My Favorite Place in Virginia: Bouldering at McAfees

Around the year 1992, I made my first trip to the idyllic hills of McAfees Knob just 20 minutes down the road from Wilderness Adventure at Eagle Landing (WAEL). I remember seeing big, elephant-skin colored rocks poking out of the forest alongside the jeep road. I also remember being awestruck at the Main Area and humbled at the summit. But it wasn't until 10 years later that I returned to be utterly blown away at the immense quantity as well as quality of boulders that swarm the mountain.

Since my return, I've had a lot of fun being a part of what I'd consider the "knob renaissance." My main partner in ushering a new era on the mountain was Adam Walker - also author of 'Distilled Bouldering,' a blogspot dedicated to bouldering in VA with a lot of emphasis on the knob. A guide was put out by my buddy, Jay Shultz and posted on drtopo.com a few years ago with coverage on past development, as well as the early resurgence at the turn of the millennium. Dislaimer: The list of motivated developers and first ascentionists span the decades and any list would be non-exhaustive...I apologize if your name is not mentioned.

Adam on Greasy Belly a.k.a. Domino

Even with all the 'local' buzz (consisting of a small handful of motivated people from Blacksburg, Roanoke and WAEL), McAfees carries an almost ghostly spirit. On any given day, with the exception of curious hikers, you'll find solitude and rarely see another climber. Walking up the jeep road and passing the roadside boulders, you'll see fresh chalk on the crimps and slopers as if you've just missed the guy before. Higher up the road, the boulders and chalk fade out and open up into an extensive and clear view of blue ridges and rolling valleys.

About 1/4 mile from the summit, you hit the Main Area. This is where the most classic problems lie as well as the biggest concentration . Keep going to the summit and you'll be rewarded with awesome views, refreshing breezes (sometimes windy enough to blow you off the summit when you're wearing a crashpad) and even more bouldering. I'd be conservative to say that there's at least 100 (small to house sized) boulders up there and even more to be discovered in the forest. Heidi (my wife) and I discovered two new boulders in the forest off the jeep road two years ago and put up about 7 great problems...adding a whole new area to the roadside circuit. We even found a 100' w x 50' t wall (although mostly chossy) off the lower jeep road that day!


Heidi on the Mickey Mouse Left Boulder



The 6'4" arete

In short, McAffees is a place unlike any other - a beautiful forest, classic boulders, no crowds and more climbing to be found for the adventurous - with one of the best views in the state. If you're a climber in or traveling through VA, you owe it to yourself to check it out!

Truc