Glenwood Horse Trail

Glenwood Horse Trail (FST #3004E) is a long-distance hiking route in Virginia’s George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, built around mountainous forest travel in the Blue Ridge. It’s managed by the USDA Forest Service and designed for horseback use, but it’s also used by thru-hikers and backpackers.

Length for the full route is typically described as 65 to about 71.9 miles depending on how you run the loop and trailheads. The route is associated with rugged single-track and also includes gravel-road and creek-crossing travel components.

The trail runs through the Glenwood Ranger District area, which lies in the mountains just east and south of the James River in Botetourt and Rockbridge counties, with nearby towns including Buchanan and Glasgow. In this district it also intersects the Appalachian Trail corridor, so expect special overlap considerations around that boundary.

For staging or access, four common starting points used for this trail system are tied to Glenwood Ranger District: Hellgate Trailhead (near Glasgow), Hunting Creek Trailhead, Bearwallow Gap Trailhead (Pico Road), and Day Creek Trailhead (southern terminus).

Horses are an intended user group along the Glenwood Horse Trail; the route is also used by mountain bikers and is open to bicycles and horse travel. Dogs are included as allowed use only when leashed.

Expect a strenuous/advanced experience, with steep climbs and rocky sections on parts of the route. One commonly cited example is steep/high-elevation work on segments, with elevation gain cited up to 2,267 feet on a 10-mile section.

More information: Visitor information, Mountain Biking in Arcadia & Jefferson National Forest, George Washington and Jefferson National Forests Near Roanoke, VA