hiking in roanoke

Hiking Fallingwater Cascades in Bedford, VA

Fallingwater Cascades, located off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Bedford County, is located just a few miles north of the popular Peaks of Otter area. This trail is 1.0 miles in total length (down and back) and runs along the cascades with pretty views of the cascades themselves and small pools of mountain water. The trail is entirely a descent to the base of the cascades followed by an ascent back up with the total elevation change of about 365 feet. This area is particularly pretty in the spring and fall.

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Hiking Abbott Lake in Bedford, VA

Abbott Lake Trail is located about 50 minutes north of Roanoke, VA, in Bedford in the heart of the area known as Peaks of Otter, and is located right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. For more information on the 469-mile Blue Ridge Parkway, which travels through Virginia and North Carolina.

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Hiking Sharp Top Mountain in Bedford, VA

Sharp Top Mountain Trail is labelled - appropriately - as strenuous. The trail does flatten out a little bit at points along the way but it is a steep upward climb, gaining over 1300 feet in elevation in 1.5 miles. Large segments are basically carved rock stairs. One way to think about this in a different scale: this is basically like climbing 130 flights of stairs over a 1.5 mile distance.

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Hiking Horsepen Trail at Carvins Cove in Roanoke, VA

Horsepen Trail is part of the large Carvins Cove Natural Reserve in Roanoke, Virginia. The cove is comprised of over 12,000 acres and includes a 630-acre reservoir. It is nestled in the Roanoke Valley near Tinker Mountain and has pretty mountain and water views, depending on your exact spot. The Reserve is half in Roanoke County, half in neighboring Botetourt County (pronounced bot-uh-tot).

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Hiking Apple Orchard Falls in Southwestern Virginia

Apple Orchard Falls is located in the Buchanan area of Botetourt County, Virginia, about an hour-long drive from downtown Roanoke along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway. Based on our reading, it appears the waterfalls are accessible from two locations: uphill and downhill from the falls. We personally accessed the trail from the higher elevation entry point along the Blue Ridge Parkway. That trailhead is easily visible from a scenic overlook spot, about 7 miles north from Peaks of Otter, a well-known spot in the area.

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A Compendium of Hikes in and near Roanoke, Virginia

We are lucky to live in the beautiful Blue Ridge mountain city of Roanoke, Virginia, a valley with endless outdoor activities and amazing vistas. In this post, we capture many of the area hikes and waterfalls we have explored more in depth.

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