by Marnie Hunter
Magic City. Star City of the South. The southwestern Virginia city of Roanoke has earned some impressive nicknames.
One stems from the railroads that almost magically turned the sleepy Roanoke Valley town once known as Big Lick into a bustling commercial hub in the 1880s, the other from a giant illuminated star that’s become an enduring civic symbol.
But both monikers could also be applied to its lovely location between the Blue Ridge and Allegheny mountains, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail, or AT.
“I think our access to the outdoors is unparalleled compared to other areas,” says Ryan Wagoner, an Appalachian Trail volunteer who was out for a regular run up to McAfee Knob in early May. Wagoner, who lives in Blacksburg, noted how close the trail is to the sizable city of Roanoke, which has a regional airport and is right off Interstate 81.
The McAfee Knob trailhead is about a 20-minute drive from the airport, and the 8-mile, out-and-back hike delivers 270-degree views and a spine-tingling perch – one of the most photographed spots on the Appalachian Trail. McAfee Knob is one of three excellent hikes clustered north of Roanoke known as the “Triple Crown.”
Passing southeast of town, the 469-mile-long Blue Ridge Parkway delivers more scenic overlooks and hiking trails. The area around Roanoke is also billed as the East Coast’s mountain biking capital and there’s plenty of fishing and paddling, too.
Anyone who ventures to Roanoke’s compact, walkable downtown will soon be reminded of its origin story as well. While the railroad presence has receded, relics of that era remain and there’s still a regular clackety-clack of freight train cars bumping along the tracks. Four times a day, Amtrak passenger trains stop at the downtown platform overlooked by the stately Hotel Roanoke up on the hill – built by the Norfolk & Western railroad in 1882.
And within Roanoke city limits, a giant star acts as a beacon for in town hikers.
Erected in 1949, the Roanoke Star topping Mill Mountain was intended to serve as a seasonal holiday decoration, but it’s become an enduring symbol of the city. Using 2,000 feet of neon tubing, the star is 88.5 feet tall and is billed as “the largest, free-standing, man-made, illuminated star in the world.” Also known as the Mill Mountain Star, the landmark is accessible via the hike-only Star Trail, by car or via a 3.3-mile paved route that connects from downtown.
Up at the star, Mistie Robbins and Cory Pleasant were waiting for it to light up as they soaked in views of downtown and the surrounding mountains at sunset. The couple recently moved to the area from Phoenix.
So far, Roanoke is treating them right.
