Appalachian Trail SW Virginia

Appalachian Trail GPS Tracks Get the complete GPS Tracks for the AT from Damascus to the New River for ONLY $1.97!  This .gpx file includes waypoints for all trail shelters along the 160+ miles of trail within this section as well as many of the official AT parking areas.  Use the BUY NOW button below and we'll send you the file via e-mail!  Happy Hiking!

This 167 mile section of the Appalachian Trail features the wild horses of the Grayson Highlands as well as 'the friendliest town on the trail' Damascus on this part of the trail covering Southwestern Virginia.  This rugged section of the AT also features Mount Rogers, Virginia's highest mountain at 5729 feet.  Mount Rogers routinely receives snow from October to May and the summit can be reached from a 0.5 mile side trail.

For north bound thru hikers you'll be leaving the southern Appalachians as the trail crosses I-81.  Damascus, at the start of this section, is a popular stop for thru hikers and many come back for the Appalachian Trail Days, a huge festival usually held every mid-May.  There are 550 miles of the AT in Virginia and this section marks the start of the state for north bound hikers.

Memorable places along this section of the Appalachian Trail include Damascus, Virginia Creeper Trail, Straight Mountain, Buzzard Rock, Whitetop Mountain, Mount Rogers, Wilburn Ridge, Grayson Highlands, Stone Mountain, Pine Mountain, Hurricane Mountain, High Point, South Fork Holston River, Brushy Mountain, Locust Mountain, Glade Mountain, Big Walker Mountain, Chestnut Knob Shelter, Kimberling Creek Suspension Bridge, Angels Rest and Pearis Mountain.

Use the links above to explore different sections of the AT in Southwestern Virginia (links under construction). We suggest the official trail guide book Appalachian Trail Guide to Southwest Virginia to help plan your Appalachian Trail adventure. Look below for a detailed description of key points along the trail in SW Virginia.

Miles from Springer Mtn	Elevation	Key points along the Appalachian Trail in SW Virginia
463.2	3302 feet	TN-VA State Line
464.8	2600 feet	Spring
466.9	1928 feet	US 58 (Damascus, VA 24236)
468.0	1928 feet	US 58, VA 91, Virginia Creeper Trail
470.4	2850 feet	Iron Mountain Trail, Feathercamp Ridge
472.5	2200 feet	US 58, Straight Branch, Feathercamp Branch
473.8	2490 feet	Stream
474.5	2850 feet	Taylors Valley Side Trail
476.0	3500 feet	Straight Mountain
476.3	3310 feet	Saunders Shelter
478.6	3050 feet	Beartree Gap Trail
478.7	3020 feet	Campsite
480.5	2720 feet	VA 728, Creek JCT
480.9	2690 feet	Virginia Creeper Trail, Whitetop Laurel Creek
481.5	2900 feet	VA 859, Grassy Ridge Road
481.7	3040 feet	Spring
482.7	3360 feet	Lost Mountain Shelter
483.8	3160 feet	US 58, Summit Cut VA
484.4	3300 feet	Campsites, stream
485.0	3600 feet	VA 601 aka Beech Mountain Road
487.5	5080 feet	Buzzard Rock, Whitetop Mountain
488.0	5100 feet	Spring
488.2	5150 feet	Whitetop Mountain Road aka USFS 89
490.7	4434 feet	Elk Garden, VA 600 (Whitetop, VA 24292)
492.7	4900 feet	Deep Gap
494.5	5490 feet	Mount Rogers Spur Trail
494.9	5400 feet	Thomas Knob Shelter
495.7	5440 feet	Rhododendron Gap
497.0	4900 feet	Wilburn Ridge
497.8	4800 feet	Trail that leads to Massie Gap
500.0	4460 feet	Grayson Highlands State Park, Wilson Creek Trail, Wise Shelter
500.3	4300 feet	Big Wilson Creek
501.3	4610 feet	Spring
502.5	4820 feet	Stone Mountain
504.2	5000 feet	Pine Mountain
505.9	4050 feet	Old Orchard Shelter
507.6	3480 feet	VA 603, Fox Creek
509.6	4320 feet	Hurricane Mountain
509.9	4240 feet	Iron Mountain Trail, Chestnut Flats
510.9	4300 feet	Hurricane Mountain Shelter
512.3	3000 feet	Stream
514.0	3090 feet	Hurricane Campground Trail
514.9	3100 feet	Comers Creek, Comers Creek Falls Trail
516.1	3300 feet	Dickey Gap, VA 650, VA 16 (Troutdale, VA 24378) (Sugar Grove, VA 24375)
517.6	3570 feet	Campsite, spring
518.2	4040 feet	High Point
520.0	2900 feet	Trimpi Shelter
521.5	2700 feet	VA 672
522.8	2450 feet	VA 670, South Fork Holston River
526.6	3250 feet	VA 601
530.6	3360 feet	Partnership Shelter
530.7	3220 feet	Mount Rogers NRA Headquarters, VA 16 (Sugar Grove, VA 24375) (Marion, VA 24354)
531.4	3270 feet	VA 622
531.9	3600 feet	Brushy Mountain
534.4	3900 feet	Locust Mountain
534.8	3650 feet	USFS 86
535.7	3900 feet	Glade Mountain
537.7	3150 feet	Chatfield Shelter
538.0	3100 feet	USFS 644
539.5	2650 feet	VA 615, Settlers Museum
540.0	2700 feet	VA 729
542.2	2420 feet	VA 683, US 11, I-81 (Atkins, VA 24311) (Marion, VA 24354)
543.3	2580 feet	VA 617
544.0	2610 feet	Spring
544.9	2840 feet	Davis Path Campsite
547.4	3300 feet	Little Brushy Mountain
548.5	2600 feet	Crawfish Valley along Reed Creek
550.2	3500 feet	Tilson Gap, Big Walker Mountain
551.6	2700 feet	VA 610
553.0	2460 feet	VA 742, North Fork of Holston River
554.0	2650 feet	VA 42
554.8	3200 feet	Brushy Mountain
556.1	2880 feet	Knot Maul Branch Shelter
556.3	2810 feet	Spring, Campsite
557.3	2400 feet	Lynn Camp Creek
559.3	3000 feet	Lick Creek
560.6	2380 feet	USFS 222
563.4	3800 feet	Spring fed pond
565.2	4409 feet	Chestnut Knob Shelter
566.5	3520 feet	Walker Gap
571.4	3880 feet	VA 623, Garden Mountain
572.2	3850 feet	Davis Farm Campsite
575.2	2500 feet	Jenkins Shelter
579.4	3080 feet	Brushy Mountain
580.0	2450 feet	VA 615, Laurel Creek
586.9	2900 feet	US 52 (Bland, VA 24315) (Bastian, VA 24314)
587.1	2750 feet	I-77
587.7	2700 feet	VA 612, Kimberling Creek
589.2	3090 feet	Helveys Mill Shelter
595.9	2820 feet	VA 611
597.3	3101 feet	Brushy Mountain
599.0	2800 feet	Jenny Knob Shelter
600.2	2200 feet	VA 608, Crandon
603.5	2900 feet	Brushy Mountain
605.4	2090 feet	Kimberling Creek Suspension Bridge
605.5	2100 feet	VA 606
607.4	2320 feet	Dismal Creek Falls Trail
611.3	2400 feet	Ribble Trail south junction, White Cedar Horse Campground
611.7	2500 feet	Stream
613.2	2640 feet	Wapiti Shelter
618.7	3800 feet	Ribble Trail north junction
618.8	3800 feet	USFS 103, Big Horse Gap
620.4	3450 feet	Sugar Run Gap, VA 663 aka Sugar Run Gap Road
622.6	3555 feet	Doc's Knob Shelter
627.8	3750 feet	Campsite, Spring
628.3	3550 feet	Angels Rest, Pearis Mountain
630.3	2200 feet	VA 634
630.8	1650 feet	Lane Street (Pearisburg, VA 24134)
631.3	1600 feet	US 460, Senator Shumate Bridge, New River