Hoop Hole, 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.

[1] Popular with hunters and anglers, the area has a National Recreation Trail that offers outstanding views of streams and waterfalls.

The Appalachian Mountains were extensively timbered in the early twentieth century leaving logging roads that are becoming overgrown but still passable.

[5] Old logging roads and railroad grades can be located by consulting the historical topographic maps available from the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

[2] Unusual flora and fauna found in the area include a globally rare shrub, the pirate bush; and an invertebrate the orangefin madtom.

Table mountain pine requires fire to regenerate because it has serotinous cones that need heat to open and disperse its seeds.

The moist environment along the trail and its orientation toward the sun create a habitat for the most diverse collection of wildflowers in the New Castle Ranger District.

Among the flowers found here are the showy orchis, the crested dwarf iris, jack-in-the pulpit, bloodroot, black-eyed susan, trout lily and many varieties of trillium.

Colorful marble-sized stones, a product of the slag formed during the heating of the rock, similar to the volcanic glass obsidian, can be found on the grounds about the furnace.

The rule provided some degree of protection by reducing the negative environmental impact of road construction and thus promoting the conservation of roadless areas.

[1] Hoop Hole was inventoried in the roadless area review, and therefore protected from possible road construction and timber sales.