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McAfee Knob

Photo: Asaf Antman / CC BY 2.0 · source

⛰️ Mountains

McAfee Knob

Catawba, VA · Roanoke

About

The cantilevered rock ledge that juts straight out over the Catawba Valley near Roanoke, a stone diving board with nothing but open air beneath your boots. It is the most photographed spot on the entire Appalachian Trail, and the walk out earns it: a roughly 8-mile round trip up Catawba Mountain to the lip. Time it for sunrise or the last light and the ridgelines stack up blue all the way to the horizon.

Highlights

Iconic cantilevered ledgeMost-photographed spot on the Appalachian TrailRoughly 8-mile round-trip hikePanoramic Catawba Valley views

Getting there

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The Blue Ridge Mountains26 places

The Blue Ridge Mountains

The ancient, blue-hazed peaks of the southern Appalachians, threaded by the Blue Ridge Parkway from Shenandoah to the Smokies. Mile-high summits and the highest peak east of the Mississippi, waterfalls you can walk behind, long-range overlooks, and mountain towns like Asheville with the Biltmore at their heart. Go in October for the color, but the haze is blue year-round.