The Priest (4,063ft) is a summit in Nelson County Virginia, and located in the Priest Wilderness of the George Washington National Forest.
The summit of the priest is reached via the Appalachian trail, which from the trailhead at Route 56, gains over 3000 vertical feet from base to summit, making it one of the tallest climbs in Virginia.
The FKT Route begins by touching the trailhead sign in the Priest Parking lot on Route 56. Follow the Appalachian trail up 4.04 miles to the summit (the highest point on the ridge), and then returning via the same route, back to the parking lot and touching the trailhead sign.
This route includes steep ascents and descents, rocky trail sections, narrow rock slabs, stream crossings, and some very fast runnable sections. The vertical gain per mile, along with the technical rocky trail, make this a great test of physical fitness and skill for any trail runner.
