Roanoke trail shuttle presents model for similar rural sites considering transit

With more than 50,000 annual visitors, McAfee Knob is one of the most photographed spots on the entire Appalachian Trail. In an effort to reduce the congestion that such intensive use causes at America’s most beautiful sites, in 2017 the National Park Service released a Visitor Use Management Plan. One of the proposed improvements for Virginia’s Triple Crown — the triad of hikes including McAfee Knob, Dragon’s Tooth and Tinker Cliffs — was a trailhead shuttle.

When Roanoke County won an innovation grant from the Department of Rail and Public Transportation last year, the idea for a hikers’ shuttle was finally ready to be realized. The county contracted RIDE Solutions to operate a dawn-to-dusk McAfee Knob Trailhead Shuttle running Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and holiday Mondays starting Sept. 1.

“This pilot project is a bit of a unicorn for us,” admitted DRPT Director Jen DeBruhl. “There is no traditional funding for this type of program, but we look at this as a way of not just providing a shuttle to the trails but a connection to regional public transportation and Amtrak. This is focused on moving visitors from outside the region more efficiently through the great natural amenities we have around McAfee Knob.”

Virginia residents and visitors alike interested in avoiding the trail’s parking problems can simply book a ride online. The shuttle picks people up at Interstate 81’s Exit 140 park-and-ride lot in Salem, which is accessible via the intercity Virginia Breeze buses as well as the local Valley Metro Smart Way Bus.