West Virginia trails · Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
A 16.9-mile section of the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in West Virginia, with 893 ft of climbing. The full trail runs about 2,197 miles. Reaches Keys Gap and other pass/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by Potomac Appalachian Trail Club.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 59% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 5.6. It gives back about 2,578 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Keys Gap (pass)
- Wilson Gap (pass)
- Raven Rocks (summit)
- WeatherTop Knob & Overlook (viewpoint)
- Crescent Rock Vista (viewpoint)
Heads up
Getting there
Appalachian National Scenic Trail access — parking nearby. 39.26117, -77.76262 · 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 33.8-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 24 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
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 Trail + Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 4.0 mi loop, 1,348 ft gain
Across the border
- Continues into VA as Appalachian Trail — view on the map
Nearby trails
- Shannondale Springs Trail - West — 4.0 mi
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 4.2 mi
- Visitor Center Trail — 4.5 mi
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail — 4.6 mi