George Washington and Jefferson National Forest · Virginia, West Virginia
Mount Rogers
4.1 mi of trail, end to end · native material surface · trail No. 166 · trail class 3 · typical grade 12-20% · tread 18-24 inches wide · hiking
Begins at the forest's mile 0, 36.6891, -81.5327 - no trailhead mapped Drive to where the trail begins
Elk Garden Trailhead the Forest Service's write-up
No Fee · season Open year round to
Spectacular views for motorists and a prime trailhead for hikers and horseback riders, Elk Garden is one of the most popular trailheads in the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area. From this location, visitors can access the Appalachian Trail, Virginia Highlands Horse Trail, and the Elk Garden Trail. The trailhead is a short drive from Whitetop Mountain Road, the highest elevation public road in Virginia.
Restrictions No camping.
This trailhead on fs.usda.gov
Every trail in George Washington and Jefferson National Forest
About this trail's facts
The lines are the US Forest Service's National Forest System trails layer (public domain), read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end, and the class, surface, grade and tread width are the forest's own entries where it publishes them - a forest that publishes the centreline alone has none. The trailheads and the points along the way are the Service's recreation points, and the write-ups its own recarea text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the forest's own site before you go.
