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Virginia trails · Flat Top Trail

Flat Top Trail

A 5.3-mile out-and-back in Virginia, with 1,590 ft of climbing. Reaches Peaks of Otter and other arch/lake/spring/summit destinations.

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Length
5.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,590 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
30%
Steepest mile
+930 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
3.6 mi
Shape
out-and-back

Elevation profile

2,399 – 3,988 ft123456

Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 70% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 2.0. It gives back about 1,889 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Flat Top Trail

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

Flat Top Mountain — parking nearby. 37.46835, -79.58047 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:20 a.m., the sun rises at 6:47 a.m. and sets at 7:49 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:15 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 02 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 10.6-mile round trip takes roughly 5 h 30 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:17 p.m. — 7 h 31 min before sunset.

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