Rocky Knob Picnic Area on the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Rocky Knob Picnic Area is located at the same turnoff from the Blue Ridge Parkway as for the Rocky Knob Information Station, which you can see from the road. Drive past the Information Station and you will come to the picnic area entrance (there may not be a PICNIC AREA identification sign, but that’s the entrance). This is a full-fledged picnic area with plenty of tables, grills, and modern restrooms. Grills are randomly placed throughout the picnic area, not at each table.

Picnic tables at the Rocky Knob Picnic Area on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Parking is either done in common parking areas right along the picnic area road via parallel parking spaces or at individual driveways like you’d find in a campground. Regardless of where you park, tables are often located a good distance from the parking spaces. For people who want to get away from the street, some tables are located far back in the woods.

Picnic table at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s Rocky Knob Campground with an individual parking space next to it

Common parking area at the Rocky Knob Picnic Area on the Blue Ridge Parkway

There is also a pavilion with eight tables and two grills, plus its own parking lot. However, neither it nor the individual tables can be reserved. All are taken on a first come, first served basis, so if you are planning a group outing, arrive early (no permit is required for group picnics).

Picnic Pavilion at the Rocky Knob Picnic Area on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Rocky Knob Picnic Area is comprised of two oval loops. The first loop is built on a ridge, with one side of the loop road at the top of the ridge and the other at the bottom. In between are tables situated on the sloping ground. What this means in layman’s terms is that you must lug your picnic supplies up or down steep hills to get to the tables, and most are not very close to the sporadic parallel pullouts along the road. In many instances you have to walk back down or up the road to get to a table that caught your eye. There are also tables located outside the loop, but these tend to be in the forest and even farther up or down the steep hills. Who ever said picnicking was supposed to be easy?

Tables located uphill from the parking area at the Rocky Knob Picnic Area on the Blue Ridge Parkway

If the first loop makes picnicking look like too much work, drive a little farther to the second loop where the terrain is a little more level and the tables are a little closer to the parking area. Of course this does not mean all tables are easy to reach, as many are still located on hills.

Second loop of the Rocky Knob Picnic Area on the Blue Ridge Parkway

You can also access the Picnic Loop Trail from a number of locations throughout the picnic area, as well as the Rock Castle Gorge Trail. For information on these trails, see the Rocky Knob Hiking Trails web page here on National Park Planner.

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