Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Virginia / Mount Rogers

Appalachian Trail: Summit Cut (US 58) to Fox Creek over Whitetop, Mount Rogers, and Grayson Highlands

Appalachian National Scenic Trail through Mount Rogers National Recreation Area (Jefferson National Forest) and Grayson Highlands State Park

This stretch of the Appalachian Trail climbs from US 58 onto the shoulder of Whitetop Mountain, crosses the open fields at Elk Garden, circles Mount Rogers, and runs through the balds and pony country of Grayson Highlands before dropping to Fox Creek on VA 603. Backpacker’s 2013 write-up of a longer version describes “photogenic balds, rhododendron-choked valleys, and grassy hillsides with wild ponies.”

Hiking Upward’s two-day option starts at US 58 at Summit Cut and covers 24.3 miles, with the first night at Thomas Knob Shelter.

The hike

From US 58 at Summit Cut, Hiking Upward notes a pine-grove campsite about 0.2 mile north with no water and room for four or five tents. The A.T. crosses VA 601 at about mile 1.4, and the guide says the next 2.6 miles gain almost 1,700 feet with few switchbacks. Buzzard Rock, at 5,096 feet, comes at about mile 4.0 with wide views, and a spring below Whitetop Mountain follows about a mile later.

The trail drops to the VA 600 crossing at Elk Garden at about mile 7.3, then climbs through open fields and woods toward Mount Rogers. The blue-blazed Mount Rogers Spur Trail leaves at about mile 11.3; the 5,729-foot summit, Virginia’s highest point, is wooded and has no view. Thomas Knob Shelter, which Backpacker describes as “a beautiful two-story shelter surrounded by wild ponies,” is just beyond, at about mile 11.5.

Hiking Upward calls the next 5.1 miles, across Rhododendron Gap, Wilburn Ridge, and Grayson Highlands, the part known for views and wild ponies. The trail crosses Quebec Branch at about mile 15.7 and reaches Wise Shelter at about 16.6, inside Grayson Highlands State Park. Backpacker describes The Scales, at about mile 19.6, as a “lovely field for camping, but no water,” with a seasonal caretaker; Hiking Upward notes pit toilets. Old Orchard Shelter is at about mile 22.6, and the section ends at the VA 603 parking area at Fox Creek, mile 24.3.

The section south of Summit Cut, from Damascus through Taylors Valley, is closed in 2026 for Virginia Creeper Trail reconstruction; the Iron Mountain detour carries northbound hikers around it. Loop options in the same high country include the Massie Gap loop and the Fairwood Valley and Wilburn Ridge loop. Farther south, the A.T. continues through Tennessee; see Laurel Fork and Dennis Cove.

Tips

Camping

There are three shelters on the section: Thomas Knob (Backpacker says it sleeps 16), Wise (8), and Old Orchard (6). Virginia State Parks says A.T. shelters are meant for thru- and section-hikers and asks others not to plan to stay at or camp near Thomas Knob or Wise. Backcountry camping is not allowed in Grayson Highlands State Park, including at Wise Shelter; northbound hikers can camp across Big Wilson Creek on national forest land. Elsewhere, dispersed camping is allowed on the national recreation area, with groups limited to 10 in the high country and wilderness areas.

Inside Intel: A Hiking Upward commenter (Apr. 2018) found Old Orchard Shelter “less crowded than Wise Shelter,” and another (Aug. 2018) reported plentiful water and many campsites around the shelters, with bear boxes at Wise and Thomas Knob.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A night on Mount Rogers' exposed shoulder:

Thomas Knob sits above 5,000 feet, where one hiker logged a windy night near 28 degrees. See the sleeping pads testers trust for cold ground.

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Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.