A Hike On The Famed Appalachian Trail
In the midst of our summer road-tripping, we found some time to get back to nature via Virginia’s popular McAfee Knob.
Summer hiking is certainly not for the faint of heart, particularly when the temperatures at sunrise are already in the high 70s, with humidity to match. But such it was when we set out to conquer two segments of the Appalachian Trail near Catawba, Virginia, which included the most-photographed spot on the iconic trail, McAfee Knob. Stretching from north Georgia all the way to Maine, the AT is visited by an estimated 3 million people each year.
Starting Point
We officially started our hike where the Appalachian Trail crosses State Route 785 (Blacksburg Rd.), after a little more than a quarter-mile walk from an Airbnb located just up this country road. There’s a small wooden fence gate on either side, with the familiar white blaze painted on both.
Our Hike
We first traversed through what eventually becomes Sawtooth Ridge, a scenic portion of this hike segment named for the jagged path the trail follows along a steady incline. A less traveled segment of the AT for most day hikers, we encountered only wildlife in our journey, until the latter stages as we neared the more popular area. We hiked approximately 4.3 miles to the McAfee Knob trailhead, for a total of 4.6 miles since our daybreak start in this portion.
The McAfee Knob hike from the McAfee trailhead is approximately 4 miles one way, with alternating inclines/declines that become a little more uphill the closer you get to the peak. After all, views like the ones at the top aren’t going to come cheap, and like many other parts of the AT, they must be earned.
After a brief visit at the summit, we headed back down the same way we came, getting a ride back to our Airbnb after we had returned to the McAfee Knob parking area. Total distance hiked: 12.6 miles. Maybe next time we’ll come when it’s a bit cooler and do the full 17 miles round-trip.
If You Go
Check out the AT’s interactive map, which helps you explore the trail, shelters, and distances involved to help you plan your trip.
But What About Non-Alcoholic Beer?
Oh yes, if you visit this area, there are some local(ish) NA options to enjoy, post-hike! We stopped at Three Notch’d Brewery’s Roanoke location (about 20-25 minutes away), featuring most of the NAs from their Uncool line in cans. We sampled both the Hazy IPA (see our review, here) and the Wit. Either felt like a well-deserved reward for conquering the AT on a hot, steamy summer morning.