Virginia trails · Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail
Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail
A 21.2-mile loop in Virginia, with 815 ft of climbing. Reaches Fishers Gap and other pass/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 3,624 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Fishers Gap (pass)
- Hawksbill Gap (pass)
- Old Rag View Overlook (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Hawksbill Gap Trailhead — parking nearby. 38.55615, -78.38686 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:14 a.m., the sun rises at 6:41 a.m. and sets at 7:45 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:12 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 04 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 21.2-mile route takes roughly 8 h 15 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:56 p.m. — 4 h 49 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail — 5.8 mi loop, 1,157 ft gain
- Rose River Loop Trail + Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail + Rose River Fire Road — 9.8 mi loop, 2,419 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Cedar Run Trail — 0.0 mi
- Whiteoak Canyon Trail — 2.3 mi
- Nicholson Hollow Trail — 4.2 mi
- Ridge Trail — 4.8 mi