Rocky Knob Campground map (click to enlarge)

CAMPING SEASON

Rocky Knob Campground is one of eight campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway that is operated by the National Park Service. It is typically open from late May until the end of October, though the exact opening and closing dates change each year. Be sure to get the latest schedule on the official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

TYPE OF CAMPING

Rocky Knob Campground can accommodate tent campers, RVs, and other self-contained sleeping vehicles and trailers ranging from 20 to 55 feet in length. While the National Park Service states that each campsite can have up to two passenger vehicles, many of the driveways for the tents-only campsites can hold only one. All vehicles must be parked on the pavement, so if your vehicles don’t fit, you must find someplace else to park. Most RV sites have larger driveways, but not all can accommodate big rigs. Maximum vehicle lengths for each campsite are given on the reservation website, Recreation.gov.

There is one group campsite for tent campers only that can host up to 20 people and has space for five vehicles.

There are no sites set aside specifically for disabled visitors.

NUMBER OF SITES

Rocky Knob Campground is comprised of four loops and has 105 individual campsites and one group campsite. Loops A and B are for tent campers, small RVs, and self-contained sleeping vehicles such as vans, pick-up truck campers, and small pop-up camper trailers. Loop C is for tents only. Loop T is for RVs up to 55 feet in length. Six people are allowed per individual campsite.

RV site T4 at the Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The campground is built on the side of a mountain, so the parking space is rarely on the same level as the tent area and picnic table. With a few exceptions, tent campers must carry their gear either up- or downhill from the driveway, and some hills are rather steep. The sites themselves are, however, close to the driveway.

Example of a tent area downhill from the parking space at the Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Unlike the other hilly campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Rocky Knob does not have level tent pads. It’s like the National Park Service just gave up in regards to tent camping. In most cases, you can find a patch of level ground to set up at least a small tent, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be pitching it over a bunch of rocks or potholes and bending your tent stakes when you hammer them into subterranean rocks.

Loop A

There are 27 campsites in Loop A, 14 of which can be reserved in advance. Twenty-five of the sites are for tents or small vans / pick-up truck campers only, and two can accommodate either a tent or an RV up to 30 feet in length. One RV site has a pull-through driveway, but all other sites have back-in driveways.

Site A20 at the Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

If tent camping, avoid sites A3, A7, A15, A25, A26, A27. You’ll be hard pressed to find a level area where you can pitch your tent.

Crooked site A27 at the Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Loop B

There are 26 campsites in Loop B, 12 of which can be reserved in advance. Twenty-seven of the sites are for tents or small vans / pick-up truck campers only, and four can accommodate either a tent or an RV up to 25 feet in length. All but two sites have back-in driveways. The two pull-through sites are for tent campers only, which makes no sense, but that’s the way it is.

If tent camping, avoid sites B1 through B9. There is very little level ground in this area.

Loop C

There are 25 campsites in Loop C, 13 of which can be reserved in advance. All sites are for tent campers only.

Avoid sties C1, C2, C21, and C25. The rest of the Loop C campsites have level areas for tents, though the actual camping area may still be up- or downhill from the parking space.

One of the level campsites in the tents-only Loop C at Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Tent area downhill from the parking space at campsite C24 at the Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

C13 and C14 on the above campground map are actually used for the group campsite. Tents are pitched on a large field, and you must walk quite a ways from the parking area to get to the campsite.

Group campsite at the Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Loop T

There are 27 RV campsites in the T Loop, 16 of which can be reserved in advance. There are 14 sites with driveways between 20 and 30 feet long and 13 driveways between 40 and 55 feet long. If making reservations online, maximum vehicle lengths are given for each campsite. Most sites have pull-through driveways, but a few have back-in driveways.

Pull-through parking in Loop T at the Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The driveways are often very sloped, so be prepared to level your vehicle. Sites T1 through T5 are pretty level, but T6 and T7 are on a steep hill. By the time you get to T8 you’re near the top of the hill and things start leveling out. On the opposite side of the loop, T17 and T18 have excessively sloped driveways (these are directly opposite T6 and T7), but then thing level out for a short distance before the hill begins once again at T24 and T25 and continues all the way to the start of the loop at T28.

Sites T6 and T7 at the Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Large hill where sites T24 through T28 are located, Rocky Knob Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

AMENITIES

Each loop has at least one restroom with modern toilets and sinks, but no showers or hot water. No sites have electricity or water hook-ups, but there is a dump station near the campground entrance. Keep in mind that many of the National Park Service campground restrooms along the Blue Ridge Parkway do not have paper towels or a hand dryer, and the lighting is often very poor (the bathroom in Loop C didn’t even have a light when I visited). Lights tend to be over the sink area, but not over the toilet stalls. Bring some sort of lantern with you at night if you plan to use one of the toilets. A flashlight will not provide the proper illumination.

Each site has a picnic table, a grill / fire ring, and a lantern post. Bear boxes for food storage are placed randomly around the campground, not at each campsite. If you have a motorcycle or soft-top vehicle, you may want to store your food in a bear box.

RESERVATIONS

Select campsites at Rocky Knob Campground can be reserved up to six months in advance online at Recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777. The rest are taken on a first come, first served basis. Current fees are listed on Recreation.gov. When making reservations you will be given information about the size of the parking areas, so choose appropriately if you are in an RV or trailer. Holders of the Interagency Senior, Access, Golden Age, or Golden Access passes are entitled to a 50% discount on campground fees.

The Group Campsite must be reserved in advance.

For those arriving at the campground without a reservation, some sites are available on a first come, first served basis, and sites that can be reserved but are not taken are available for that night only. To tell the two types of sites apart, look on the campsite post for a diamond. Solid diamonds are first come, first served sites, and diamonds with an R on them designate sites available for reservation.

Coded posts identify the type of campsite at campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway: reservable site (left) vs. first come, first served site (right)

When you arrive, drive around and pick out a site. Unoccupied first come, first served sites are yours for the taking for up to 30 days. If there are none left, you can get an open reservable site for one night only. However, don’t assume that just because it is 10 PM and nobody is at a reservable site that it hasn’t been reserved because the person may show up at midnight. Rangers put yellow tags on the posts of sites that have been reserved, so look for R-Diamond posts with no yellow tag. If the campground office is open, you might want to double check before setting up at a reservable site.

Once you have a site, return to the camp office and self-register. You can pay with cash, check, or credit card, though regardless of whether there is a Ranger or camp host on duty, you do not make payment to them. Instead, get a self-registration envelope, provide the requested information (pen or pencil required), and then place cash or check into the envelope, or if paying with a credit card, write the card information on the envelope. When done, tear off your receipt (which you attach to the camp post) and drop the payment envelope into the secure payment box.

If you have a reservation and arrive after hours and there is no tag on your site post, you must get one in the morning at the campground office.

I tent camped at Rocky Knob on a Thursday in October and the tent sites were 90 percent empty (there were many more RV campers). While I might write this off to being a weekday, other National Park Service campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway were packed on weekdays during the fall season. I’m not sure what accounts for this, as Rocky Knob is only 50 miles from Roanoke. Perhaps its the lack of tent pads at sites on the side of a mountain, because compared to the other campgrounds, Rocky Knob Campground does suck for tent campers.

CAMPGROUND RULES

• Camping is limited to a maximum of 30 consecutive days in any one campground and/or 30 days total per calendar year across all Parkway facilities.
• A maximum of 6 people may occupy a site.
• Checkout Time is 12:00 PM.
• Camping is permitted only at designated sites. Sites are for use by a single family or parties not exceeding six people.
• Hammocks may be used within established campsites. An established campsite is defined as within 50 feet of the existing grill/fire pit. They must be at least 20 feet from any public use areas such as trails, water spigots, restrooms, or other facilities. Hammocks may not be connected or tied to any facility. If tied to a tree, the tree must be at least 4 inches in diameter, and anchor ropes/webbing must be ½ inch or greater in width. Padding must be used if less than ½ inch in width. Trimming of trees and underbrush is prohibited.
• Campground speed limit is 15 mph. Vehicles are to be parked on the pavement of an assigned site or in designated parking areas. No more than two vehicles may be parked in each site (i.e., trailer and car, two cars, two motorcycles).
• All food, coolers, equipment used to cook or store food, and anything that may smell like food (such as toothpaste) must be stored in a closed vehicle or a camping unit made of solid, non-pliable material. Food may also be stored in food lockers provided in some campgrounds.
• Only charcoal can be used in any grill provided. Gas grills and stoves are allowed. Extinguish all fires before leaving the campground or picnic area. Do not leave any fire unattended. Only heat-treated firewood that is bundled and certified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or a state agency may be brought onto the Parkway.
• Wood gathering for use in park campgrounds is limited to dead material on the ground lying no more than 100 yards from the camp or picnic site.
• Respect quiet hours between 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Use of generators is prohibited between the hours of 9:00 PM and 8:00 AM. Please keep in mind that continuous, loud generator or audio equipment noise, at any time of the day, disturbs other campers.
• Do not drive nails into trees or strip bark, leaves, or branches from trees or shrubs. Use the lantern posts provided at each site. Do not hang lanterns from trees or loop them over branches or vegetation; these practices always damage and sometimes kill trees and vegetation.
• All dogs, cats, and other pets must be on a leash no longer than six feet or under physical restraint at all times. Do not leave pets unattended in the campground or your car. Please prevent excessive barking and properly dispose of pet waste.
• The use of skateboards, roller skates, and other coasting devices is not permitted in the park or campground. Bicycles are permitted on roads only. NC law requires persons under 16 years of age to wear an approved bicycle helmet when operating a bicycle. In Virginia, bicycle helmet regulations vary by county.

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