Twelve O'clock Knob is a mountain located in southwestern Roanoke County,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

, directly south of Salem,

. According to local lore, enslaved people in the western Roanoke Valley noted that the Sun was directly over the mountain roughly around noon local time. In 1995 and 1996, the

Tour DuPont The Tour DuPont was a cycling stage race in the United States held annually between 1989 and 1996, initially called the Tour de Trump in the first two years. It was intended to become a North American cycling event similar in format and prestig ...

staged a time trial in the Roanoke Valley, the highlight of which was a ride over the steep, winding Twelve O'clock Knob Road. The north slope of the ridgeline formed by

Poor Mountain Poor Mountain is a ridge of high peaks located in Roanoke County, Virginia and Montgomery County, Virginia. At 3,928 feet, Poor Mountain is the tallest mountain in the immediate area. Poor Mountain has the largest known population, by far, of ...

, Twelve O'clock Knob and adjacent peaks such as Sugarloaf Mountain mark the southwestern boundary of the Roanoke Valley. This mountain should not be confused with Twelve O'Clock Knob in

Patrick County, Virginia Patrick County is a county located on the central southern border of the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 17,608. Its county seat is Stuart. It is located within both the rolling hills and valley ...

References

{{Mountains of Virginia Mountains of Virginia Mountains of Roanoke County, Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains