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W&OD Trail Elevations
The first chart below indicates the height above sea level and GPS co-ordinates at each of the mileage markers located along the W&OD Trail. The eastern terminus -- mile "0" (at which location there is, in fact, no mileage marker) is ca. 44.82 miles distant from the western, which is also unmarked. The astute will have noticed that the Trail, which was remeasured in early 2001, "shrank" by a few hundred feet from its previously advertised length of 45 miles.
On the graphic representation that follows the chart we have indicated the approximate location of the highest point along the Trail (610', between mileage markers 38 and 38.5).

Given that these data were gathered (in early June, 2001) with a rather inexpensive, handheld GPS device (Garmin's eTrex Summit), it is important to bear in mind that all figures -- the altitudes in particular -- are approximate; certainly the margin for error is much greater than the collector of the data would have liked. (Indeed, he intends to remeasure when the hardware appears to have been significantly improved.) Nonetheless, the graphic representation of all of these new data points (92 versus 22 on the old W&OD railroad map [for which see below]) hopes to convey tolerably well the generally upward slope of the Trail as it proceeds from east to west.
mileage marker
height above
sea level
latititude
longitude
0
141 feet / 42.98 meters
38º50.656
77º05.148
0.5
 156 feet / 47.55 meters 38º50.807 77º05.670
1
 181 feet / 55.17 meters 38º51.071 77º06.081
1.5
 209 feet / 63.7 meters 38º51.358 77º06.481
2
 237 feet / 72.24 meters 38º51.669 77º06.823
2.5
 249 feet / 75.9 meters 38º51.913 77º07.248
3
 232 feet / 70.71 meters 38º52.123 77º07.712
3.5
 243 feet / 74.07 meters 38º52.479 77º08.017
4
 272 feet / 82.91 meters 38º52.774 77º08.384
4.5
 283 feet / 86.26 meters 38º52.955 77º08.862
5
 299 feet / 91.14 meters 38º52.983 77º09.342
5.5
 336 feet / 102.41 meters 38º53.193 77º09.566
6
 325 feet / 99.06 meters 38º53.324 77º10.085
6.5
 352 feet / 107.29 meters 38º53.443 77º10.627
7
 388 feet / 118.26 meters 38º53.510 77º11.183
7.5
 393 feet / 119.79 meters 38º53.482 77º11.728
8
 412 feet / 125.58 meters 38º53.420 77º12.270
8.5
 453 feet / 138.07 meters 38º53.427 77º12.738
9
 417 feet / 127.1 meters 38º53.482 77º13.258
9.5
 435 feet / 135.59 meters 38º53.636 77º13.776
10
 423 feet / 128.93 meters 38º53.757 77º14.308
10.5
 447 feet / 136.25 meters 38º53.997 77º14.752
11
 403 feet / 122.83 meters 38º54.063 77º15.301
11.5
 376 feet / 114.6 meters 38º54.138 77º15.809
12
 349 feet / 106.38 meters 38º54.430 77º16.226
12.5
 317 feet / 99.62 meters 38º54.755 77º16.583
13
 286 feet / 87.17 meters 38º55.052 77º16.995
13.5
 260 feet / 79.25 meters 38º55.436 77º17.229
14
 237 feet / 72.24 meters 38º55.729 77º17.624
14.5
 240 feet / 73.15 meters 38º55.940 77º18.106
15
 282 feet / 85.95 meters 38º56.112 77º18.601
15.5
 314 feet / 95.71 meters 38º56.416 77º19.022
16
 354 feet / 107.9 meters 38º56.619 77º19.480
16.5
 384 feet / 117.04 meters 38º56.938 77º19.843
17
 378 feet / 115.21 meters 38º57.086 77º20.360
17.5
 379 feet / 115.52 meters 38º57.236 77º20.873
18
 408 feet / 124.36 meters 38º57.425 77º21.379
18.5
 386 feet / 117.65 meters 38º57.397 77º21.930
19
 376 feet / 114.6 meters 38º57.654 77º22.375
19.5
 375 feet / 114.3 meters 38º57.953 77º22.778
20
 373 feet / 113.69 meters 38º58.252 77º23.181
20.5
 373 feet / 113.69 meters 38º58.546 77º23.591
21
 398 feet / 121.31 meters 38º58.843 77º23.994
21.5
 390 feet / 118.87 meters 38º59.166 77º24.362
22
 359 feet / 109.42 meters 38º59.488 77º24.751
22.5
 342 feet / 104.24 meters 38º59.710 77º25.224
23
 327 feet / 99.67 meters 39º00.056 77º25.537
23.5
 317 feet / 96.62 meters 39º00.444 77º25.742
24
 299 feet / 91.14 meters 39º00.776 77º26.134
24.5
 269 feet / 81.99 meters 39º01.028 77º26.576
25
 278 feet / 84.73 meters 39º01.303 77º27.027
25.5
 285 feet / 86.87 meters 39º01.566 77º27.458
26
 261 feet / 77.55 meters 39º01.831 77º27.899
26.5
 286 feet / 87.17 meters 39º02.098 77º28.339
27
 304 feet / 92.66 meters 39º02.360 77º28.779
27.5
 320 feet / 97.54 meters 39º02.626 77º29.220
28
 309 feet / 86.87 meters 39º02.891 77º29.658
28.5
 314 feet / 94.18 meters 39º03.150 77º30.104
29
 334 feet / 101.8 meters 39º03.422 77º30.536
29.5
 309 feet / 86.87 meters 39º03.840 77º30.682
30
 286 feet / 87.17 meters 39º04.108 77º31.102
30.5
 271 feet / 82.6 meters 39º04.362 77º31.551
31
 306 feet / 92.27 meters 39º04.691 77º31.857
31.5
 300 feet / 91.44 meters 39º05.100 77º32.064
32
 273 feet / 83.21 meters 39º05.475 77º32.301
32.5
 285 feet / 86.87 meters 39º05.834 77º32.636
33
 286 feet / 87.17 meters 39º05.995 77º33.014
33.5
 308 feet / 93.88 meters 39º06.320 77º33.190
34
 326 feet / 99.36 meters 39º06.560 77º33.650
34.5
 330 feet / 100.58 meters 39º06.780 77º34.119
35
 362 feet / 110.34 meters 39º06.764 77º34.678
35.5
 405 feet / 123.44 meters 39º06.625 77º35.198
36
 415 feet / 126.49 meters 39º06.772 77º35.701
36.5
 453 feet / 138.07 meters 39º07.068 77º36.115
37
 492 feet / 149.96 meters 39º07.447 77º36.355
37.5
 534 feet / 167.76 meters 39º07.871 77º36.444
38
 574 feet / 174.96 meters 39º08.281 77º36.586
38.5
 591 feet / 180.14 meters 39º08.545 77º36.716
39
 562 feet / 171.3 meters 39º08.820 77º37.007
39.5
 535 feet / 156.67 meters 39º08.877 77º37.539
40
 514 feet / 156.67 meters 39º08.765 77º38.073
40.5
 494 feet / 150.57 meters 39º08.639 77º38.610
41
 472 feet / 143.87 meters 39º08.669 77º39.178
41.5
 458 feet / 139.6 meters 39º08.767 77º39.707
42
 477 feet / 145.39 meters 39º08.780 77º40.253
42.5
 502 feet / 153 meters 39º08.725 77º40.817
43
 554 feet / 168.86 meters 39º08.713 77º41.076
43.5
 551 feet / 167.94 meters 39º08.608 77º41.689
44
 536 feet / 163.37 meters 39º08.485 77º42.215
44.5
 560 feet / 170.69 meters 39º08.318 77º42.732
44.82
 564 feet / 171.91 meters 39º08.316 77º42.972



Listed below are the elevations above sea level of twenty-two locations along the former W&OD Railroad. This information is drawn from a map that was published in 1965.
1
 Walter Reed Drive 65 feet / 19.81 meters
2
 Columbia Pike 125 feet / 38.1 meters
3
 Bluemont Junction 206 feet / 62.79 meters
4
 Lee Highway 300 feet / 91.44 meters
5
 Broad Street 337 feet/ 102.72 meters
6
 Interstate 495 419 feet / 127.71 meters
7
 Sandburg Street 407 feet / 124.05 meters
8
 Cedar Lane 414 feet / 126.19 meters
9
 Difficult Run 225 feet / 68.58 meters
10
 Sunset Hills Station 398 feet / 121.31 meters
11
 mile marker 21.5 393 feet / 119.79 meters
12
 Sterling Boulevard 321 feet / 97.84 meters
13
 Church Street area 288 feet / 87.78 meters
14
 Broad Run 234 feet / 71.32 meters
15
 Beaverdam Run 225 feet / 68.58 meters
16
 Ashburn Road 295 feet / 89.92 meters
17
 Sycolin Creek 244 feet / 74.37 meters
18
 Tuscarora Creek 267 feet / 81.38 meters
19
 King Street, Leesburg 317 feet / 96.62 meters
20
 Clarks Gap 582 feet / 177.39 meters
21
 Ivandale Road 459 feet / 139.9 meters
22
 Purcellville Station 533 feet / 162.46 meters


 
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