My husband and I like to hike so on our recent visit to Roanoke we started exploring options. We…read morelearned that McAfees Knob is the most photographed spot on Appalachian trail. We were a bit nervous about an 8 mile hike, but decided we were going to take it on. That hike was no joke, it kicked my butt. However, I did it and I am not someone in amazing shape by any means. There were some very steep/uphill parts and some stretches that were mostly flat. Trail was well marked. I was happy for the variation and we stopped as needed. It is doable, its just long. They say it takes you about 4 hours, which was accurate for us as we arrived around 10am, finished about 2pm. We did the AT trial up and decided to go for the fire road (runs basically parallel but isn't as strenuous) back as we were already tried. I highly recommend this if you not a serious hiker. Most everything I read kept saying you need to get their early as it gets so busy. That wasn't our experience, but it was an unseasonably colder, windy day so that probably deterred people. We also went on a Thursday to help reduce crowd as recommended. Note there are no bathrooms near parking. We found an outhouse near one of the camping sites about 2/3 way up, which we were grateful for. I am not sure it is being maintained regularly, so bring your own TP and hand sanitizer. Now, the view once you get to the top is absolutely beautiful. You can see out so far while you sit/stand on the rocky overlook. I even slowly inched my way out to the very tip of the rock to get the full 360 view. Breathtaking! We brought some snacks to eat up there to replenish (do this) and enjoy the views. We didn't stay up there as long as I would have liked as it was quite cold with the wind when we no longer had the tree cover. Dress appropriately! After we finished the hike, we took a long nap at our Airb&B. I am not sure I would choose to do it again, but I feel very accomplished that we completed this trail and enjoyed the views and our picutres very much.

What an awesome hike. Our new Thanksgiving tradition has been to go on a hike and this was our pick…read morethis year. We got there around 10am since it's a 3 hour drive from Charlotte. I thought it would be empty on Thanksgiving, but it was pretty crowded. We got a parking spot just fine, but the lot was fairly full. The hike is rated as strenuous, but I thought it was moderate. It's about 4 miles to Mcafee Knob from the parking lot making it 8 miles round trip. We took the Appalachian Trail on the way there and the fire road on the way back. The fire road is flatter and wider--an easier hike overall. Parts of the AT were covered in leaves making it a bit hard to hike. Everyone says the last mile is hard. It's uphill but I didn't find it to be too steep. The views at the end are gorgeous. Luckily it wasn't too crowded and we didn't have to wait to get our picture. We didn't stay at the top long because it was incredibly windy which made it pretty cold even though the rest of the hike was comfortable. The whole hike with stops took us just under 4 hours. With views and difficulty combined, we thought it was a great hike!

A nice little waterfall and hike in the small town of Christiansburg in Virginia just several miles…read moreoff I81. Once you get there the adventure starts when you have to cross a one car very narrow bridge, then cross the railroad tracks, then drive on a one car dirt road to the entrance. There is a small parking lot and information. The hike and waterfall is not very far but it was worth getting off the interstate to see.

Temporarily closed for maintenance and clean up due to people being disrespectful of the site…read more Will post when it reopens.

We've been here many times over the years and it's always beautiful! We enjoy stopping here as we…read moretraverse the New Market Gap, as this is right at the very top, off of Crisman Hollow Rd. The only issue is that it can be busy, it's quite the popular place to visit! Another issue are the people who choose to vandalize the area and litter. The walk is less than ¼ mile each way, from the parking area to the deck that overlooks the rock face, allowing you to see the Luray valley below.

We planned to see as many waterfalls as we could in the Fayetteville area and Wolf Creek Falls is…read moreone of them. We accessed the falls via the Kaymoor trailhead. You just have to hike a short distance on the Kaymoor Trail from the trailhead. You will cross over a creek on a small bridge. It had been raining for a couple of days prior, so the waterfall was flowing really nicely. The unique thing about this waterfall is that a lot of the rocks had moss on them. It also continues to fall underneath the trail path. Definitely a nice waterfall to see, and a short hike from trailhead. The path is not paved though, so not stroller friendly. Get outside and enjoy friends!

Tony Vanoy and I went hiking today at Cascade Falls in Pembroke, VA. Started out really great, we…read morethought it was 1.5 or 2 mile loop hike but OMG it turned out to be 5.57 miles roundtrip!! It cost a $3 per car to park and if you have America the Beautiful Card its free!! It was a beautiful day, but it was so long and so many stairs!! Over 1,000 stairs!!

The provenance of this site is somewhat unclear, but I think it falls under the federal government…read moreand putting up my national parks pass was successful in getting me through a visit without paying any additional parking fee. The main falls are two miles uphill from the parking lot, but the entire journey is a series of eminently worthwhile sights and sounds. Signs warned of challenging currents for anyone taking a dip in the water, which some people did. I would note that when I arrived a rescue operation was underway and emergency services did drive someone by me with what thankfully appeared okay. There are trails on one elevated bank and one closer to the water, as well as some offshoots and extensions. It's a great stretch of forest where you could easily spend more time than the couple of hours I did.

While vacationing in Pembroke, VA we discovered an unusual creek that I simply had to yelp about…read more What makes a simple ordinary creek yelp worthy you ask? Well, it disappears! At the time of our visit, we had no idea of this phenomenon. As we drove to our Air B&B location, we simply thought the creek along the way had dried up from lack of rainfall and didn't give it another thought. Later, after exploring the area we learned that the two covered bridges we visited were actually on the SAME RIVER as the dried up one near our accommodations. How could that be? The dried creek bed is located approx. 5 miles downstream from the covered bridges, and less than a mile from where it reappears and actually flows into the larger New River. ~ CONFUSED? We were too until we discovered this area of Virginia is rich in what is called KARST TOPOGRAPHY. To avoid complicated scientific terms, just simply picture one of those multi-level bridges you see in cities like New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia and even Portland. Imagine an opening in the top layer causing all the traffic to flow to the lower level. However, when the bottom layer is full, the excess traffic is forced back up to the upper layer (hypothetically speaking). When there is sufficient water flow, you would never know the water is actually leeching underground to a cave-like drainage system. The water would fill the underground system to the point where all of the excess water stays above ground in the rivers basin. But when the water flow is lower and there is not enough water to fill the cavity, the water disappears underground (not visible on the surface) only to reappear as if from a spring near New River into which it flows. ~~~ Most people would probably find this sort of information nerdy and underwhelming, but I found it to be absolutely fascinating. I only wish I had taken pictures of the dried creek bed, but at the time of our visit, I had no idea of what was actually occurring. Our host home told us the creek was full just two weeks prior from heavy rainfall. Not to mention we saw with our own eyes a significant amount of water in the creek below the bridges just a few miles away. I swear, you are never too old to learn something new. 2020 / 32

Took a little hike recently to one of the areas civil war battlefields. The Hanging Rock…read moreBattelfield Monument is on the north end of the trail heading towards Salem. A flat open parking area is at the entrance with easy access to the monument and surrounding signage. The trail is well marked going in but quickly disappears into the brush. There is an unmaintained path of sorts that goes a couple miles back into the forest. It follows the creek for quite a while and there are a few places to access the water back under the canopy. The "rocks" are back in maybe half a mile, even less and the outcropping is hard to miss. I followed the trail up to where it met the modern roadway and back through another section even more overgrown. Walking a part of history through an area that had more battles fought than any other state in our union. If you enjoy history, hiking, and getting outdoors. This is an easy access and fairly level spot. There is the Hinchee General store on the corner about 150' across the grass that has drinks, outdoor seating, etc. 3.5 Stars the monument and signage, along with about a dozen parking spots are right off the main road. 01027

Tony and I went to Roaring Run Furnace In the Jefferson National Forest. This is a stone Built Pig…read moreIron Furnace built in 1830. This 192 yr old construction is still standing and looks like they could just start using it again today The park was easy to find with GPS. It is free to enjoy. Plenty of parking and restrooms. Well marked trails. The Furnace is located about 500 feet from the parking lot and bathrooms. There is plenty of picnic tables and a creek for fishing and cooling off in warmer weather. There is also a waterfall to hike to!! Nice park and highly recommend especially for the historic value! Great day trip or field trip for home schooling!!

The waterfall was gorgeous and listening to the water flow was so tranquil. I could've spent all…read moreday there just relaxing by the water. The hike was short and easy.

This was a truly incredible experience. We have 3 boys ages 12, 10 and 8. Our 8 year old is on the…read morespectrum although high functioning. They were all so excited but 1/4 way through when the win kicked up our youngest got very scared. Our guide, Maddie, was truly incredible...fun, kind and caring. She walked both our youngest and my husband back to the beginning and then quickly made her way back to the group and gave us a fun and amazing tour of the the bridge and history of the area and park. I am scared of heights but felt secure and safe and ended up thoroughly enjoying the walk. My older two boys said it was one of the most fun things they've ever done. 10/10 recommend!!!

What an adventure! And an amazing walk across the catwalk under the bridge! Sarah was an excellent…read moreguide and was full of information about the history of the Bridge. I would not hesitate to do this again! I felt safe and the experience was unforgettable!

Close to a college town, this rail to trail is long, relatively unimpeded, and offers river views…read more There were multiple parking lots at what is currently the south end of the trail, as well as signage indicating that some of the railway had been sold to buyers who were not part of the trail, so it kind of starts midway along the rail line. Regardless, it is a longer trail than I had time for and the part I completed was easily worthwhile.

Southern end -…read more Good surface. RR wide. Some restrooms Only problem is trail maps are mis-leading. Caldwell is beginning but is MP 3, not 1 Easy access - well signed Few road crossings