Virginia trails · Black Ridge Trail/Rock Castle Gorge Trail
Black Ridge Trail/Rock Castle Gorge Trail
A 12.8-mile loop in Virginia, with 1,865 ft of climbing. Reaches Rocky Knob and other pass/summit/viewpoint destinations.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 61% of the ascent, between mile 8.5 and mile 12.8. It gives back about 2,644 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Rocky Knob (summit)
- Grassy Knoll (summit)
- The Saddle (pass)
- The Saddle Overlook (viewpoint)
- Rock Castle Gorge (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Black Ridge Trail/Rock Castle Gorge Trail access. About 1 h 07 min drive (42 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Blacksburg. 36.80260, -80.36115 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:01 a.m., the sun rises at 7:27 a.m. and sets at 6:46 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:12 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 19 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 12.8-mile route takes roughly 5 h 40 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 1:07 p.m. — 5 h 39 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Black Ridge Trail/Rock Castle Gorge Trail + Rocky Knob Connector — 1.3 mi loop, 316 ft gain