West Virginia trails · Allegheny Mountain Trail

Allegheny Mountain Trail

A 13.2-mile out-and-back in West Virginia, with 2,117 ft of climbing. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length

13.2 mi

Elevation gain

2,117 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

37%

Steepest mile

+697 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

2.9 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Bikes

yes

Horses

yes

Managed by

U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 69% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 4.4. It gives back about 1,027 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

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

ALLEGHENY MTN./BIG RUN TRAILHEAD — parking nearby. About 1 h 21 min drive (39 mi, 2 of them unpaved) from Elkins. 38.71331, -79.56775 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:59 a.m., the sun rises at 7:26 a.m. and sets at 6:41 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:08 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 15 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 26.3-mile round trip works out to roughly 11 h 51 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.

Loop options

Allegheny Mountain Trail + Tom Lick Trail + Seneca Creek Trail — 4.5 mi loop, 659 ft gain
Allegheny Mountain Trail + North Prong Trail + Big Run Trail — 6.8 mi loop, 927 ft gain