The Virginia Highlands Horse Trail at Jefferson National Forest near Wilson Creek and Whitetop, Virginia is a moderate 2.8 mile one-way hike to/from the Elk Garden Trailhead to the intersection with the Appalachian Trail to Mount Rogers.

This GPS data starts at the AT to Mount Rogers Trail with scenic mountain top views and heads into the Lewis Fork Wilderness at Jefferson National Forest. The trail ends up in a scenic cow pasture with mountain top views before getting back to the Elk Garden Trailhead parking lot.

The trail itself is much longer than 2.8 miles one-way, but this section is a great shortcut back from Mount Rogers to make the hike 8.5 miles instead of 9 on the AT.

Follow the orange blazes; however, some of them look dark orange/redish at times. When you make it to the connector trail between this one and the AT, the blazes will be blue on the large boulders along the trail.