Virginia trails · Nicholson Hollow Trail
Nicholson Hollow Trail
A 11.4-mile loop in Virginia, with 2,177 ft of climbing. Reaches Hughes River Gap and other pass/spring destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 55% of the ascent, between mile 7.6 and mile 11.4. It gives back about 2,171 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Hughes River Gap (pass)
- Dale Spring (spring)
Heads up
Getting there
Crusher Ridge Trail access. About 1 h 00 min drive (34 mi) from Culpeper. 38.61366, -78.35997 · 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 6:37 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 11.4-mile route takes roughly 5 h 20 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:40 p.m. — 5 h 56 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Nicholson Hollow Trail — 3.4 mi loop, 483 ft gain
- Nicholson Hollow Trail — 8.1 mi loop, 1,008 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 1.1 mi
- Cedar Run Trail — 4.2 mi
- Ridge Trail — 4.4 mi
- Whiteoak Canyon Trail — 5.1 mi