I hiked this short section one Friday afternoon when I was nearby (to hike another section the next day - Saturday). I did this so that I wouldn't have to walk this distance when I later hiked Peters Mountain, which is the next section to the north (see notes below).
The section begins by crossing the Senator Shumate Bridge on US 460. It then leaves US 460 and enters woods. In the middle of the section, it crosses a series of small spurs and gullies and then a sulfurous creek. It gradually gets further away from US 460 until it reaches Stillhouse Branch and VA 641 at 1.8 miles. This is one of those sections that is not particularly appealing, but must be hiked in order to complete the entire trail (AT).
Many years passed during which I wanted to hike this section, but simply could not because of energy level issues. However, during the summer of 2010, my energy level stabilized and began to improve. By late July of 2010, I realized that I genuinely had enough energy to undertake this section. While there are a couple of trails that can be used to break this section into two hikes, it still would be one hike of about two thirds of the distance and another hike of about one third of the distance plus a couple miles on a side trail added to both hikes. I really wanted to do it as a single section, and am delighted that I was able to do it that way.
It is one of my favorite sections, one that I would particularly enjoy hiking again. The climb from the south end of the section is rough and steep (rocky), especially between 1.2 and 3.3 miles. However, once on the ridgeline, there isn't much variation in altitude for nearly 12 miles.
At 4.6 miles, the trail reaches Rice Field (3400'). This open field goes on for about .4 mile with continual views to the west. There is also now a shelter at the edge of the woods along the east side of the field. Then at 5.4 miles, there's a large power line right-of-way (3034') with a striking view to the south of the sheer face of Pearis Mountain. Then at 9.5 miles, the trail reaches the southern end of Symms Gap Meadow (3400'), which is an abandoned orchard. On this early August day, the thistles and other wildflowers on either side of the trail were 4 to 5 feet high with lots of insects flying around. Interestingly, I never felt threatened by them, even though some (many?) were stinging insects. Then near the end of the meadow, there is a nice campsite to the right of the trail under a large oak tree. It was an ideal spot for a lunch break and a brief nap.
At 10.9 miles, the Groundhog Trail turns left (3400') and descends into West Virginia. Then, at 12.4 miles, the Dickinson Gap Trail (3300') turns right and descends to Virginia 635. The trail then begins to ascend over a rocky tread through uplifted rock formations. These rock formations looked a lot like tables, i.e. with high sides (on the downhill side) and flat tops. It looked as though the tops would be nice places to sit down and spread out one’s gear. The trail then wraps around the west and north sides of an (apparently) unnamed knob of Peters Mountain (3,956 feet).
At 14.8 miles, the trail reaches a point (3700') where a sign says that the yellow blazed Allegheny Trail comes in from the north. I couldn't find any evidence of the existence of the Allegheny Trail, however, it was a nice spot to stop among the trees for a snack and to give thanks for safely and enjoyably having made it that far through the section. It was also nice to realize that the rest of the section was basically going to be downhill.
The next .5 mile of the trail passed through the shallow (more or less level) swale of Pine Swamp, which has a hemlock stand and some rhododendron. Then the trail genuinely begins to descend, not too steeply, but steadily and smoothly. I counted 17 switchbacks from there to the Pine Swamp Branch stream crossing.
There was dense and lush rhododendron above, along and below Pine Swamp Branch. It was the healthiest and most lush that I think have seen anywhere on the Appalachian Trail (between I - 64 and Damascus, VA). It probably extends for a mile along the trail. Eventually the descent leads one further away from the stream and out of the rhododendron. At 17.3 miles, just .3 mile before reaching the end of the section, the trail reaches the Pine Swamp Branch Shelter. This is the southern end of the 113+ miles that the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club maintains. The rest of this section is maintained by the Virginia Tech Outing Club.
I did this section in about 12 1/2 hours total time, and around 9 hours of actual hiking time. Having started on the trail at 7:30 AM, I had ample time to pause and enjoy the many nice features of this section. It was a warm and sunny, though somewhat hazy day. Because the entire ridgeline elevation was at or above 3000 feet, the temperatures were pleasant all day.
There is a small parking area on VA 635, just north of the settlement known as Interior. Leaving the parking area the trail crosses Stony Creek on a wooden bridge. It then passes through an open meadow and enters woods at .3 mile. The trail then climbs Sarton Ridge, reaching the top at .8 mile. Soon the trail begins paralleling Stony Creek. At 2.1 miles, the trail reaches a blue blazed trail to the left which leads to a small parking area on VA 635. The blue blazed trail continues, ascending from the parking area to the AT. I again visited this spot in August, 2011 in order to walk to the Pine Swamp Branch Shelter which is .3 miles to the south of the parking area. The section of the blue blazed trail that ascends to the AT from the parking area was impassable. I was able to reach the shelter by walking to the right on the blue blazed trail to get to the AT, and then following the AT south to the shelter.
As the trail guide indicates there is a bald area not too far from the beginning of the section. At .8 mile, the War Spur Shelter (2340') is on the right. At 3.0 miles, there's a swampy area on the broad, flat and wooded crest of Salt Pond Mountain (4042'). Wind Rock (4100') is reached at 4.8 miles. I particularly remember crunching through recently fallen, beautiful fall leaves as I approached Wind Rock.
Looking west from Wind Rock, several mountain ranges are visible. I had previously visited Wind Rock, getting there by road - VA 613 - and particularly enjoy visiting again, this time by trail. I've visited overlooks all over the US and Canada and seen many nice views. Nevertheless, the view from Wind Rock is one of the more memorable views with at least four successive mountain ridges visible to the west.
At 8.7 miles, in the midst of the descent, the trail reaches the Bailey Gap Shelter (3525'). I enjoyed a brief break there. At 9.1 miles the trail crosses a gravel fire road (VA 734). Then at 10.2 miles the trail reaches paved VA 635. Just a few feet from Virginia 635 (at the end of the section), a very large tree had fallen and was blocking the trail. When I got home I reported it to Charles Parry, the trail maintenance supervisor for the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club. Charles told me that the tree was in the Mountain Lake Wilderness Area, which extends all the way to the road. Charles indicated that they were not supposed to use power tools to remove the tree, even though it was adjacent to the road. That's the last that I knew about the situation - I don't know what means were actually used to extract the tree. (I assume it has been removed.)
The section on this day was a scheduled hike of the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club. There were half a dozen or so of us who made this hike. One of the more memorable things about this hike was the very tall thistle plants (at least 4 feet high) in the field we traversed (below VA 42) right at the beginning of the hike.
The trail is through pastures for the first .8 miles of the secton. Then it follows the north edge of woods, looking over at fields to the right for some distance. At 2.3 miles the trail crosses Laurel Creek (2720') in a cove of rhododendron and hemlocks and then begins ascending toward Kelly Knob. At 2.4 miles, a blue blazed trail leads left to Laurel Creek Shelter. At 3.3 miles the trail reaches Kelly Knob (3735'). I believe that is where we had lunch - at least we were on a high point with a view. At 5.1 miles, the trail reaches dirt VA 601 (USFS 10721) at Rocky Gap (2583'). Towards the end of the section there is a stand of small pines. At 7.4 miles, the trail crosses John's Creek in a rhododendron thicket, then reaches USFS 156 (VA 632) and the end of the section.
It was nice to be walking at mountain elevations on this hot day where it was much cooler than it was back at home.
I hiked this section with my friend, Tim W. We chose Sunday in this case because rain had been predicted for Saturday and based on the condition of the ground toward the southern end of the section, we concluded there probably had been rain there on Saturday.
In the first 1.3 miles of this section, the trail reaches, and then follows a small ridge. At 1.3 miles, a blue blazed trail leads left to the Niday Shelter. I don't recall whether we stopped at the Niday Shelter (1800') or not. However I had previously hiked this part of the section northbound, from the top of Sinking Creek Mountain to VA 621 (as part of a Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club hike) and had stopped at the shelter. The trail then begins a steep ascent of Sinking Creek Mountain (3450'), the crest of which, is reached at 3.7 miles.
As the trail guide indicates the trail crosses several slanting rock ledges in the first mile or so after reaching the crest of Sinking Creek Mountain. And that's not the end of them. At 7.3 miles, a blue blazed trail (3400') descends left to a spring and Sarver Cabin. We didn't take the time to go to Sarver Cabin. At 8.9 miles, the trail descends the crest of Sinking Creek Mountain. At 9.8 miles, the trail reaches Keffer Oak (2240'). I don't recall noticing it and probably wasn't looking for it since I didn't have the trail guide with me. I do note however that Keffer Oak is not too far from VA 630 - I think I will try to get back by there and walk up to see this big tree. The trail then passes through some fields before reaching VA 630 (2100') at 10.3 miles. After crossing VA 630 the remaining .8 mile of the section is mostly through open fields, but with a little bit of woods. At 10.7 miles, the trail reaches the top of a hill with good views in all directions. VA 42 and the end of the section is reached at 11.2 miles.
The weather on this day was dry and sunny, which made for a pleasant walk. It was a good workout enjoyed with a good friend.
I walked this section on an overcast winter day with spitting snow. It was a very unusual day in that it was snowing lightly and there was a beautiful dusting of snow on the ground, but a dusting that was never thick enough to affect footing in any way. The highlight of this section is the Audie Murphy Monument. I was not aware of its presence or the story until I happened upon it as I walked. Audie Murphy was the most decorated American soldier of World War II. He died in a small plane crash at the location of the monument.
One hundred feet into this section there is a trail registration box. At 1.6 miles, the trail reaches a vista to the left with a view (according to the trail guide). Of course I couldn't see it because of the low ceiling and visibility. I believe the trail stays on this ridge until about 4.4 miles from the trailhead. At 3.8 miles, a blue blazed trail to the right leads to the Audie Murphy Monument (3100').
The trail traverses what I call a finger of the mountain as it descends. By that I mean that the land drops off to both sides of the trail, not just one side as is the case on most mountainside descents. As the trail nears VA 621, it crosses several bridges. There is a small parking lot on the west side of VA 621 where the trail crosses.
The highlight of this section is a rock formation known as Dragons Tooth (3020'). I've actually been to Dragons Tooth twice. The first was a Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club hike from the Dragons Tooth parking lot on VA 311 to Dragons Tooth and back on a warm summer day. The second was also a hike from the Dragons Tooth parking lot, but this time continuing on beyond Dragons Tooth to VA 620 at Trout Creek. Darkness had fallen by the time we reached VA 620.
I got the section from Rawies Rest (2300') to Lost Spectacles Gap (2650') in August of 1993. That was also a Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club hike. We got caught in a thunderstorm around the area of Rawies Rest. (I didn't enjoy the lightning.)
Getting a view from Dragons Tooth requires a little bit of climbing on the rock. A person's arms need to be strong enough to lift one's weight in order to get onto the top of Dragons Tooth. The rest of the trail section after Dragons Tooth is a pleasant and interesting walk.
Leaving VA 624, the trail ascends through a pine grove. At .4 miles, a blue blazed trail leads right to a stream, and then to the USFS Dragons Tooth parking lot on VA 311. At 1.0 miles, the ridge narrows to a scenic, knife like, rocky rim known as Rawies Rest (2300'). Then at 1.3 miles, the trail reaches Viewpoint Rock with a view of the gap between North and Cove Mountains. The trail, then reaches Lost Spectacles Gap (2650') at 1.5 miles, where a blue-blazed trail leads 1.5 miles to the USFS (Dragons Tooth) parking lot on VA 311.
At 2.5 miles a blue blazed trail leads 200 yards left to Dragons Tooth (3020'). This is a monolith with views of the Catawba Valley, McAfee Knob and Big Tinker Mountain. At 4.1 miles, a rocky outcrop known as Hemlock Point offers views of North Mountain and the valley. At 6.0 miles, a blue blazed trail leads .5 miles to the Pickle Branch Shelter (1845'). There's a bridge over Trout Creek just before reaching VA 620, and the end of the section, at 7.0 miles.
I actually hiked this section twice. The first time was with a Roanoke Appalachian Trail club group. I believe we only went as far as VA 785 on that day. Later I walked it again with a friend named Tony. I think that is the day that we went at least as far as VA 624, and perhaps on to the Dragons Tooth parking lot via Rawies Rest.
The section from VA 311 to VA 785 is known as Sawtooth Ridge. The reason is pretty obvious if you look at the ridge from below, especially from the parking lot of the Homeplace Restaurant (which is near Catawba, on VA 311 in the valley to the west of the ridge). Though there are overlooks along the ridge, a lot of the trail is now sidehill trail, rather than ridgeline trail, so those overlooks are mostly bypassed by the trail. Perhaps a mile or so from 311, the trail climbs a fairly long grade. As the AT begins to descend from below this crest, there should be a side trail to the left, leading to a high point and an overlook. At 3.6 miles, the trail crosses a stile and emerges into an open field. There are views of Cove Mountain and Dragons Tooth from this field. At 4.3 miles, the trail crosses a stile and reaches VA 785 (1790'). There is also a stile to cross on the other side of VA 785 and then another in .2 miles. At 5.0 miles, the trail crosses a bridge, then begins an ascent through a pine grove. At 5.4 miles, near the top of Sandstone Ridge, there is a stile, and the descent to VA 624 begins. The trail reaches VA 624 and the end of the section at 5.9 miles.
This section is surely one of the most appealing sections on the entire Appalachian Trail. It certainly is a high interest section for people that live in the Roanoke Valley area, as the large, frequently full parking lot on US 311 at the top of Catawba Mountain will attest. The first 3.5 miles northbound from VA 311 is the popular portion of the section. Mcafee Knob (3197'), at 3.5 miles is the goal of most of the people who park on VA 311.
There are three shelters in this section, the Johns Spring shelter (1980') at 1.0 mile and the Catawba Mountain Shelter (2145') at 2.0 miles are the first two. The trail gains 1400' in elevation between the trailhead and McAfee Knob. The view from McAfee Knob (3197') is one of the most celebrated along the entire AT. To the right, there's a broad view of the Roanoke Valley. Immediately below and to the left of the knob are views of the Catawba Valley and the ridges to the west of the Catawba Valley.
Just beyond McAfee Knob there is an area of large rock blocks known as Devil's Kitchen. The trail then descends a steep slope on a series of switchbacks. Several miles after McAfee Knob, there is a nice rock outcropping (probably at about 6.5 miles) with spectacular views to the right of Carvins Cove (which is a significant part of the water supply for the city of Roanoke, VA), Tinker Mountain, the Peaks of Otter, and Apple Orchard Mountain. At 7.3 miles, the trail reaches Brickeys Gap (2300') and begins to ascend. The southern end of Tinker Cliffs (3000'), is reached at 8.6 miles. The trail follows the edge of the cliffs for 0.5 mile. There are nice views of Dragons Tooth, Mcafee Knob, North Mountain and other mountains from the cliffs. The photo on my hiking card (pictured on the home page) is a shot of Tinker Cliffs with rhododendron in bloom.
Then, a short descent from Tinker Cliffs brings one to Scorched Earth Gap (2360'), at 9.6 miles. The Andy Layne trail turns off to the left here and leads about 2.5 miles to VA 779 and the North Mountain Trail. Then at 10.2 miles, the AT reaches the third shelter in the section, the Lamberts Meadow Shelter (2080'). At 10.5 miles, the trail reaches Lamberts Meadow (2040'), adjacent to Sawmill Run. This is a primitive camping area with a picnic table. Shortly thereafter, a blue blazed side trail turns to the right. This trail leads back 1.7 miles to rejoin the AT at Brickeys Gap. At 10.7 miles a red blazed trail known as the Tinker Cliffs Trail descends to the right off of the AT, leading to the road around that follows the perimeter of Carvins Cove.
Continuing on, there is a nice view of agricultural land in the valley below to the left of the trail at a narrow gap in the woods. At 12.1 miles the trail reaches a gap in Tinker Ridge. From this point, the AT follows Tinker Ridge for the next 6.4 miles with views to the left of subdivisions, orchards, farms and mountains. To the right, there are views of Carvins Cove and Brushy Mountain. At 14.5 miles, the trail reaches Angels Gap (1700'), which is a gas line right-of-way. Just before Angels Gap, the trail used to go over the top of Ruckers Knob, with a steep descent to Angels Gap. However, I understand that a relocation has moved the trail to the side of the knob and eliminated the steep descent. At 15.6 miles, the trail reaches Hay Rock (1900'). It requires a bit of a climb to get up on this rock, however, it gives a nice view of Carvins Cove. Then at 16.9 miles, the trail crosses a rock that is usually called Cove Rock. It’s easy to get up on this rock and it provides a nice place to sit and look at Carvins Cove. This point is 2.7 miles from the commuter parking lot on US 220. Even though it's been many years since I've walked it, this is a favorite afternoon hike of mine.
Then at 17.5 miles, the trail crosses under a power line (1373') and begins descending on a series of switchbacks. The descent ends and the trail reaches a signboard at 18.5 miles. It then crosses a railroad track, an overgrown field on the Tinker Creek floodplain and a concrete bridge over Tinker Creek (1165') between 19.0 and 19.1 miles. Continuing on, you'll soon see a house sticking up over the hill to the left. The first couple of times that I hiked this section, that house was not there. Too bad it's not still that way - it intrudes on the trail.
When the trail turns left (at 19.3 miles), an access trail goes straight ahead to the commuter parking lot on US 220 adjacent to exit 150 on I - 81. The AT itself passes behind several businesses that front on US 220, then crosses US 220 about .2 mile North of the I - 81 interchange.