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Virginia trails · Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail - Highland Section

Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail - Highland Section

A 7.8-mile out-and-back in Virginia, with 769 ft of climbing. Reaches Ran Polly Gap and other pass/viewpoint destinations.

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Length
7.8 mi
Elevation gain
769 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
33%
Steepest mile
+453 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
4.1 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Surface
Dirt

Elevation profile

2,505 – 3,269 ft1234567

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 1,909 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Pine Mountain State Scenic Trail - Highland Section

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

Reaches

Heads up

Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:11 a.m., the sun rises at 7:37 a.m. and sets at 6:55 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:21 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 18 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 15.6-mile round trip takes roughly 6 h 33 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:10 p.m. — 4 h 45 min before sunset.

Loop options

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