Backpacking to McAfee Knob on the Virginia Triple Crown With My Son - Ep. 1

This hike has been on my radar for years, so while my son was home on college break we decided to backpack the Virginia Triple Crown Loop in Catawba Virginia. The Virginia Triple Crown is an experience that features some of the best hiking in the Roanoke Valley in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The loop is approximately 35 miles and consists of three iconic vista’s, McAfee Knob, Tinker Cliffs and Dragon’s Tooth.

This two night, two and a half day adventure began in the Dragon’s Tooth Trail Head parking lot on a beautiful mid December day. We chose to go counter clockwise and see McAfee’s Knob first and stayed our first night at the Pig Farm Campsite near Campbell Shelter right on the Appalachian Trail, just below McAfee Knob.

The sunny, dry weather was perfect for an early winter backpacking trip. However, we did encounter some very deep leaf litter along the way which made parts of this hike treacherous at times while descending certain sections. Also, we would not recommend relying on the water source at Pig Farm/Campbell Shelter this time of year as it was nearly dried up completely. Even though Pig Farm campsite is fairly large it does not have many tent options that are level or root free, but hammock options are numerous.

In the next episode we visit Tinker Cliff’s and begin our journey along the North Mountain Trail desperately searching for a campsite as the sun is setting. Episode three is all about Dragon’s Tooth, our favorite! Be sure to check it out for some stunning drone footage!

Please note that we did not fly the drone at McAfee Knob or Tinker Cliff’s as drone use is prohibited there, which are both on NPS land, however, Dragon’s Tooth is outside of the Appalachian Trail corridor and is in Jefferson National Forest where drone use is not restricted.

Episode 2 - Tinker's Cliff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n59NEZZ839c

Episode 3 - Dragon's Tooth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vpDLnZmsLvs