Before early settlers hunted these forests, bison, elk, wolves, and mountain lions roamed the wilderness. Their memory lives in place names such as Elkhorn Lake, Buffalo Gap, and Wolf Creek. Now, larger wildlife include the black bear, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and great blue heron. When larger animals are nowhere to be seen, the forests are still full of smaller life. Crayfish hide beneath rocks in the streams.
Salamanders are in damp areas under leaves and rocks.
Flying squirrels, opossums, and raccoons visit campgrounds at night. By day, chipmunks skitter back and forth from their dens in the woods, and groundhogs grow fat and sassy in fields and on roadsides. Where vegetation is dense, the variety of morning birdsong can be astounding. Totaling 1.8 million acres, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests occupy parts of several major mountain ranges in the Valley and Ridge province. Owned by the public, most areas of the forest are open for hiking, camping, wading, wildlife watching, wildflower identification, photography, cross-country skiing, picnicking, and seasonal hunting and fishing.