Hike to Bald Knob

Unobstructed views with little hiking effort make Bald Knob one of the best locations to see the sunset in southwestern Virginia.

Easy to access from US-460 in Giles County, take Mountain Lake Road (VA-700) for 7 miles and park in the gravel lot on the left by the intersection of VA-613 and Mountain Lake Outfitters. Cross VA-700 and begin your hike up the gravel road. After 0.1 miles turn right onto the well-marked "Bald Knob" Trail. This trail is a direct and very steep ascent of 403' in 0.4 miles. You will emerge from the woods onto the rocky summit of Salt Pond Mountain (4365') with views of the New River Valley and West Virginia.

Bald Knob faces southwest, so find a perch and watch the sunset over the mountains directly in front of you. For the 0.5 miles back to the car simply follow the Bald Knob trail back down and turn left on the gravel road.

For an added bonus, you can also explore Mountain Lake, where the movie "Dirty Dancing" was filmed during the 1980's, which is easily accessible from the Bald Knob parking lot.