Backpacker Magazine – September 2010

Local Hikes: Roanoke, VA

The best hikes near Roanoke, VA.

by: Andrew Matranga

Tags:
• Virginia
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• Adventures
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• Appalachian Trail
|

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Your Guide
Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club (ratc.org)

Your Hikes
» Dragon’s Tooth, Jefferson NF Check your boot tread. This 4.4-mile loop climbs boulder-topped ridges to a sharp, 50-foot quartzite tower. Link the Boy Scout Connector, Appalachian, and Dragon’s Tooth Spur Trails to reach the 2,977-foot Tooth. Not afraid of heights? Walk behind the formation and scramble up for views of Catawba Valley, McAfee Knob, and the Tinker Cliffs. Miles from city center 19; Trip ID 529109

» McAfee Knob To Carvin Cove Reservoir, Appalachian Trail For this 19.8-mile shuttle hike, follow the white blazes to the ledge at McAfee Knob—where vistas span the Catawba Valley’s deep trough all the way to Roanoke. Continue along the 2,900-foot contour line to boulder-strewn bluffs at Tinker Cliffs. Here, an unobstructed panorama opens over a series of ridges and valleys in Jefferson National Forest. Finish the hike above crescent-shaped Carvin Cove Reservoir. Miles from city center 24; Trip ID 48012


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