McAfee Knob

A flat rock ledge juts over the Catawba Valley at 3,197 feet elevation — a diving platform into the air. The most photographed overlook on the entire 2,190-mile Appalachian Trail. The vista offers a 270-degree sweep: the Catawba Valley drops 1,600 feet below, North Mountain rises to the west, the Tinker Cliffs north, the Roanoke Valley east. The feature is named after James McAfee, a Scottish-Irish immigrant who settled in the Catawba Valley in the late 1730s. The hike from the AT parking area on Route 311 is 4.4 miles one way with 1,700 feet of elevation gain. Moderately difficult with a gradual incline. The trail ends on rocky mountain terrain that sticks out like the ledge it is. Picnic tables and resting spots throughout. The average round trip takes four to four and a half hours. Most popular in spring and fall. There has been an average of around 100 hikers on the trail at once. Parking fills early on weekends. Start before 8 AM in peak season. Thru-hikers consider this the emotional midpoint of the Virginia section. The overlook appeared prominently in the 2015 film *A Walk in the Woods*, starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, and is on the movie's poster. The ridge line is covered in a pine forest. Much of Catawba Mountain was open farmland in the mid-1900s. Maximum group size for day hikes is 25. Dogs must be kept on leash. Camping is prohibited at the overlook itself.