Virginia trails · Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
A 125.9-mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in Virginia, with 1,861 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 2,197 miles. Reaches Powell Gap and other pass/spring/summit destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 22,816 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Powell Gap (pass)
- Hazeltop (summit)
- Lewis Spring (spring)
- Bootens Gap (pass)
- Compton Gap (pass)
- Swift Run Gap (pass)
- Blackrock Gap (pass)
- North Marshall (summit)
- Weaver Mountain (summit)
- Sugarloaf (summit)
Heads up
Getting there
Appalachian National Scenic Trail access — parking nearby, restroom. About 57 min drive (32 mi) from Culpeper. 38.62397, -78.34347 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:54 a.m., the sun rises at 7:21 a.m. and sets at 6:36 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:03 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 16 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 125.9-mile route works out to roughly 47 h 33 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Neighbor Mtn Trail + Neighbor Mtn Access Trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 3.3 mi loop, 919 ft gain
- Rocky Branch Trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail + Piney Branch Trail — 15.1 mi loop, 3,675 ft gain
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail + Wilburn Ridge + Unnamed trail — 13.6 mi loop, 2,844 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Nicholson Hollow Trail — 1.1 mi
- Ridge Trail — 4.4 mi
- Cedar Run Trail — 5.2 mi
- Hull School Trail — 5.3 mi