| Thunder Ridge Wilderness | |
|---|---|
 Looking over Arnold Valley from Thunder Ridge | |
  | |
| Location | Bedford, Rockbridge County, Virginia, United States |
| Nearest city | Buena Vista, Virginia |
| Coordinates | 37°33′15″N 79°28′25″W / 37.55417°N 79.47368°W |
| Area | 2,344 acres (949 ha) |
| Established | 1984 |
| Administrator | U.S. Forest Service |
The Thunder Ridge Wilderness is a 2,344 acres (949 ha) area located near Natural Bridge, Virginia, which is protected by the Eastern Wilderness Act of Congress to maintain its present, natural condition. As part of the National Wilderness Preservation System, it helps to preserve a variety of natural life forms and contributes to a diversity of plant and animal gene pools. Over half of the ecosystems in the United States exist within designated wilderness.[1]
Dominated by Thunder Ridge with steep slopes towering above Arnold Valley, the interior is incredibly rugged, remote and rarely visited. The top of the ridge contains flowers blooming late into summer, long past blooms in the hot valley below. Trillium, may apple, pink lady slipper, Indian cucumber root and columbine flourish in the shade of black cherry trees, northern red oak and hickories.[2]
The area is part of the Glenwood Cluster.
- ^ "Why Wilderness?". Retrieved March 5, 2017.
- ^ Bamford, Sherman (October 2014). 18 Wonders of Virginia. Richmond, Virginia: Sierra Club Virginia Chapter. ISBN 978-0-926487-79-6.