Wythe County is located in the New River Valley area of southwestern Virginia, bordered by Bland, Grayson, Carroll, Smyth and Pulaski Counties. The county seat, Wytheville, is located 77 miles southwest of Roanoke, Virginia, and 35 miles south of Bluefield, West Virginia. The population centers of the county are the towns of Rural Retreat and Wytheville. Other communities in the county include Fort Chiswell, Max Meadows, Ivanhoe, Austinville, Speedwell, and Crockett. Wythe County lies in the New River Basin.
New River flows across the County's eastern tip.
This major river and two of its major tributaries, Reed and Cripple Creeks, are the source of large supplies of water. Many rural areas are supplied by springs and wells. Wythe County contains approximately 148,700 acres of woodland. Minerals available include limestone, dolomite, sandstone, quartzite, manganese, iron ore, shale, clay, and barite. Soils in Wythe County are divided into two major groups, the agriculturally important soils in the valley and the dominantly wooded mountain soils.