Virginia trails · Virginia Highlands
Virginia Highlands
A 58.2-mile point-to-point in Virginia, with 1,685 ft of climbing. Reaches Chestnut Knob and other pass/summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 46% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 19.4. It gives back about 7,604 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Chestnut Knob (summit)
- Ewing Mountain (summit)
- Mikes Gap (pass)
- Horse Heaven (summit)
Heads up
Getting there
Virginia Highlands access. About 32 min drive (17 mi, 1 of them unpaved) from Marion. 36.72140, -81.48185 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:06 a.m., the sun rises at 7:32 a.m. and sets at 6:51 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:17 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 19 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 58.2-mile route works out to roughly 22 h 24 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Virginia Highlands + Helton Creek + Helton Creek Spur — 5.0 mi loop, 1,010 ft gain
- Virginia Highlands + Crest + Lewis Fork — 12.5 mi loop, 2,498 ft gain
- Scales + Virginia Highlands + Wilson Creek — 2.5 mi loop, 440 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Iron Mountain — 3.7 mi