Rock Castle Gorge Backcountry Camping
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 15:41 UTC
- A night
- $15From, per site
- Sites
- 8All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 6 notices
In the agency’s own words
Rock Castle Gorge Backcountry Campground is a primitive camp located along the Rock Castle Gorge Trail in the Rocky Knob Recreational Area which is part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The Rock Castle Gorge Backcountry Campsites can be reached from various points ranging in distance from 1/2 mile to 8 miles. The complete Rock Castle Gorge Trail is a 10.8 mile loop, there are several other loop trails that connect to it. Rock Castle Creek, Little Rock Castle Creek and many other streams and creeks meander along the trail and run right by the campground. Keep reading
Fishing requires a Virginia Fishing License, and the State of Virginia laws and regulations apply. The year-round campground has eight campsites. Each has a fire ring/pad and food storage lockers. A Portable Toilet is available. Plan to pack in your water for safety. Summers are hot (70 to 88 Degrees) and humid as Rock Castle Creek is adjacent to the campground. Winter temperatures (Daytime 30 to 50 Degrees) can easily drop below freezing at night.
Recreation
Hiking, sightseeing, majestic Blue Ridge Parkway views and simple relaxation are all in store in the Rocky Knob Recreational Area.
Facilities
Campfire rings and food storage lockers are at each campsite. A portable toilet is available for campers. There is plenty of shade, Rock Castle Creek runs adjacent to the campground.
Natural Features
Venture into one of the Parkway’s more rugged areas at Rocky Knob. Hike through forests, explore mountain ridges, or enjoy spring wildflowers and rhododendrons. Rock Castle Creek, Little Rock Castle Creek and many other streams and creeks abound. Bare Rocks and other geological outcrops and long distance views from the upper elevations of the Rock Castle Gorge Trail are sure to please. Plenty of wildlife including black bears. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (828) 276-2300.
Nearby Attractions
Floyd, VA is less than 8 miles away, known for eclectic shops, mountain music venues and great places to eat along with grocery stores, variety stores and pharmacies. Visit Floyd Virginia
What the agency tells you
Backcountry Use Regulations 1. A backcountry camping permit is required for all overnight use and must be in your possession at all times. Note: No more than six (6) people are allowed to occupy any one campsite. 2. Camping outside of the designated sites is prohibited. 3. Campfires are allowed only inside the government provided fire grill. Only wood that is dead and down on the ground may be collected for use as firewood. The cutting of standing trees, whether live or dead is prohibited. The use of camp stoves is encouraged. All fires may be banned during periods of high fire danger. 4. All trash must be carried out upon vacating the site. Do not leave litter or cans in the fire rings. DO NOT burn or bury any trash. 5. Historic and archeological resources are protected by federal law. The damaging, defacing or removal of these resources is prohibited. 6. Natural resources are protected by federal law. Do not disturb or remove any animal or plant life. 7. Hunting and trapping are prohibited. Fishing is subject to state and federal laws and limits. 8. Persons who can legally possess firearms under federal, state, and local laws are able to possess firearms on the Blue Ridge Parkway, subject to the laws of the state they are in at the time. It is the visitor's responsibility to understand and comply with all applicable state (North Carolina and/or Virginia) and federal firearms laws. Firearms should not be considered a wildlife protection strategy. The discharge and/or use of firearms remains prohibited at all times. 9. Pets must be on a 6 foot maximum leash at all times while in the park. Horseback camping is not permitted. Horses are allowed on the Grassy Gap Fire Road during the day. 10. All human waste must be buried at least 6 inches deep and at least 100 feet from any stream. Pack out all diapers, tampons, and sanitary napkins in a sealed plastic bag. 11. Campsite improvements such as bough beds and trenching around tents is prohibited, as is the use of nails or spikes in trees for clotheslines, shelter construction or hanging lanterns. 12. Bathing or washing dishes or utensils in streams is prohibited. All unprotected water should be treated before consuming. 13. Food and other scented items must be in bear-proof containers, stored in park provided bear boxes (if available) or hung in a tree at least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet from the trunk of the tree.
Do not print your permit until you have confirmed you will be completing your backcountry trip. Once the permit has been printed you can not cancel or modify the reservation.
Permits must be printed and carried on your person. You must write the permit number on a sheet of paper and place it on the dash of all vehicles covered by the permit.
Everything else this campground posts · 3
This is Black Bear Country, practice Bear Safety and store all food, toiletry items and anything with a scent properly. Bear Safety on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
Cell phones most likely do not work in this area.
Check InTime is 3PM and Check Out Time is 12 Noon.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 8 · 8 walk-in
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- 7 of 8 sites
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Portable Toilets
- PORTABLE TOILETS on 8 of 8 campsite records
- Bear boxes
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Creek
- Birding
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Wilderness access
Something open on 30 of the next 30 bookable nightsread 15:41 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
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We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 25
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $15 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 15:41 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
8 sites
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Rocky Knob CampgroundBlue Ridge Parkway · 1.8 mi
Horseshoe Point15 mi
Goose Point16 mi
Salthouse Branch16 mi
Deer Island16 mi
Philpott Park17 miIt really depends on where you decide to park.
The closest place to park is at the end of Virginia State Road 605, also known as CC Camp Lane. State Road 605 is gravel and turns into mostly dirt near the campground parking area which is not too far past where state road maintenance ends. State Road 605 is directly off Virginia State Highway 8 which runs from Stuart, Virginia from the South to Floyd, VA on the North.
Other locations to park are along the Blue Ridge Parkway as follows:
Rocky Knob Campground - Milepost 167
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Meadows of Dan, VA
Typical weather
Typical October night 44°F, day 71°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 25°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
Rock Castle Gorge Backcountry Camping is in Virginia’s 9th congressional district. Its representative, H. Morgan Griffith (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →