Virginia

Trails in Virginia

8 mapped routes in Virginia: 5 hiking trails, 2 scenic drives and 1 cycling route. Together they cover 125 km with 1,026 m of climbing, and the highest point reaches 1,026 m. Every route has a GPX download, elevation profile, gradient and surface analysis.

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Plate US-VA · 8 routes · GPS traced

Mapped routes: 8
Total distance: 125km
Total climbing: 1,026m
Highest point: 1,026m
Water crossings: 14

Destination guide

About trails in Virginia

Virginia drops from the Appalachian highlands in the southwest to tidewater lowlands by the Chesapeake Bay, and its routes follow that slope. The highest walking is in Giles County, where the Bald Knob and Bear Cliffs Hike climbs above 1,000 m near Mountain Lake and rewards a short, steady ascent with wide views over the Ridge-and-Valley country. In Wythe County, the Dry Run Gap Trail Spur also stays close to 1,000 m on a forested ridge.

In Northern Virginia the character changes. The Difficult Run Trail Loop follows a rocky stream toward the Potomac near Great Falls, and the Balmoral and Bull Run-Occoquan Trail Walk tracks the Bull Run floodplain. Mountain bikers can try the Fredericksburg Quarry Trails Ride, a hard, twisting ride along the Rappahannock. Richmond park walks and a Chesapeake drive that dips below sea level round out the list.

Best time to go: April to June and mid-September to November are ideal. Summer brings humidity and afternoon thunderstorms, and winter ice can linger on the high ridges around Mountain Lake.
Terrain: The terrain ranges from sea-level marsh roads near Chesapeake to rocky ridgelines just over 1,000 m in the Appalachians; most outings are easy or moderate, while the Fredericksburg singletrack is the one hard route.
Permits & access: Great Falls Park, next to the Difficult Run area, is a National Park Service site with a vehicle entrance fee; most county parks and national forest trailheads in the southwest are free to use.

Ways to explore