West Virginia trails · North Fork Mtn (N.F Gap-Red)

North Fork Mtn (N.F Gap-Red)

A 7.3-mile out-and-back in West Virginia, with 2,343 ft of climbing. Reaches Chimney Top. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length

7.3 mi

Elevation gain

2,343 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

27%

Steepest mile

+861 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

3.3 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 — 67% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 2.5.

3-D terrain

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Chimney Top (arch)

Heads up

Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

NORTH FORK MTN. AT CHIMNEY TOP TRAILHEAD — parking nearby. About 1 h 14 min drive (51 mi) from Elkins. 38.98155, -79.23113 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:58 a.m., the sun rises at 7:25 a.m. and sets at 6:40 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:06 p.m. (EDT) — 11 h 15 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 14.7-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 47 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:12 p.m. — 3 h 28 min before sunset.