Virginia trails · Chief Benge Scout
Chief Benge Scout
A 15.6-mile out-and-back in Virginia, with 1,960 ft of climbing. Reaches High Knob and other lake/pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 47% of the ascent falls between mile 10.4 and mile 15.6. It gives back about 1,214 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- High Knob (summit)
- Bark Camp Lake (lake)
- Brushy Knob (summit)
- Edith Gap (pass)
Getting there
LITTLE STONY — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 52 min drive (27 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Big Stone Gap. 36.86945, -82.46368 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:10 a.m., the sun rises at 7:36 a.m. and sets at 6:54 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:21 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 19 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 31.2-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 31 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Nearby trails
- Brumley Mountain Trail — 21.0 mi
- Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail - Highland Section — 22.2 mi
- Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail — 22.5 mi
- Haysi-Ridgeview Trail System — 25.6 mi