Skip to content
Byway
Blue Ridge ParkwayAll lookouts
Lookout · Blue Ridge Parkway

Devil's Backbone Overlook

OpenStreetMap
Looking east from Devil's Backbone Overlook. Terrain and imagery at true elevation.
Overview · Assembled from verified data

Devil's Backbone Overlook sits at 2,697 feet on the Blue Ridge Parkway, facing east with land dropping 874 feet within 600 meters of the viewpoint. The terrain in view spans several named peaks at varying distances: Graveyard Knob and Coles Knob to the east-southeast, Cahas Mountain to the northeast at 3,538 feet, and Bunker Hill closer to due east-northeast. Farther out, Cooks Knob, Beech Mountain, Grassy Hill, Haw Patch Hill, and Clower Knob extend the sightline to nearly 12 miles, with Waid Recreation Park visible to the east-southeast at just over 10 miles. The overlook faces directly toward sunrise, with no offset from due east. Sunrise times shift across the year, from 06:02 at the June solstice to 07:31 at the December solstice, making this a direct sunrise-facing stop rather than one angled away from it. Cave Spring, Roanoke, and Blacksburg lie to the north-northeast and northwest at distances of 14.5 to 21.4 miles. This overlook falls between Roanoke Mountain Loop Lookout and Pine Spur Overlook on the parkway sequence.

Access
On the byway
Elevation
2,697 ft
View
East · 90°
Light
Best at sunrise
Relief
874 ft drop
In view
10 named features
Photos · Real imagery only
Pine Spur Panorama during summertime
Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Pine Spur Overlook during summertime
Idawriter · CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
500px provided description: A Spring morning in the Blue Ridge... [#field ,#landscape ,#spring ,#panorama ,#pasture ,#cc ,#blue ridge mountains ,#attribution ,#Virginia ,#Canon EOS 60D ,#dbnunley]
Donnie Nunley · CC BY 3.0 · source
500px provided description: Hay in a foggy field [#field ,#landscape ,#hay ,#minimalist ,#cc ,#Virginia ,#Canon EOS 60D ,#Blue Ridge Mountains ,#Attribution ,#dbnunley]
Donnie Nunley · CC BY 3.0 · source
500px provided description: In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia on a foggy day... [#autumn ,#trees ,#fog ,#forest ,#cold ,#cc ,#attribution ,#Virginia ,#Canon EOS 60D ,#dbnunley]
Donnie Nunley · CC BY 3.0 · source
500px provided description: Scrub and fog in Virginia [#autumn ,#fog ,#photograph ,#fine art ,#weeds ,#cc ,#scrub ,#attribution ,#Virginia ,#Canon EOS 60D ,#Blue Ridge Mountains ,#dbnunley]
Donnie Nunley · CC BY 3.0 · source
In view · Named features

What you’re looking at

Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.

  • Graveyard Knob1,810 fteast-southeast · 5.9 mi
  • Coles Knob1,813 fteast-southeast · 7.3 mi
  • Cahas Mountain3,538 ftnortheast · 7.6 mi
  • Bunker Hill1,410 fteast-northeast · 7.7 mi
  • Cooks Knob2,193 ftsoutheast · 9.0 mi
  • Waid Recreation Park1,193 fteast-southeast · 10.2 mi
  • Beech Mountain1,767 ftsoutheast · 10.8 mi
  • Grassy Hill1,751 fteast · 11.4 mi
  • Haw Patch Hill1,428 ftsoutheast · 11.8 mi
  • Clower Knob1,355 fteast-northeast · 11.9 mi
When to look · Sun at this latitude

Light

This overlook faces sunrise — 0° off square to it.

DateSunriseSunsetGolden hour
March equinox07:2519:3218:58
June solstice06:0220:4420:05
September equinox07:0919:1918:45
December solstice07:3117:0816:27

Local time (America/New_York). Computed for this exact position.

Getting there · Position and access

Where it is

  • Cave Spring14.5 mi north-northeast
  • Roanoke18.7 mi north-northeast
  • Blacksburg21.4 mi northwest
← Before it: Roanoke Mountain Loop LookoutAfter it: Pine Spur Overlook →
Loading map…
Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Devil's Backbone Overlook.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens

Common questions

How high is Devil's Backbone Overlook?

Devil's Backbone Overlook sits at about 2,697 feet (822 m).

What can you see from Devil's Backbone Overlook?

From Devil's Backbone Overlook: Graveyard Knob (ESE, 5.9 mi); Coles Knob (ESE, 7.3 mi); Cahas Mountain (NE, 7.6 mi); Bunker Hill (ENE, 7.7 mi).

Is Devil's Backbone Overlook better at sunrise or sunset?

Sunrise. The land falls away from Devil's Backbone Overlook toward the sunrise, so at sunset the light is behind you. Exact times shift through the year; the page shows the current window.

What is the nearest town to Devil's Backbone Overlook?

Cave Spring, 15 miles NNE of Devil's Backbone Overlook.

What is the next lookout after Devil's Backbone Overlook?

Pine Spur Overlook is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after Devil's Backbone Overlook.

Drive to Devil's Backbone Overlook with Byway

Byway plans the scenic way there — real places along Blue Ridge Parkway, real weather, zero hallucinations — and hands the turns to the navigation you already use.

Plan a drive to this lookout →Plan this with Byway AI
On these byways · Drive past it

Byways with this lookout

Day trips start here

Community · From people who stood here

Locals make it Verified.

Devil's Backbone Overlook — confirmed, rated, and photographed by people who actually pulled over. A local confirmation is what upgrades a lookout from Discovered to Verified. Zero hallucinations.

Confirmed by locals

No local confirmations yet. Stood here? Yours is the one that upgrades this lookout to Verified.

Ratings

No ratings yet. Stood at this lookout? Be the first to rate it.

No written reviews yet.

Field notes

No field notes yet. Know the gate hours or the best pull-in? Leave the note you wish you'd had.

Photos

No photos yet.

Sign in to confirm this lookout, rate it, add photos, and leave field notes.

Nearby · Same byway

More lookouts on Blue Ridge Parkway

Nearby · The Atlas

Named places near this lookout