The Land and Natural Resources of Bath County

The Land and Natural Resources of Bath County. . , Atop Warm Springs Mountain, one gazes across a see of ridges rolling to the horizon , an unexpected, unbroken forest in a well-traversed part of America. The view was much the same for the Algonquins, who called these mountains allegheny, meaning "endless." To those native people, these seemingly endless mountains and valleys were sacred hunting and fishing grounds. Early colonists followed in their footsteps along well-worn bison and game trails, discovering the thermal springs for which this mountain is named.

Today, these historic highlands are also recognized as one of North America's richest natural treasures and are home to one of the healthiest, most biologically diverse forests in the world. These forests shelter cool headwater streams that deliver clean water to larger rivers, and eventually to millions of people in the East. One of those rivers, the Cowpasture, lies in a valley in front of you. Widely considered Virginia's most pristine river, it winds freely for some 75 miles through a rural landscape of farm fields and pastures. The Cowpasture and Jackson rivers merge near the town of Iron Gate to form the James River, which flows on to the Chesapeake Bay.

Warm Springs Mountain and lands stretching for miles to the east originally comprised the Douthat Survey, a vast colonial land grant. Now much of this landscape is part of the George Washington National Forest, Douthat State Park, several state wildlife management areas, or The Nature Conservancy's Warm Springs Mountain Preserve, which immediately surrounds this overlook.