I'm Kevin Myatt, the hiking columnist on roanoke.com. My purpose here is provide colorful and concise descriptions of many hikes, with varying degrees of difficulty, around Roanoke, Va., both for those who live in Southwest Virginia and those who may want to visit our area.

I've hiked deserts, canyons, snow-capped mountains, a sea coast and many places in between. I've written about many of those hikes for a variety of publications. I also help with trail work from time to time, and I'm a member of the Ozark Highlands Trail Association in my native Arkansas and the Roanoke Appalachian Trail Club in my new home state.

I rate trails on two criteria: difficulty and scenery. For difficulty, the trails are rated from 0 to 4 on the "gottabreathe factor," a rough measure of how much physical exertion will be required due to grade, terrain and distance. A "0" would be flat trail of a quarter-mile or less; a "2" would be a trail which someone in average physical shape would have a moderate amount of difficulty hiking; a "4" would be a trail that only an experienced hiker in top physical shape should attempt.

Similarly, for scenery, the trails are rated from 0 to 4 on a "gottasee factor." A "0" would be hike through a garbage dump; a "2" would be at least a pleasant walk through an unmarred forest; a "4" would be spectacular scenery from end to end. Views, forests and plant life, streams, and rock formations are the main elements I take into account for scenery. Admittedly, it's a highly subjective scale, but I hope it will give you guidance when deciding what trail you might like to hike. Information on trail length, location of trailheads, and elevation are also provided with each article.

For those of you not familiar with Roanoke and its hiking opportunities, here's a synopsis: Roanoke, a city of nearly 100,000 people with a metro area of over 200,000 in the heart of Western Virginia, is located in a bowl-shaped valley at the headwaters of the Roanoke River and is nearly completely surrounded by mountains, ranging up to 4,000 feet 20 miles northeast at the Peaks of Otter. The city is sandwiched between the Appalachians' two most renowned thoroughfares -- the Appalachian Trail to the west and the Blue Ridge Parkway to the east, each coming within just a few miles of the city. There is wonderful hiking to be found within easy driving distance in every direction, including some within the city itself. Besides the AT and along the Parkway, there's also the George Washington and Jefferson national forests to the north and west; the nearly 6,000-foot peaks at Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, a 2-hour drive to the south; Shenandoah National Park, a 2-hour drive to the north; a myriad of state parks in all directions; and then there's West Virginia an hour away and North Carolina two hours away, each with multitudes more hiking opportunities. There's enough hiking to keep one busy for a lifetime.

Roanoke, sandwiched between the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Appalachian Trail, is situated in a lovely valley amid the Appalachians. We even have our own mountain -- with a trail to the top -- in a city park near downtown. We enjoy a relatively mild climate with few extremely hot or frigid days. Springs and autumns are long and glorious, summers are tolerable, and winters can please both the snow-lover and the sun-seeker. Need to know the weather outlook when hiking? See my Weather Journal.

With elevation gains, the weather becomes cooler and wetter, as the mountains provide uplift to moisture-bearing weather systems. It can be 45 and sunny on a January day here in the valley and, 30 miles to the west on Potts Mountain, be 25 with near-whiteout conditions. Summer thunderstorms are also a concern in the mountains, and lightning strikes ridgetops with great frequency, so be aware. My rule of thumb is to always be prepared for precipitation, even if the sky is blue, and to be prepared for temperatures at least 20 degrees colder than what are currently being experienced or are forecast. In the mountains above about 3,000 feet, it might be wise to be prepared for temperatures at least 30 degrees colder.