Clinch Mountain Wildlife Management Area is dominated by steep mountains and narrow valleys, with elevations ranging from above sea level to at the summit of Beartown Mountain. It is due to this difference in elevation that an unusual type of forest, containing species found in both the southern and northern United States, has developed. The land was virgin forest until late in the nineteenth century, and some evidence of logging, including portions of the former narrow gauge railroad, can still be seen. Laurel Bed Lake, a reservoir, is located within the area, in addition to Big Tumbling Creek and several of its tributaries.