West Virginia trails · Visitor Center Trail
Visitor Center Trail
A 4.6-mile loop in West Virginia, with 238 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 1.5 and mile 3.1. It gives back about 223 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 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 4.6-mile route takes roughly 1 h 50 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:09 a.m. — 9 h 24 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail + Cliff Trail + Visitor Center Trail — 1.6 mi loop, 497 ft gain
- Visitor Center Trail + Virginius Island Trail + Unnamed trail — 0.8 mi loop, 37 ft gain
- Unnamed trail + Virginius Island Trail + Visitor Center Trail — 1.6 mi loop, 404 ft gain
Across the border
- Continues into MD as Appalachian National Scenic Trail — view on the map
Nearby trails
- Appalachian National Scenic Trail — 0.4 mi
- Chesapeake and Ohio Canal Trail — 1.6 mi
- Appalachian Trail — 4.5 mi
- Shannondale Springs Trail - West — 8.2 mi