Users of SRW must enter it via the Greenbrier River (easily fordable at low-normal flows upstream of Spice Run), or by hiking in from the adjacent Calvin Price State Forest, or by driving a high-clearance vehicle to the southeastern corner of the Wilderness along Greenbrier County Route 16.

[5] Spice Run was named after a native shrub, Lindera benzoin — known as "spicebush" or "spicewood".

The Spice Run Lumber Company created a logging boom town that harvested stands of timber to float down the Greenbrier River for the sawmills.

In 2009, Spice Run was designated a Wilderness along with several other areas of Monongahela National Forest.

Besides fishing, camping, hiking, botany and bird watching are popular activities.