Trail Guide

Some of our favorite runs. Click on the name to find out more details, maps, reports and pictures below. Many of the runs have shorter options.

Where a Google map is provided, if you view the map on any device while logged into Google, you will be able to find it on your smart phone under “Your places/Maps”.  This makes for a handy real-time map you can navigate from.  Just be sure to load the map before losing cell service–many of these trails are remote. Here’s a tutorial on how to do this.

Name Distance Elevation Gain Est. Time Map
Sugar Hollow-Blackrock 20 mi 3,900 ft 5 hrs View Map
CATass 30.5 mi 6,500 ft 5-8 hrs View Map
Harry Landers Special 21 mi 4,500 ft 4-6 hrs View Map
Tour de RT 19.8 mi 1,163 ft 3-5 hrs View Map
Walnut Creek 10 mi 1,854 ft 2-3 hrs
Rockfish Gap (Afton) AT South 18 mi
4-5 hrs
RipRap/Wild Cat 19 mi ~3,788 feet 4-5 hrs
Fox Mountain 17 or 20 mi 1500-2000 ft 2.5-4 hrs View Map
Ridge Rd/Decca Ln ~12 mi ~1,038 feet 2 hrs View Map
Priest/Three Ridges 24 mi ~8232ft ~7 hrs View Map
TWOT 28+ mi 8350 ft 7-9 hrs View Map
Preddy Creek 6.5 mi 900 ft
Biscuit Run Trails 6.5 mi 770 ft 1-1.5 hrs View Map

We are currently working on this page to add some more detailed information to the trails and expand the list.

Times are a very rough guide, and may vary based on who reported them, but we try to keep them consistent for the middle 25-75% of runners.

Sugar Hollow

North Fork Moormans River Trail, Appalachian Trail
Directions to Sugar Hollow. Note: At the Piedmont Store on 810, stay straight to get on Sugar Hollow Road. When you see the reservoir, continue up the gravel road as far as you can go to parking.

Sugar Hollow Loop Trail Map

CATAss

A club Fat Ass run held on Labor Day, starting and ending at Sugar Hollow (see directions above), running up into Shenandoah National Park.  Options for various distances.
Trail map on Google

Harry Landers Special

A Memorial Day tradition starting from Sugar Hollow.
Route description and trail map

Tour de RT (Rivanna Trail)

A 20 mile loop of mostly single track trails, connected in a few places by roads, around Charlottesville.  Jump in anywhere!
If you are not familiar with the trails, it is strongly recommended that you download the Official Rivanna Trail map (official RTF) from here to navigate, as it can be tricky to find some sections connected by roads.

Walnut Creek

A county park south of town with a set of twisty single track trails trails by a lake.
Directions: 4250 Walnut Creek Park Road, North Garden, VA 22959. The usual meeting point is the second parking lot at the far end of the park road, by the lake pavilion.

Rockfish Gap (Afton) AT South

The AT going south from Rockfish Gap to Humpback Rocks.  Probably the most runnable section of the AT in our area.

RipRap/Wildcat Loop

A great loop off the AT in the southern end of Shenandoah National Park, with a bonus swimming hole. Start at the Wildcat Ridge (MP 92) or RipRap (MP 90) parking lots off Skyline Drive in SNP.  There is a way to access from the valley north of Waynesboro but it’s not easy to find, and not clear whether parking is really allowed.
RipRap/Wildcat Loop blog post

Fox Mountain

A road run, but mostly on gravel roads and the climb up Fox Mountain will challenge all! 17 and 20 mile options. 
Map on google

Ridge Road/Decca Lane

A Charlottesville area classic, Ridge Road is 4 miles (each way) of rolling hills on a gravel road past horse farms.  Add Decca Lane for more hills. MAP: Garmin Data. Park on Ridge Road immediately after turning north on it from Garth Road.

Priest/Three Ridges

A rite of passage for area trail runners.  Start with the difficult AT/Mau-Har loop on the north side of Route 56. Most run it counter clockwise since the Mau-Har trail almost always has some water (should be filtered or treated). Return to the parking lot to refuel, and continue with a 4 mile, 3000′  lung-crushing, quad-busting out and back climb of The Priest.  Alternately, especially for running only 3 Ridges, you could start at Reeds Gap.

Directions: At route 56 (middle of Priest/3R)
Reed’s Gap (north end of 3R)
Route description and trail map

TWOT loop

The Wild Oak trail, a rugged loop in the George Washington National Forest west of Harrisonburg and Staunton, with some rugged climbs.  A good part of the loop is used for the Grindstone 100.  Can be overgrown in the summer, and it’s not hard to get lost, so it may take you well over 9 hours.  We recommend you put the TWOT loop in google maps on your phone to help keep you on course or find your way back.  Park at the North River Gap lot, also noted on the map.  Not for the faint of heart, but a great training run for any mountain ultra.

Preddy Creek

An Albemarle County park north of Charlottesville with some great single track trails. With that name, you shouldn’t be surprised to get your feet wet!
County park web site including address and pdf link to trail map.

Biscuit Run Trails

The Tuesday night trail run. Meet behind Timberwood Tap House. The trail starts over the guard rail at the west end of the Wegman’s parking lot. Stay after the run for dinner and beer.

Biscuit Run Trail Map

Other Trail Resources