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 is spread fairly evenly along the route.
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 October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:52 a.m., the sun rises at 7:19 a.m. and sets at 6:33 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:00 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 14 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 10:14 a.m. — 8 h 19 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Appalachian Trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 3.6 mi loop, 444 ft gain
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail + Appalachian Trail — 3.9 mi loop, 502 ft gain
- Ridge To River Trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail + Appalachian Trail — 4.4 mi loop, 986 ft gain
Across the border
- Continues into MD as Unnamed trail — view on the map
Nearby trails
- Visitor Center Trail — 0.4 mi
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail — 1.4 mi
- Appalachian Trail — 4.2 mi
- Shannondale Springs Trail - West — 7.8 mi