November 04, 2023: Dragon’s Tooth Hike – Amazing Sunrise Spot near Roanoke, VA
If you know us, you know we love a good sunrise hike! To be more exact, we love watching sunrise from the top of a mountain. We don’t necessarily enjoy waking up at the crack of dawn and hiking in the dark. But it’s (almost) always worth it!
My husband and I had already hiked to McAfee Knob and Tinker Cliffs which are a part of Virginia’s Triple Crown. Dragon’s Tooth was the missing piece! To make things more interesting, we decided to watch sunrise from the top.
Tackle this challenging yet short hike to Dragon’s Tooth for amazing panoramic views! Go early in the morning for sunrise or later in the evening for sunset. Either way, the experience will be one to remember. Always know your limits and be careful!
This route involves some rock scrambling which makes this hike along the Appalachian Trail even more interesting.
We woke up early in the morning and set off towards the trailhead. There were a few other cars in the parking lot, but most were probably backpackers. We started our short trek up to Dragon’s Tooth. It is only a 2.3-mile hike one way, but we were running a bit late. We had to hike fast!
The first 1.5 miles was a steady uphill climb but nothing too crazy. So far it was about a moderate difficulty for us. We eventually reached a sign where the trail changed from the Dragon’s Tooth Trail to the Appalachian Trail.
This is where the real fun began! The trail became very rocky and steeper. This section involved some rock scrambling. It was pretty tough but nothing too technical in our opinion. We still believe Old Rag is more challenging!
The rock scrambling section was short-lived. We reached another trail sign where we took a left towards Dragon’s Tooth. We were in awe of the rock formation!
We remembered seeing a picture of someone standing on top of the Dragon’s Tooth, so we decided to climb it, too. We found a place towards the right side of the rock formation where we could climb up. It wasn’t too tough to climb up, but I knew climbing back down would be tougher, especially for my 5’3 vertically challenged self.
Watching sunrise from the top of Dragon’s Tooth was incredible! The views were stunning. And there was one other person enjoying the sunrise with us. It was a peaceful experience.
My husband decided he wanted to freak me out and climb to the very tippity-top of the Dragon’s Tooth. It did turn out to be a really cool photo opportunity! I did attempt to climb to the top but bailed out. It was a bit too sketchy for me.
Once the sun was fully up over the horizon, we headed back down the trail towards the parking lot. It was a great hike! Here’s a little tip. If you are hiking in cold weather (it was quite cold at the top of Dragon’s Tooth), I recommend bring hot tea or coffee in an insulated cup or bottle. It was so satisfying drinking warm tea while watching sunrise on a chilly, fall morning.
Our Rating of Dragon’s Tooth
We give this hike a solid 10/10!
What we liked: short yet challenging hike; small rock scrambling section; amazing sunrise hike; unique rock formation
What we didn’t like: honestly, nothing! Our sunrise hike to Dragon’s Tooth was perfect!
