Virginia trails · Ridge Trail
Ridge Trail
A 10.6-mile network in Virginia, with 2,335 ft of climbing. Reaches Old Rag Mountain. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 52% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 3.5. It gives back about 2,515 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Old Rag Mountain (summit)
Heads up
Getting there
Weakley Hollow Road access. About 51 min drive (21 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Culpeper. 38.57038, -78.30040 · 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 6:36 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 10.6-mile route takes roughly 5 h 05 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 12:25 p.m. — 6 h 11 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Ridge Trail + Lake Trail + Fire Trail — 1.4 mi loop, 360 ft gain
- Mountain Orchard Connector + Fire Trail + Ridge Trail — 1.4 mi loop, 422 ft gain
- Ridge Trail + Turtle Trail — 1.8 mi loop, 392 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Whiteoak Canyon Trail — 3.4 mi
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 4.4 mi
- Nicholson Hollow Trail — 4.4 mi
- Cedar Run Trail — 4.8 mi