Lynchburg City Highpoint Trip Report
one area on Candler Mtn
Date: June 2002
Author: Ryan Bowles
Candler Mountain is a maze of mountain bike and ATV trails. The best way to find the HP is to follow the
trails that seem to be going in the right direction - they are, or you will soon find another trail that is better.
Rely on your directional sense, but bring a compass and topo. The way I went is below, but don't depend on it.
I am undoubtedly missing a bunch of trail junctions. I went in one way, and out another. Both are described.
From the intersection of Routes 501 and 460, go north on 501. Turn left at the first stoplight onto Candler
Mountain Road. I parked at a pullout for a large ugly rutted dirt ATV trail. I hiked up the dirt trail to a
summit outside the city line with great views of Lynchburg. I then dropped off the north side, turned left
along another big dirt ATV trail, then turned right down a very steep ATV trail. I turned right on the first
mountain bike trail I saw, then left at the next trail junction with an ATV trail. I followed this the entire way,
to the summit, which is very obvious. The city/county line runs through the summit area, but not
necessarily directly over the highest point. Luckily, there is a city line marker that gives you a place to focus
your efforts.
I returned via the same ATV trail, but where the ATV trail reaches an intersection where one trail turns uphill,
I took the other branch which slabs around the side of the mountain. I basically followed whatever
trail happened to be going in the right direction - generally contouring, but gradually descending.
This eventually led me to Candler Mountain Road about 0.2 mile below where I parked, across from the Wingate Hotel.