opportunities for secluded back-country experiences.

The Forest Service identified a Bear Creek roadless area — the largest in the Jefferson National Forest. In this proposal, a small amount of land has been added to bring the boundary to FS 727.

Approximate Size: 18,659 acres
Location: Smyth and Wythe counties, north of Rural Retreat, Wythe Ranger District
Topos: Nebo, Rural Retreat, Big Bend, Garden Mountain