A short distance separates scorched hillsides, stark rockpiles and dry forest on one side and exceedingly rich vegetation on the crest of the Blue Ridge on the other.

James River Face Wilderness is located in the Jefferson National Forest several miles from Natural Bridge Station, Virginia.

It is bounded on the northeast by the James River, on the west by Forest Service Road 35, and on the south by the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The area contains the former Francis T. Anderson's Glenwood Estate, regarded as one of the finest principalities in western Virginia.

The wilderness is being monitored for clean air, with special concern for visibility, water quality and vegetation.