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Virginia Trailfinder
Full field brief

Trailhead view · Catawba

McAfee Knob

Distance
8mi
Climb
1,415ft
Hiking time
4h–6h
Difficulty
Hard

Start: 37.37984, -80.08978 open in a map app

1,415 ft up, 1,418 ft down · 1,945–3,182 ft

2,0002,2502,5002,7503,0003,2500 mi246+919 ft · 10%+247 ft · 3.9%Start
7.71 miles measured, 1,415 ft of climbing and 1,418 ft of descent, between 1,945 and 3,182 ft. The hardest part is a 1.7-mile climb of 919 ft starting at mile 2.09, averaging 10%. A second climb of 247 ft begins at mile 0.69. After the high point the route drops 919 ft over 1.8 miles. The steepest sustained quarter mile averages 13.7%.7.71 miles measured, 1,415 ft of climbing and 1,418 ft of descent, between 1,945 and 3,182 ft. The hardest part is a 1.7-mile climb of 919 ft starting at mile 2.09, averaging 10%. A second climb of 247 ft begins at mile 0.69. After the high point the route drops 919 ft over 1.8 miles. The steepest sustained quarter mile averages 13.7%.Trailfinder reading Measured from an OpenStreetMap line and the USGS 10 m elevation model, fetched 2026-09-05. Sampled terrain, not a GPS track.

7.71 miles measured, 1,415 ft of climbing and 1,418 ft of descent, between 1,945 and 3,182 ft. The hardest part is a 1.7-mile climb of 919 ft starting at mile 2.09, averaging 10%. A second climb of 247 ft begins at mile 0.69. After the high point the route drops 919 ft over 1.8 miles. The steepest sustained quarter mile averages 13.7%.

Official notes

Parking
Route 311 trailhead lot fills extremely early on weekends. Parking along the highway shoulder is prohibited and ticketed.
Water
No reliable treated water. Carry all you need; shelter springs are seasonal.
Dogs
Dogs allowed on leash
Cell
Not yet verified.
Emergency
Call 911. Access for rescue is from the Route 311 trailhead.
  • Unprotected cliff edge at the overlook
  • Lightning on the ridge
  • Ice in winter
  • Full parking lots
Check current alerts and closures

This view is a reference, not navigation. The line is sampled from OpenStreetMap and USGS data; carry an offline map and treat cell coverage as unreliable.