Crow's Nest Natural Area Preserve is a large wilderness area located on the southern border of Stafford County, Virginia, United States, between Potomac Creek and Accokeek Creek. The greater portion of the Crow's Nest Peninsula is approximately 3800acre and lies within the coastal plain of Virginia. About 2872acre of the peninsula is protected as part of the Virginia Natural Area Preserve System.Virtually the entire Crow's Nest Peninsula is forested with an impressive, mature stand of mixed hardwoods. Hardwood forests of this extent are becoming increasingly rare in the Virginia and Chesapeake Bay coastal plain due to prevalent forestry practices and fragmentation of natural areas for development and agriculture. The size and continuity of this hardwood stand enhance its viability and its value in providing a large, unfragmented natural area for diverse organisms. Within a relatively short time (50–100 years), this forest will also comprise a substantial occurrence of old-growth forest with inestimable scientific, biological, and aesthetic values. Currently, trees greater than 60cm diameter at breast height (dbh) are common, and very large relict tree specimens are scattered throughout the site.The entire Crow's Nest Peninsula is undeveloped and is primarily forested with mature stands of hardwood trees such as oaks and hickories. This is especially true in the eastern half of the peninsula and the northern slopes facing Accokeek Creek. The coastal plain landscape in this region of Virginia was formed beginning in the late Triassic period, approximately 230 million years ago, through the rise and fall of the sea. Crow's Nest is approximately in length from east to west, 1.5mi across and rises 160ft above the surrounding Accokeek and Potomac creeks. The peninsula is highly dissected on its north and south sides by steep ravines flowing into these two fresh-water tidal creeks. In contrast, most landscapes in the coastal plain of Virginia are relatively flat and/or gently rolling. Crow's Nest's dramatic rise to 160ft above Potomac and Accokeek creeks is startling compared to the adjacent peninsulas in Stafford County, such as Marlborough Point and Widewater Peninsula, which are relatively flat.
