The Park Service is seeking input on a management plan for the Triple Crown section of the Appalachian Trail in Virginia/McAfee Knob, photo by Tim Lewis, Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club

Relatively few thru hikers manage to go end-to-end on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail in one trek. But so many hikers crowd Virginia's Triple Crown segment of the A.T. near Roanoke, Virginia, that the National Park Service is developing a management plan for that section.

The Triple Crown includes three iconic areas along Appalachian Trail: Dragon’s Tooth, McAfee Knob, and Tinker Cliffs. Because of increased visitor use, this trail segment has seen increasing wear and damage to natural areas. It raises facility and safety concerns as well. The draft of the Visitor Use Management Plan, currently open for public review, proposes ways to reduce impacts to the trail and its users, protect cultural and natural resources, address facility and safety concerns and improve opportunities for visitors to use, experience and enjoy the trail in safety. This planning effort began in 2021, with the first public input taking place in March 2022. 

While the Park Service says many hikers only knock off one or two of these iconic sites at a time, there are opportunities to hike all three to complete the Virginia Triple Crown segment. The options to do so include hiking in one direction (a trip of about 20 miles) or hiking a loop traveling between Tinker Cliffs and Dragon’s Tooth on the Appalachian National Scenic Trail and returning on a US Forest Service trail, the North Mountain Trail (a trip of about 34 miles), the Park Service says.

Public comment is being taken through August 31. You can find the plan, and leave your comments, at this site.

“This proposed visitor use management plan is the product of a true partnership of many who care about Virginia’s Triple Crown,” said the Appalachian Trails' acting superintendent, John Cannella. “Passionate outdoor recreation, environmental stewards, and others in the community are already part of this planning effort, but now it’s your turn. We want to hear from everyone who has something to say.” 

You can join the Park Service staff and its partners at one of two public meetings to learn more about the plan:  

Virtual Public Meeting

Monday, August 14, 6 p.m. EST 
Teams Meeting Link: https://bit.ly/3NHtdgT 
Meeting ID: 282018103550327, Passcode: BjgSji  
Call In: 1-202-640-1187, Passcode: 741 430 500# 

Closed captioning will be available; the virtual meeting will be recorded. 

In-Person Open House Meeting 

Tuesday, August 15. Join anytime between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. EST. 
Location: Salem Civic Center Community Room 
1001 Roanoke Blvd 
Salem, Virginia 24153 

To request accessibility accommodations for either meeting, e-mail the Park Service or call 541-797-8760 by August 7.