Here in Southwest Virginia, our region’s incredible natural features are both easy to appreciate, and easy to take for granted if you call SWVA home. As a family, we decided some time ago to avoid the latter and embrace the former. For us — Scotty, JoBeth, Katy and Josh — that means hiking the region’s best trails.
While we just love getting out and cataloguing trails one-by-one, you could say we started this project for two primary reasons:
- Inspire our kids to love the outdoors as much as we do
- Provide a public resource that rejects the notion that “there’s nothing to do in Southwest Virginia”
Southwest Virginia boasts world-class outdoor recreation assets, from hundreds of scenic Appalachian Trail miles, multiple state and federal conservation areas and the “Grand Canyon of the South” itself, Breaks Interstate Park. Our family has experienced adventures together all over the United States — from hiking into the Grand Canyon to exploring Utah’s Bryce Canyon on horseback to stargazing in Death Valley, California — and we’re here to tell you SWVA is as majestic as anywhere in the continental U.S. Yes, there’s lots to do here in SWVA, especially if you enjoy the great outdoors. So, whether you’re new to SWVA or you’ve lived here your entire life, if you haven’t truly explored the wonderland that is your surroundings, we hope this resource inspires you to do so.
As for SWVAtrekkers.com, our family’s outdoor adventure journal, it involves no curation of published trail reports (other than background research on historically-notable locations), and no copied-and-pasted descriptions from other sources. Every trail you read about on this website was experienced by our family, and the data, information and photography compiled first-hand by us on our treks across Virginia’s Great Southwest. We constantly update the site after new adventures, so check back often.
Thanks for making use of our family project to inform your own adventures. We really hope you find it helpful.
How We Rate Trail Difficulty and Duration
We rate trail difficulty and hiking duration from the perspective of an average family with children. We don’t claim to be athletes, and you won’t find us dangling from boulders, but we’re capable of tackling most trails ranging from easy to strenuous. Most of the time, you’ll find us on moderate or moderately strenuous trails that are quick or half-day hikes.
Easy: Relatively flat and meandering path free of tripping hazards like tree roots and large rocks. People of almost all ages and fitness levels can enjoy this stroll. Generally less than three miles.
Moderate: Modest elevation gain with occasional inclines that present a welcome challenge for beginner hikers and families. Generally three to five miles.
Moderately Strenuous: Multiple steep and/or steady inclines. Challenging terrain and occasional rock scrambling should be expected. Generally five to eight miles.
Strenuous: Extreme elevation gains, rocky terrain and tough inclines. Only for experienced, long-distance hikers. Generally eight to twelve miles.
Quick Hike: Trails that can be completed in three hours or less and are relatively easy to access from a nearby town. Trail snacks and water should suffice.
Half-Day Hike: Trails that can be completed in 3-6 hours following a modest drive to the trail head. Including travel time, your family should expect this activity to last for most of the day. Plan for a family-pleasing supper after this outing.
Day Hike: Trails that take at least six hours to complete and might have remote access points that require early-morning departures from home. Your family should expect to be away from home all day and fight for hot showers and Hot Pockets upon your return.