This was the very first hike of the 40! Drew and I hiked Dragon’s Tooth on July 12, 2014 — my 40th birthday. Dragon’s Tooth is a unique geological feature on top of Cove Mountain, located in Catawba, VA. The “Tooth” is a Tuscarora quartzite spire — basically a huge rock that looks like a tooth. To get to the tooth you have to climb lots of other rocks…needless to say, this hike is a really good workout.

The trail to Dragon’s Tooth is 4.8 miles roundtrip. Sounds pretty simple, right? Well sure…except that the last .7 of the hike is all rock scrambling straight up the mountain. It was lots of fun, but if rock scrambling isn’t your thing then you may want to check-out nearby McAfee’s Knob.

Take-aways:

-Moderate to difficult hike

-Would not recommend for young kids

-4.8 miles out and back

-Last .7 mile is rock scrambling

-Gorgeous views from the summit

-20 minutes outside of Roanoke, VA

-Highly recommend