West Virginia trails · Visitor Center Trail
Visitor Center Trail
A 4.6-mile loop in West Virginia, with 237 ft of climbing. Reaches Lake Quigley (historical) and other arch/lake/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the National Park Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the middle third: 47% of the ascent falls between mile 1.8 and mile 3.5. It gives back about 412 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Lake Quigley (historical) (lake)
- Jefferson Rock (arch)
- Jefferson Rock (viewpoint)
Getting there
Unnamed trail access — parking nearby. 39.32198, -77.73227 · 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 4.6-mile route takes roughly 1 h 50 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:27 a.m. — 11 h 16 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Unnamed trail + Virginius Island Trail + Visitor Center Trail — 1.8 mi loop, 438 ft gain
- Unnamed trail + Visitor Center Trail + Cliff Trail — 4.3 mi loop, 933 ft gain
- Hamilton Street Trail + Virginius Island Trail + Visitor Center Trail — 0.8 mi loop, 40 ft gain
Across the border
- Continues into MD as Jefferson Rock Connector — view on the map
- Continues into MD as Appalachian National Scenic Trail — view on the map
Nearby trails
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail — 0.2 mi
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 0.4 mi
- Appalachian Trail — 4.5 mi
- Shannondale Springs Trail - West — 8.3 mi