Spring is back in the Roanoke Valley, and the April showers are definitely spilling (or dumping) into May. But earlier this month, Alex North and I trekked up to McAfee’s Knob to see the blooms, the new bridge and, of course, the views.
The McAfee Knob Pedestrian Bridge was completed earlier this year by VDOT. I made the joke that it’s nice to not have to play frogger to get across 311, and I heard several other hikers make that joke while we were there.
On the way up, we did see a lot of blooms including lady’s slipper, mountain laurel and azaleas.
I always love hiking on the Appalachian Trail. The 2,190-mile trail spans from Georgia to Maine with over 500 miles in Virginia. It’s even more exciting this year because the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is celebrating its 100th anniversary! The ATC works with the National Park Service and local clubs to maintain the Appalachian Trail and leads conservation and education efforts.
The views of the Catawba Valley are always amazing at the knob and the weather can change fast up there. When we got up there it was sunny with just a few clouds and by the time we left, a little rain and mist was coming in.
If you head further down the ridge, you can see the Roanoke Valley, too. Alex pointed out a bunch of landmarks including the airport, the star and Read Mountain.
If you hike McAfee Knob, keep in mind that the parking lot can fill up fast on the weekends, so you may want to take the McAfee Knob Trailhead Shuttle. The trailhead shuttle goes to Dragon’s Tooth Trailhead, too, and has several options for stops in Salem and on Route 311.
McAfee Knob is rated as a moderate trail on AllTrails. The route along the Appalachian Trail is 7.8 miles with 1,811 feet of elevation gain, but you can also take the fire road to get up there. Either way, remember to pack plenty of water and snacks!
Em Poertner is Roanoke County's Public Information Specialist. She hosts the Out of the Office podcast and Roam RoCo video series. If you have ideas for something to explore around Roanoke County, email her at epoertner@roanokecountyva.gov.
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