Virginia trails · Whiteoak Canyon Trail
Whiteoak Canyon Trail
A 14.8-mile loop in Virginia, with 2,390 ft of climbing. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the first third: 50% of the ascent falls between mile 0.0 and mile 5.5. It gives back about 3,427 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Heads up
Getting there
Whiteoak Canyon Trail access — parking nearby. 38.53962, -78.34931 · 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 14.8-mile route takes roughly 6 h 40 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 1:21 p.m. — 6 h 24 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Whiteoak Canyon Trail — 9.4 mi loop, 2,768 ft gain
- Whiteoak Canyon Trail — 9.8 mi loop, 2,819 ft gain
- Whiteoak Canyon Trail — 11.1 mi loop, 2,806 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Skyland-Big Meadows Horse Trail — 2.3 mi
- Cedar Run Trail — 2.3 mi
- Ridge Trail — 3.4 mi
- Nicholson Hollow Trail — 5.1 mi