Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Virginia / Roanoke Valley

Appalachian Trail: Sunset Field to the James River through Thunder Ridge and James River Face Wilderness

Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Thunder Ridge and James River Face Wildernesses, Jefferson National Forest (Blue Ridge Parkway to the James River near Glasgow)

Congress designated the James River Face Wilderness in 1975, and the Virginia Wilderness Committee calls it the “Grandfather of Virginia’s Wilderness” because it was the state’s first. The committee says the James River cuts a gorge more than nine miles long here, and the land rises about 2,400 feet from the river to Highcock Knob.

Hiking Upward’s 17.2-mile route follows the Appalachian Trail from Sunset Field on the Blue Ridge Parkway, through the Thunder Ridge Wilderness and over Highcock Knob, down to the James River Footbridge, which it calls the longest footbridge on the A.T.

The hike

Hiking Upward suggests going south to north because more of the route is downhill. From Sunset Field, the A.T. climbs about 900 feet to the meadow at the FAA radar dome on Apple Orchard Mountain at mile 1.6, with views over the Shenandoah Valley, then passes The Guillotine, which Hiking Upward calls a popular photo spot, and enters the Thunder Ridge Wilderness. Thunder Hill Shelter is at mile 2.7. The trail crosses the Parkway for the last time at mile 3.6 and passes the stone wall at Thunder Ridge Overlook at mile 4.0, with the Devil’s Marbleyard in view to the north.

Harrison Ground Spring, on a short spur at mile 5.9, is the next water; Hiking Upward says a trail maintainer had never seen it dry. At Petites Gap (Forest Road 35, mile 7.3) the trail enters the James River Face Wilderness and climbs about 700 feet in 1.2 miles to Highcock Knob. Marble Spring, at mile 9.4, is Hiking Upward’s suggested first-night campsite, with water downhill toward the back of the site.

Past Marble Spring the A.T. crosses the Sulphur Spring Trail twice and meets the Belfast Trail at mile 11.8. The Virginia Wilderness Committee lists the 2.3-mile Belfast Trail among the wilderness trails and describes the nearby Devil’s Marbleyard as an eight-acre boulder field that is fun to scramble across. The A.T. descends past Big Cove Branch at mile 13.0 to Matts Creek Shelter at 14.9, near swimming holes, then follows the river for the last stretch to the footbridge at 16.7 and the parking lot at 17.2.

Hiking Upward also describes a three-day version that continues north past Johns Hollow Shelter to the Parkway at MP 51.7. To the south, the Virginia Triple Crown loop covers the A.T. near Roanoke.

Tips

Camping

No permit is needed. Thunder Hill and Matts Creek are A.T. shelters, and dispersed camping is allowed on the national forest outside the footbridge zone. A Forest Service order limits groups in all wildernesses on the forest to 10 and bans leaving property or trash. Hiking Upward lists Marble Spring as the main campsite between Petites Gap and the river, and a reviewer (July 2016) noted “a substantial amount of space for tents” past Matts Creek Shelter.

Inside Intel: Hiking Upward reviewers point to Marble Spring: one (July 2016) found “plenty of room for tents” and had the site to themselves, and another (May 2014) described “a really nice spring down the hill from the camping,” though level sites were “tolerable” rather than great.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

Knee-pounding miles to the James River:

This route climbs about 700 feet in 1.2 miles to Highcock Knob before the long descent to the James River Footbridge, and one reviewer said the downhills were hard on knees. See how poles ease that load.

See the pole tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.