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The Channels Natural Area Preserve, located within the Channels State Forest, is managed by the Department of Forestry in partnership with the Department of Conservation and Recreation.The preserve name is derived from the maze-like system of sandstone crevices and boulders that occur near the summit of Middle Knob on Clinch Mountain. The Channels were likely formed while the high-elevation sandstone cap was under the influence of permafrost and ice wedging during the last ice age. These forces shattered...

Brush Mountain Wilderness lies north of and in close proximity to Blacksburg. It extends for 8 miles along the northwest slope of Brush Mountain, bounded to the east by a power line, to the northwest by Craig Creek and private property, and to the southeast by Forest road 188.1 along the crest of the mountain.Brush Mountain is capped by a resistant layer of Devonian sandstone, with the underlying shales giving rise to a series of...