These are all spots that are popular to hike at in southwest Virginia, near Virginia Tech and Radford. All these directions assume that you are coming from Blacksburg on US-460.

Cascades and Barney's Wall

Head out of Blacksburg on US-460 West toward West Virginia. After approximately fifteen miles, the divided highway will disappear and you will be smack in the middle of Pembroke, VA, and the speed limit will drop to 45mph. Turn right onto Route 623. There will be a National Park sign that says "Cascades". The road is also called Cascade Drive. Follow this road until its end, where you will be in the parking lot at the foot of the trail. There are restrooms there, and you must pay $2 per car to park, so be sure to bring money.

There are actually two trails. There is a flat trail that is about two miles and can be traveled in about 30 minutes, but is really boring and doesn't afford you any views. To take this trail, stay on the left side of the river. The other trail is about 3 miles and can take up to an hour to go, but is significantly more beautiful to view. To take this trail, cross the first bridge you come to and take that trail. After you get to the main waterfall, if you head up a little farther, you can get to the Upper Falls, which are a little smaller, a bit more secluded, and seem to be more majestic.

Kelly's Knob

Head out of Blacksburg on US-460 West toward West Virginia. After five or six miles, on your right you will see Route 42 at the bottom of a hill. There is a small gas station and grocery store at the corner. This road will take you through a very small town and after about a mile you'll see Route 601 on your left, also called Clover Hill Road. The sign that says 601 is on the right hand side of the road, and is somewhat of hidden, so if you find yourself driving on Route 42 for more than a few minutes, you probably missed it. Head out on Route 601 for several miles through farms. You will eventually reach a T-intersection with a road sign that points 601 onto a dirt road. Go onto the dirt road and after about 100 yards on the dirt road you should see a sign that says "Appalachian Trail". Head straight up the dirt road for several miles of twisting and turning until you see a sign that says "ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY" and "ENTER GILES CO." That's where you park, and the trail is on your right.

The trail itself takes about 45 minutes to get to the knob. It starts out very steep, but only does that for about 20 minutes before it levels off. Follow the white blazes on the trees to make sure you are going the correct direction. After 45 minutes, there will be a really small sign on a tree to your right that says "OVERLOOK", and an unofficial camping area on your right as well. The knob is out there.

War Spur and Wind Rock

Head out of Blacksburg on US-460 West toward West Virginia. After approximately 10 miles, you will see a sign for Mountain Lake on Mountain Lake Road on your right. Follow the signs to Mountain Lake. You will drive through the resort and past the actual lake and onto a dirt road. After approximately two miles on this dirt road, you will see a parking area with a sign that is War Spur. If you continue for another mile to two miles, you will reach another parking area with another sign that is for Wind Rock.

War Spur is an approximately three mile loop hike that overlooks a valley in the Jefferson National Forest. There is also a small stream that crosses the trail which makes for attractive photos.

Wind Rock is a quarter mile hike that can be done in 10 minutes that goes up to a much more significant overlook into the Jefferson National Forest. It is, as the name implies, extremely windy on the overlook, so bring a coat regardless of the season. There is a very large camping area by Wind Rock, and it is extremely fun to camp there, especially when there is a full moon.

Dragon's Tooth

From Blacksburg, take North Main street toward 460. After the road goes from four lanes to two, you will see Mount Tabor Road on your right. This is a very twisty road, so be very careful and pay attention to the signs warning of corners, because they do not lie. (The experience of a totaled car tells me this.) Mount Tabor road will turn into Newport Road eventually. Just stay on this road until it ends at Route 311, which should be after about 25 of 30 minutes of driving. Take a left onto Route 311 and continue down it for approximately 1/4 mile and there will be a sign for Dragon's Tooth and the Appalachian Trail on your left. There is an outhouse at the parking lot and plenty of space to park.

The trail is five miles up and down and is very rocky toward the top. It will take you about 1.5 hours to get up the trail. Follow the blue blazes until you reach a flat area where there is a camping area. This is where the trail intersects with the Appalachian Trail. There is a sign that points in the direction of Dragon's Tooth, and you are halfway there. Continue up the Appalachian Trail following the white blazes now. At the very top the trail gets very rocky and steep, but when you reach the top of the ridge, there will be a sign directing you to Dragon's Tooth with blue blazes showing the direction.

McAfee's Knob

From Blacksburg, take North Main street toward 460. After the road goes from four lanes to two, you will see Mount Tabor Road on your right. This is a very twisty road, so be very careful and pay attention to the signs warning of corners, because they do not lie. (The experience of a totaled car tells me this.) Mount Tabor road will turn into Newport Road eventually. Just stay on this road until it ends at Route 311, which should be after about 25 of 30 minutes of driving. Take a right onto Route 311. (This is also coincidentally one of the ways to get to Homeplace.) After approximately 2.5 miles, you will pass Route 785, also called Catawba Creek Road and you will come up on a hill with a ridge on either side of the road. At the top of the hill is a parking lot on your right and a trailhead on the left and right. After parking, cross the street and walk down the road for about 100 yards to the gate, and that is the start of the trail to McAfee's Knob.

There are two trails you can take up to the peak. The first is a fire road is a quick way to get up or down and crosses the main trail after about two miles. The other trail is more scenic and actually follows the Appalachian Trail, but takes absolutely forever to hike. It will take you between forty-five minutes to an hour and fifteen minutes to reach the top if you take the fire trail, and it is a slow and steady incline, especially near the top. I did this trail in the middle of the night to get to the top for the sunrise and was able to find all of the markings, so it should be easier during the day.

Angel's Rest

From Blacksburg, take US-460 west toward Pearisburg. After approximately 25 miles, you will see a sign for Route 100 toward Pearisburg. Route 100 only goes in one direction, so take it. After you cross the bridge over US-460, you'll see a Dairy Queen on your right, with a road on either side of it. The first road you approach is North Main Street, and you don't want to take that. The next road, immediately after the Dairy Queen, is Johnston Avenue, and you want to take a right on to that. Once on Johnston Avenue, bear right onto Morris Avenue. The Appalachian Trail crosses this road after about a mile. Take it slow because it is a twisty road that people like to speed down, and you need to look for the small sign that says AT on your right. There is limited parking on the left hand side of the road, and the trail begins on the left hand side of the road, when you are coming from Pearisburg.

The trail itself is only a mile and a half, but you do ascend 1500 feet in that mile and a half. Your calves and thighs will be sore. Angel's Rest itself is clearly marked at the top and you will know that you are there when you start to be surrounded by Rhododendrons. You can see the New River and Pearisburg from the top for quite the view. The better view, however, is another 0.6 miles of flat hiking down the Appalachian Trail on your left, once you've arrived at Angel's Rest. If you already made the hike up to Angel's Rest, you might as well get the second view as well.