page_title: Little Walker Mountain (conservation area)
section_title: Location and access
hierarchical_section_title: Little Walker Mountain (conservation area) / Location and access
caption_attribution_description: English: Boundary of the Little Walker Mountan wildland in the Jefferson National Forest as identified by the Wilderness Society
context_page_description: Little Walker Mountain, a wildland in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests of western Virginia, has been recognized by the Wilderness Society as a special place worthy of protection from logging and road construction. The Wilderness Society has designated the area as a “Mountain Treasure”.
  The area includes four mountains, a native trout stream and the headwaters of seven major streams, as well as the watershed for the Gatewood Reservoir that provides water for the town of Pulaski.
  The area is part of the Walker Mountain Cluster.
context_section_description: The area is located in the Appalachian Mountains of Southwestern Virginia, just north of Interstate 81 and about 3 miles west of Pulaski, Virginia.
  In 2011, trails into the area included:
  Tract Fork Trail, 3.9 miles, easy to moderate in difficulty.
  Directions to trailhead:
  The western trailhead can be reached from exit 47 on I-77.  Go east on Va 717 for 2 miles to the junction with SR 601 and SR 603. Then go east on VA 601 for 10.1 miles, turn right (south) onto SR 600(one-lane, gravel), and go 2.5 miles to reach the western trailhead on the left at the crest of Little Walker Mountain.
  To reach the eastern trailhead, leave I-81 at exit 94 and go north on VA99 passing through Pulaski where the road becomes SR 738 (Robinson Tract Rd.  Continue 4 miles and turn left onto SR 641 (Cox Hollow Rd) and go 3.8 miles to the trailhead. The last part of the route is also called Forest Road 682.
  Description: From the eastern trailhead, follow upstream along an old wagon road through a forest of white pines, hemlocks, rhododendrons, hardwoods and wildflowers. At one mile there is a junction with the Polecat Trail on the left. The trail crosses into Wythe county at 1.3 miles, ascends a ridge saddle at 2.5 miles where there is a grass area for a good campsite.  Pioneers used the old wagon road that leaves the trail.  The trail continues to ascend the southern slope of Little Walker Mountain, passing an old road on the left at 3.6 miles and reaches SR 600, the western trailhead, at 4.0 miles.
  Polecat Trail, 1.45 miles, easy to moderate in difficulty.
  Directions to trailhead: The trailhead can be reached from the south by starting at the I-81/I-77 intersection at Fort Chiswell. Go 3 mile on VA 121 and SR 620 passing through Max Meadows to the junction with SR 712.  Turning onto SR 712, go 6 miles, turn onto SR 707 on left and continue for 1.8 miles to the trailhead on the right.  Parking is on the left.
  Description: Following an old railroad grade, the trail crosses a tributary of Peak Creek at 0.6 mile, recrosses the tributary at 0.8 miles to reach a good campsite in a forest of hardwoods and rhododendrons. The trail then climbs a ridge at 1 mile, descends to cross a tributary of Tract Fork to reach the Tract Fork Trail at 1.4 miles.  The eastern trailhead for the Tract Fork Trail is 1 mile on the right, and the western trailhead is 3 miles to the left.
  The boundary of the wildland as determined by the Wilderness Society is shown in the adjacent map.  Additional roads and trails are given on National Geographic Maps 787 (Blacksburg, New River Valley, Trails Illustrated Hiking Maps, 787).  A great variety of information, including topographic maps, aerial views, satellite data and weather information, is obtained by selecting the link with the wild land's coordinates in the upper right of this page.
  Beyond maintained trails, old logging roads can be used to explore the area.  The Appalachian Mountains were extensively timbered in the early twentieth century leaving logging roads that are becoming overgrown but still passable. Old logging roads and railroad grades can be located by consulting the historical topographic maps available from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The Little Walker Mountain wildarea is covered by USGS topographic maps Pulaski and Long Spur.
caption: Boundary of the Little Walker Mountain wildland as identified by the Wilderness Society
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