The Glenwood Cluster is a region in the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests recognized by The Wilderness Society for its rich biodiversity, scenery, wildflower displays, cold-water trout streams and horse trails.

The Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail traverse the area, giving ready access with views to the east of the Piedmont region and to the west of the Valley of Virginia.

[3] The Blue Ridge Parkway, completed in 1935, follows the mountain tops at an average elevation of 3000 feet, giving access to scenic overlooks and natural areas along the way.

A 43 mile section of the trail passes through the cluster from its crossing of the James River on the north to VA 43 on the south.

Its construction overcame steep terrain, eroded mountainsides, granite and gneiss bedrock and extreme winter weather.

The highway, administered by the National Park Service, is closed when snow and ice create driving hazards.

The Blue Ridge, the easternmost of the Appalachian Mountains, extends from Georgia to Pennsylvania, with widths ranging from 5 to 50 miles (8.0 to 80.5 km).

A natural landscape contains a blend of ecosystems—mountain slopes, moist areas, soil types, temperatures—over which species can roam in their search for mates, foraging for food, and the avoidance of predators and other stress-inducing hazards.

[11]: 109–114 The bird population is also affected by the division of undisturbed forest into islands with edges defined by roads.

Predators of birds, such as raccoons, snakes, skunks, house cats and egg-eating crows and blue jays, are often found at forest edges.

[3] The cluster contains pockets of old-growth forests, wild and complex mixtures of different species and ages of trees supporting a great diversity of organisms living in a relationship that has evolved over many centuries.

The early Glenwood purchase unit was composed of 60–90% American chestnut, a favored slope species by silvicultural techniques in 1914.

[13] Other clusters of the Wilderness Society's "Mountain Treasures" in the Jefferson National Forest (north to south):