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Virginia trails · Flat Top Trail

Flat Top Trail

A 5.3-mile out-and-back in Virginia, with 1,589 ft of climbing. Reaches Peaks of Otter and other arch/lake/spring/summit destinations.

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Length
5.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,589 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
30%
Steepest mile
+930 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
2.9 mi
Shape
out-and-back

Elevation profile

2,399 – 3,988 ft12345

Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 63% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 1.8. It gives back about 1,240 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. About 53 min drive (37 mi) from Lexington. 37.46835, -79.58047 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:58 a.m., the sun rises at 7:25 a.m. and sets at 6:42 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:09 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 18 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 31 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:56 p.m. — 5 h 46 min before sunset.

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