West Virginia trails · Appalachian National Scenic Trail
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
A 6.7-mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in West Virginia, with 892 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 2,197 miles. Reaches Jefferson Rock and other arch/lake/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 55% of the ascent falls between mile 6.5 and mile 9.7. It gives back about 2,476 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Jefferson Rock (arch)
- Loudoun Heights (summit)
- Lake Quigley (historical) (lake)
- Jefferson Rock (viewpoint)
Getting there
Appalachian National Scenic Trail access. 39.31900, -77.73954 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:10 a.m., the sun rises at 6:38 a.m. and sets at 7:43 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:11 p.m. (EDT) — 13 h 05 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 6.7-mile route takes roughly 2 h 55 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:33 a.m. — 10 h 10 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Appalachian Trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 6.4 mi loop, 295 ft gain
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail + Appalachian Trail — 1.4 mi loop, 563 ft gain
- Unnamed trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 2.0 mi loop, 746 ft gain
Across the border
- Continues into MD as Appalachian National Scenic Trail — view on the map
- Continues into MD as Unnamed trail — view on the map
Nearby trails
- Visitor Center Trail — 0.4 mi
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail — 0.6 mi
- Appalachian Trail — 4.2 mi
- Shannondale Springs Trail - West — 7.9 mi