OVERVIEW

Located in Waiteville, WV, Bear Wallow Hollow offers three remote wooded acres with a mountain creek.  There is power on the property adding to its value as a nice camping location.  Bear Wallow Hollow also boasts a deeded walkway to the George Washington – Jefferson National Forest.   Nearby are Potts Creek, a trout stream, the Allegheny Trail and the Hanging Rock Observatory.  Enjoy the fresh mountain air.  Nice spot for a cabin, camping and hunting.  Bear Wallow Hollow’s access to George Washington – Jefferson National Forest provides 1000s of acres of land to explore or hunt.  No deed restrictions.   Campers welcome.  The mountain creek attracts birds and wildlife.

Wild mushrooms growing on the trail called Black Trumpets are said to be edible and very delicious.  Ramps, morrell mushrooms, wild herbs, wild asparagus, birch bark, ginseng and many other edibles are native to this area.   Bear, deer, coyote, squirrel and all the mountain wildlife are abundant here.   Whippoorwills and hoot owls will sing you to sleep on a starry night in the mountains.   A fine place to take a little time and be with nature.   No major highways, trains, industry or noise.   Just the sound of the birds, crickets and the creek.  Perfect little place for a large mountain experience.

There is plenty of adventure nearby on the Allegheny Trail, Potts Creek Trout Stream,  Hanging Rock Observatory,  Swinging Bridge Restaurant and Country Store and Buffalo Farms and ATV Riding.  Explore the Mountain Life.

LOCATION

Google Coordinates: 37.530617°(N), -80.339657°(W)
Address: Bear Wallow Hollow, Waiteville, WV 24984; No 911 address is assigned to property without structures.
Elevation Range: 2086 ft. to 2103 ft. +/-

NEARBY AMMENITIES

George Washington – Jefferson National Forest

Bear Wallow Hollow has deeded access to the vast George Washington- Jefferson National Forest.

The George Washington & Jefferson National Forest contains over 1,061,000 acres.  In 1995, the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests were administratively combined to form one of the largest areas of public land in the Eastern United States. They cover 1.8 million acres of land in the Appalachian Mountains of Virginia, West Virginia, and Kentucky. Approximately 1 million acres of the forest are remote and undeveloped, and 139,461 acres have been designated as wilderness areas, which eliminates future development.

The National Forests are traversed by the Blue Ridge Parkway and are located within eight major river basins: the Potomac, James, Roanoke, New, Big Sandy, Holston, Cumberland, and Clinch Rivers. Average discharge of surface water from National Forest lands is estimated to be 2.2 million acre feet.

The Forests contain 2,340 miles of perennial streams, of which over 1,000 miles are trout waters. There are 82 reservoirs within or immediately downstream from the National Forests, 16 of which are used for municipal water supply. Lake Moomaw is among the largest reservoir (2530 acres) providing flood control, water quality control, and recreation opportunities.

Potts Creek WMA (18,526 acres) Monroe County

Accessible by state Routes 15, 17 or 20. Oak-pine forests covers the mountainous terrain that ranges in elevation from 2,000 to 3,600 feet. Hunting in this area is good for bear, deer, turkey, grouse, rabbit and squirrel. Potts Creek and the North and South forks of Potts Creek provide trout fishing.

The Potts Valley Rail Trail

The Potts Valley Rail Trail is a 9 mile lightly trafficked out and back trail located near Waiteville, West Virginia, that features a cave and is good for all skill levels. The trail offers a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.  The Rail Trail is very private and serene! The history aspect is what really makes the trail.

The Potts Valley Rail Trail is built upon an abandoned corridor of the Norfolk and Western Branch rail line. Called the Potts Valley Branch, it operated between 1909 and 1932 and was built to haul iron ore, then timber, out of the lush mountain region. Much of the 5-mile rail-trail lies within the George Washington and Jefferson national forests, while a small portion is on a private property right-of-way. Along the trail you will find interpretive signs about Potts Valley’s history as well as benches to stop and take in the scenery or the quiet solitude of the forest.

The southwest trailhead lies a few hundred yards from the Eastern Continental Divide, which at that location separates the headwaters of Stony Creek (a New River tributary) and Potts Creek (a James River tributary). Mountain ridges on each side of the valley trail reach elevations of between 3,700 and 4,100 feet, and the trail overlooks the South Fork of Potts Creek, a brook trout stream.

The trailhead begins in West Virginia, just shy of the border with Virginia, on State Secondary Route 17 (Waiteville Road). The trail traverses a forest of mixed pine and hardwood, with rhododendron in the understory. Because it was a former railroad grade, the slopes along the Potts Valley Rail Trail are gentle. Beginning at the southwest trailhead, you will follow the border of the Mountain Lake Wilderness, the largest wilderness area in the Jefferson National Forest.

Take one of the side trails and view the handiwork of stone masons, who carved culverts for the forest’s ubiquitous streams to run underneath the former rail line. At about the 3-mile point, you arrive at the site of the former Crosier trestle. The wooden bridge, once 98 feet tall and 600 feet long, carried trains across the stream. Unfortunately, rebuilding it for foot traffic was unfeasible, so the rail-trail detours here down slope away from the rail bed. Notice the hand-cut stone pillars that once supported the railroad bridge.

About 0.75 mile beyond Crosier Branch (a stream you must cross), the trail enters private property and continues for another 0.5 mile to the northwest trailhead. A bench just before the trailhead provides a great location for enjoying the pastoral scenery. The trail ends about a mile or so above Waiteville, but if you continue on (following public roads), you come across the old Waiteville depot then the Paint Bank, another former depot (now a lodge). In the nearby brick building, you’ll find a general store and restaurant.

Mountain bikers can do a loop ride by using State Secondary Route 17 (Waiteville Road) and State Secondary Route 15/5 (Rays Siding Road) to reach the trailheads of the Potts Valley Rail Trail.

Allegheny Trail and Hanging Rock Observatory

The Allegheny Trail is a backpacking and mountain bike trail that runs 330 miles along some of the most breathtaking mountaintops in the Allegheny and the Ridge and Valley Ranges in West Virginia. Most of its access points are within a few miles of US 219, and it follows a similar path through dense Mountain Laurel, and forests of spruce pine, and hardwood, with views extending into both Virginia and West Virginia.  The trail begins near Bruceton Mills, WV (Preston County) and ends where it joins the Appalachian Trail on Peters Mountain, WV (Monroe County), about ten miles Southwest of the Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory.

The Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory is located along the crest of Peters Mountain near the town of Waiteville in Monroe County, West Virginia.  It is in the Jefferson National Forest along the Allegheny Trail. This observatory in rural West Virginia is on a major north-south flyway for hawks of various kinds, and things really heat up during spring and fall migrations. The broad-wing hawk migration, with the tiny hawks on the move from Canada and New England down to South America. Hanging Rock has been a monitoring point for hawk, eagle, falcon, and osprey migration along the birds’ eastern route.

The unusually steep ridge also provides a special opportunity for migrating raptors. The birds use the air currents that drift up from the mountain to glide south, as they make their way to warmer climates. On Tuesday, volunteer counters at the Hanging Rock Observatory tallied 347 raptors-including 7 bald eagles. That’s down from 1,592 total raptors they counted last year on the same day. Volunteers say that fewer colder days in September might be the reason the migration has been slower this year. They expect more broad-winged hawks to fly over Hanging Rock in the next week or so.

Hanging Rock is located along the Allegheny Trail hiking system, which runs entirely through West Virginia. The Allegheny Trail also connects to the Appalachian Hiking Trail, about 12 miles east of the Hanging Rock Observatory. In October, visitors will be counting more owls, falcons and eagles that will travel along Peters Mountain.

The third week in September is normally the peak season for broad-winged hawks to migrate through West Virginia. Hundreds of volunteers will also travel to Hanging Rock Raptor Observatory in Monroe County to help count the migrating hawks, eagles and falcons.

MINERAL RESOURCES

West Virginia is one of the states in the US that has two ownership titles, those being SURFACE RIGHTS and MINERAL RIGHTS. A title search for mineral rights ownership has not been conducted. All rights the owner has will convey with the property. A mineral title search could be conducted by a title attorney at the same time when the surface title search is being conducted.

BOUNDARIES AND SURVEY

The boundary is described by metes and bounds in the owner’s deed, and was created as part of a subdivision. The property is being sold by the boundary and not by the acre.

UTILITIES

Water:  A well would need to be drilled
Sewer:  A septic system would need to be installed
Electricity:  On site
Telephone: None
Cellphone Coverage: Very Good

ZONING

There is currently no county zoning in Monroe County. All prospective purchasers are encouraged to contact the Monroe County Health Department for answers regarding installation of septic systems and water wells. Further information on county zoning may be answered by contacting the Monroe County Commission.

DEED AND TAX INFORMATION

Deed Information: DB 267 Pg. 240
Monroe County, West Virginia

Acreage: 3.02 acres +/-
Real Estate Tax ID/Acreage/Taxes:

Monroe County (32), West Virginia
Sweet Springs District (6)

Tax Map 37 Parcel 5.19; Class 3

2020 Real Estate Taxes: $61

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Monroe County School District

Public Elementary School:
Mountain View Elementary School

Public Middle School:
Mountain View Middle School

Public High School:
James Monroe High School