Please make plans to join the Nature Foundation at Wintergreen, Wintergreen Resort and the Wintergreen Property Owners Association on Saturday, June 28, 2025 to celebrate the community acquisition of Crawford’s Knob. The initial save the date announcement is available here. Additional details to come.
Crawford’s Knob Natural Area Preserve lies within the boundaries of Wintergreen. In 2005, Wintergreen Resort, owners of the land, created a conservation easement on the property with the non-profit Nature Foundation at Wintergreen serving as the manager and steward of this parcel. In 2009, the property took on additional protection when it was dedicated to Virginia’s natural area preserve system in exchange for roughly $3 million in state tax credits. In 2012 James C. Justice purchased the resort operation and sold it in 2015, keeping title to some of what was the resort’s acreage within Wintergreen, including Crawford’s Knob. In 2025 the Crawford’s Knob property was acquired by the Nature Foundation at Wintergreen thanks to a generous donation from a long-time Wintergreen homeowner.
Crawford’s Knob’s Greenstone-influenced soil has led to the development of a rare wetland community known as a mountain-piedmont basic seepage swamp.
Spring water seeping up through cobbles along the headwaters of Paul's Creek supports a lush flora characterized by red maple (Acer rubrum), white ash (Fraxinus americana) and yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis) in the overstory, spicebush (Lindera benzoin var. benzoin) in the mid-story, and a herbaceous community comprised of various orchids, lilies, ferns, grasses and sedges.
Upslope from the swamp is an expanse of mature hardwoods, interspersed with steep, thinly vegetated outcrops. Crawsford’s Knob lies along a narrow section of the Blue Ridge, which is a critical bird migration corridor.
The Natural Heritage Program of Virginia’s Department of Conservation and Recreation focuses on science-based conservation to protect Virginia's native plant and animal life and its ecosystems. Data on natural communities and rare plants and animals is compiled to develop land conservation plans and online mapping tools and provide up-to-date information to enable timely conservation decisions. Virginia's Natural Area Preserve System offers long-term protection and outdoor recreation access to some of the state and the planet's most ecologically significant lands.
Crawford’s Knob is named for William H. Crawford.