Patterson Mountain, 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.

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

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

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] Patterson Mountain was inventoried in the roadless area review, and therefore protected from possible road construction and timber sales.

[3] A 2009 study concluded that annual maintenance in the area was not keeping up with continual degradation leading to gullied trails, sediment in stream channels and unlawful use in sensitive riparian habitat.