Buzzard Rock at Read Mountain is a 3.6 mile heavily trafficked out and back trail located near Cloverdale, Virginia that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and nature trips and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
My only complaint is whoever did the trail blazers didn't know what they were doing. The signage is also a little lacking and the trailhead map is unreadable due to the plexiglass discoloration, so there are a couple points where trails cross that are a little confusing. There is more than this one trail on Read Mountain, but this one is the main one.
This is a great hike, and it only had a few small muddy areas. I would recommend trekking poles if you tend to use them since there are some rocky areas on the path. The trail is also rather narrow in spots, so I'm sure it's more difficult on a crowded day to maneuver around people, but today there were only a handful of hikers on the trail. Good views at the top.
Trail was in great shape and a fun afternoon hike that’s not too difficult.
It's been a while since I've done this trail. I prefer the Crossover and Rocky Top(?) trails to take it shorter more challenging hike to the top. Now that I have this app I can leave pictures and such the next time I'm on it. I have some photos stored somewhere that I'll have to look for and upload. Love this trail!
Beautiful hike. Streams, stone steps, windy at top with some areas of hard/slippery snow but short and manageable spots.
You can see McAfees Knob from the bench at the top, the trail itself isn't too difficult. Was very dry all the way through today. This one twists and turns quite a bit and is very narrow at some spots. Didn't see too many people and most had dogs. Overall a short and sweet hike.
Great trail and views!! I have nothing to compare it with around here yet but it was amazing!
A beautifully maintained trail in the city that rivals even legendary local trails. This hike is very similar in length and difficulty to the Dragon's Tooth hike. It also has outstanding views. It's mostly a single track trail with some rocks and steps, though it does not have any technical stuff. A great hike for anyone who can be on their feet for 2 hours, and if you are looking for more, you can add in the loop for 5 miles total.
Nice easy to moderate hike. Beautiful views from the bench at the peak of the hike. Took us about 2 hours back and forth, 4 miles total. Will definitely come back as it's only 15 minutes away from my new home city of Roanoke
No idea what happened to the recording!! We hiked from the parking lot (blue trail) to Rocky Way Trail (yellow trail) to Crossover Trail (red trail) to Buzzard Rock summit, then back down Buzzard's Rock trail (blue trail) to the lot. There's a lot of rock stairs and very steep and narrow at points. Not a lot of room for social distancing and it was a busy trail day.