Virginia trails · Wild Oak
Wild Oak
A 26.6-mile loop in Virginia, with 2,753 ft of climbing. Reaches Little Bald Knob and other summit destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 48% of the ascent falls between mile 17.7 and mile 26.6. It gives back about 7,105 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Little Bald Knob (summit)
- Hankey Mountain (summit)
- Big Bald Knob (summit)
- Grindstone Mountain (summit)
- Lookout Mountain (summit)
Heads up
Getting there
WILD OAK TRAILHEAD — parking nearby. About 49 min drive (20 mi) from Harrisonburg. 38.36705, -79.16427 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:57 a.m., the sun rises at 7:24 a.m. and sets at 6:40 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:07 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 16 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 26.6-mile route takes roughly 11 h 13 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 6:37 p.m. — 3 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Betsy + Dowells Draft + Wild Oak — 3.9 mi loop, 588 ft gain
- Magic Moss + Betsy + Wild Oak — 4.5 mi loop, 1,100 ft gain
- Hankey Mountain Trail + Wild Oak + Pioneer — 11.4 mi loop, 1,731 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Bald Ridge — 7.7 mi
- Trayfoot Mountain Trail — 23.4 mi
- Riprap Trail — 24.2 mi
- Furnace Mountain Trail — 24.4 mi