Rocky Knob Campground
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 9 of the next 10 nights read 15:03 UTC
- A night
- $30From, per site
- Sites
- 11049 of them walk-up
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 11 notices
In the agency’s own words
Located on the famous Blue Ridge Parkway in the hills of rural Virginia, Rocky Knob Campground is nestled amid rolling meadowlands with impressive displays of seasonal flowers, endless night skies and green pastures. Numerous nearby overlooks and the winding parkway provide an ideal backdrop for a traditional camping experience. Keep reading
Recreation
The campground is located in the Rocky Knob Recreation area, surrounded by more than 4,000 acres of forest. The site offers easy access to the Rock Castle Gorge Trail , a 10.8-mile (17.4 km) loop trail ranging in elevation from 1,700 to 3,572 feet (518 to 1,089 m). Rock Castle Gorge, a 1,500-foot (457 m) ravine carved by the waters of Rock Castle Creek, is the focal point of this trail, offering hikers breathtaking scenery. Black Ridge Trail : a moderate 3-mile loop passing through the forest on a seldom-used gravel road and through a meadow. Accessed from the Rocky Knob Visitor Center. Numerous tours and interpretive talks are given near the Gorge and surrounding trails during the summer, offering campers the chance to learn more about the area's historical significance and abundant plants and wildlife.
Facilities
Rocky Knob Campground combines the exhilaration of a traditional outdoor camping experience with modern amenities like flush toilets, dump station, and drinking water. Both RV and tent sites are available, each equipped with picnic tables, lantern poles, and fire rings/grills--perfect for picnics, barbecues or late night s'mores. The campground almost always has campsites available. In addition to the 44 sites available for advanced reservation, 62 campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Availability of the first come, first served sites cannot be tracked through Recreation.gov. The sites must be booked in person at the campground kiosk. Primitive Backcountry Camping is available at Rock Castle Gorge. Obtain a free permit from the Rocky Knob campground office (May-October) (540-745-9664) or the Rocky Knob District Office (540-745-9660).
Natural Features
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic byway that stretches almost 500 miles along the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains through North Carolina and Virginia. It offers plenty of natural attractions and recreational opportunities for visitors, as well as a cross-section of Appalachian mountain history from pre-historic times to early European settlements, and on to today. Rocky Knob Campground, one of the first established sites along the Blue Ridge Parkway, is home to several famous geological attractions. Rock Castle Gorge, known for its beautiful rock crystalline quartz formations, was once home to several mountain families. Visitors can still find remnants of their old apple orchards and abandoned stone chimneys along parkway trails.
Nearby Attractions
The nearby town of Floyd offers entertainment, shopping, food, gas and lodging. There are also multiple wineries nearby that offer tours and tastings. Visit Mabry Mill at milepost 176 near Meadows of Dan, Virginia. The campground is about 30 miles from Mount Airy, North Carolina , the birthplace of actor Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the fictional TV-series town of Mayberry. Mount Airy also offers grocery stores, gas stations and medical facilities.
What the agency tells you
Firewood Regulation: Due to the presence of invasive insects, only heat-treated firewood bundled in its original packing and bearing a certification seal from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) or a state department of agriculture may be brought onto the Parkway. Campers may still collect dead and down wood in the immediate vicinity of campgrounds and picnic areas. This rule is strictly enforced!
Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.
Some campsites at this facility are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Status of these sites is not available online.
Everything else this campground posts · 8
There are no showers. No electric, water, or sewer hook-ups are available.
All tents must be placed on prepared pads where provided.
Only one tent is allowed per site unless there is adequate space on the provided tent pad. Sites are for use by parties not to exceed six people unless specifically designated as Group Camping.
Group sites have a maximum of 20 people and a minimum of 12. If you reserve a group site with less than 12 people, campground staff reserves the right to move you to a regular campsite.
Hammock camping is permitted, but campers must abide by posted regulations.
Vehicles are to be parked on the pavement of an assigned site or in designated parking areas. A maximum of two vehicles may be parked in each site (i.e. trailer and car, two cars, two motorcycles). Most sites are limited to only one vehicle.
Generator use is prohibited from 9:00 pm to 8:00 am.
CAUTION: Bears frequent the area. Be aware! Keep a clean camp and store all food or scented items in your car or provided food lockers. DO NOT HANG TRASH FROM THE LANTERN POST.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 110 · 26 tent-only, 1 group
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 55 ft
- Paved pads
- 108 of 110
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets - seasonal
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 30 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Creek, Meadow
- Birding
- Hiking
- Ranger programs
- Picnicking
- Visitor center
- Wildlife viewing
- Winery Tours
- Tree cover
- 84%
- Night sky · 33rd darkest of 88 in VA
- Bortle 4
Fully booked on Sat, Oct 17, all 48 sites takenread 15:03 UTC
recreation.gov lists 106 of the 110 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.
OpenBookedClosed
Every one of the 48 sites on offer is taken this Saturday. 45 are free on Mon, Oct 19. read 15:03 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
These counts cover the 110 reservable sites only. This campground also has first-come sites, and recreation.gov publishes no availability for a site you can’t reserve.
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
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 · 15
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $30 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 15:03 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
110 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 106 mapped sitesAll 110 sites
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 110 of the 110 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 106 of the 110 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| A | A01 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 66 ft | 2,825 ft | 751 ft | $30 |
| A | A02 | standard nonelectric | 19 ft | 62 ft | 2,850 ft | 689 ft | $30 |
| A | A03 | standard nonelectric | 23 ft | 68 ft | 2,779 ft | 703 ft | $30 |
| A | A04 | standard nonelectric | 23 ft | 76 ft | 2,794 ft | 624 ft | $30 |
| A | A05 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 70 ft | 2,741 ft | 567 ft | $30 |
| A | A06 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 53 ft | 2,674 ft | 529 ft | $30 |
| A | A07 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 50 ft | 2,597 ft | 541 ft | $30 |
| A | A08 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 50 ft | 2,560 ft | 509 ft | $30 |
| A | A09 | standard nonelectric | 16 ft | 53 ft | 2,632 ft | 492 ft | $30 |
| A | A10 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 59 ft | 2,524 ft | 434 ft | $30 |
| A | A11 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 78 ft | 2,601 ft | 413 ft | $30 |
| A | A12 | standard nonelectric | 23 ft | 59 ft | 2,520 ft | 378 ft | $30 |
| A | A13 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 49 ft | 2,573 ft | 314 ft | $30 |
| A | A14 | standard nonelectric | 19 ft | 49 ft | 2,527 ft | 307 ft | $30 |
| A | A15 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 52 ft | 2,641 ft | 237 ft | $30 |
| A | A16 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 58 ft | 2,647 ft | 177 ft | $30 |
| A | A17 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 52 ft | 2,692 ft | 254 ft | $30 |
| A | A18 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 68 ft | 2,748 ft | 311 ft | $30 |
| A | A19 | standard nonelectric | 19 ft | 57 ft | 2,830 ft | 385 ft | $30 |
| A | A20 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 57 ft | 2,785 ft | 392 ft | $30 |
| A | A21 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 61 ft | 2,873 ft | 491 ft | $30 |
| A | A22 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 55 ft | 2,910 ft | 551 ft | $30 |
| A | A23 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 55 ft | 2,859 ft | 541 ft | $30 |
| A | A24 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 52 ft | 2,941 ft | 609 ft | $30 |
| A | A25 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 52 ft | 2,895 ft | 603 ft | $30 |
| A | A26 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 61 ft | 2,960 ft | 680 ft | $30 |
| A | A27 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 55 ft | 2,902 ft | 658 ft | $30 |
| A | A28 | type not stated | 17 ft | 2,700 ft | 724 ft | ||
| B | B01 | standard nonelectric | 19 ft | 45 ft | 2,543 ft | 220 ft | $30 |
| B | B02 | standard nonelectric | 13 ft | 52 ft | 2,589 ft | 182 ft | $30 |
| B | B03 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 49 ft | 2,564 ft | 146 ft | $30 |
| B | B04 | standard nonelectric | 19 ft | 45 ft | 2,525 ft | 191 ft | $30 |
| B | B05 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 53 ft | 2,574 ft | 55 ft | $30 |
| B | B06 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 53 ft | 2,523 ft | 108 ft | $30 |
| B | B07 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 55 ft | 2,576 ft | 82 ft | $30 |
| B | B08 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 55 ft | 2,521 ft | 124 ft | $30 |
| B | B09 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 52 ft | 2,570 ft | 164 ft | $30 |
| B | B10 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 43 ft | 2,496 ft | 211 ft | $30 |
| B | B11 | standard nonelectric | 19 ft | 55 ft | 2,517 ft | 266 ft | $30 |
| B | B12 | standard nonelectric | 21 ft | 52 ft | 2,568 ft | 214 ft | $30 |
| B | B13 | standard nonelectric | 19 ft | 58 ft | 2,577 ft | 287 ft | $30 |
| B | B14 | standard nonelectric | 14 ft | 58 ft | 2,618 ft | 243 ft | $30 |
| B | B15 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 62 ft | 2,686 ftHowell Creek | 261 ft | $30 |
| B | B16 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 69 ft | 2,691 ftHowell Creek | 206 ft | $30 |
| B | B17 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 62 ft | 2,669 ft | 200 ft | $30 |
| B | B18 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 48 ft | 2,714 ftHowell Creek | 159 ft | $30 |
| B | B19 | standard nonelectric | 15 ft | 48 ft | 2,733 ftHowell Creek | 145 ft | $30 |
| B | B20 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 62 ft | 2,702 ft | 94 ft | $30 |
| B | B21 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 60 ft | 2,756 ft | 134 ft | $30 |
| B | B22 | standard nonelectric | 17 ft | 60 ft | 2,756 ft | 160 ft | $30 |
| B | B23 | standard nonelectric | 21 ft | 63 ft | 2,694 ft | 77 ft | $30 |
| B | B24 | standard nonelectric | 19 ft | 63 ft | 2,693 ft | 125 ft | $30 |
| B | B25 | standard nonelectric | 18 ft | 62 ft | 2,712 ft | 207 ft | $30 |
| B | B26 | standard nonelectric | 18 ft | 78 ft | 2,792 ft | 280 ft | $30 |
| C | C01 | tent only nonelectric | 26 ft | 43 ft | 2,476 ft | 253 ft | $30 |
| C | C02 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 64 ft | 2,419 ft | 242 ft | $30 |
| C | C03 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 64 ft | 2,411 ft | 178 ft | $30 |
| C | C04 | tent only nonelectric | 19 ft | 62 ft | 2,459 ft | 144 ft | $30 |
| C | C05 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 50 ft | 2,428 ft | 82 ft | $30 |
| C | C06 | tent only nonelectric | 22 ft | 44 ft | 2,373 ft | 88 ft | $30 |
| C | C07 | tent only nonelectric | 25 ft | 44 ft | 2,388 ft | 45 ft | $30 |
| C | C08 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 61 ft | 2,305 ft | 97 ft | $30 |
| C | C09 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 61 ft | 2,309 ft | 89 ft | $30 |
| C | C10 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 48 ft | 2,215 ft | 181 ft | $30 |
| C | C11 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 56 ft | 2,244 ft | 166 ft | $30 |
| C | C12 | tent only nonelectric | 22 ft | 43 ft | 2,177 ft | 224 ft | $30 |
| C | C14 | type not stated | 32 ft | 2,178 ft | 255 ft | ||
| C | C15 | tent only nonelectric | 22 ft | 57 ft | 2,243 ft | 199 ft | $30 |
| C | C16 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 58 ft | 2,221 ft | 254 ft | $30 |
| C | C17 | tent only nonelectric | 21 ft | 74 ft | 2,348 ft | 174 ft | $30 |
| C | C18 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 74 ft | 2,305 ft | 243 ft | $30 |
| C | C19 | tent only nonelectric | 23 ft | 79 ft | 2,391 ft | 235 ft | $30 |
| C | C20 | tent only nonelectric | 23 ft | 87 ft | 2,467 ft | 200 ft | $30 |
| C | C21 | tent only nonelectric | 22 ft | 87 ft | 2,425 ft | 115 ft | $30 |
| C | C22 | type not stated | 2,492 ft | 185 ft | |||
| C | C23 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 85 ft | 2,514 ft | 160 ft | $30 |
| C | C24 | tent only nonelectric | 42 ft | 53 ft | 2,546 ft | 155 ft | $30 |
| C | C25 | tent only nonelectric | 42 ft | 53 ft | 2,493 ft | 102 ft | $30 |
| C | C26 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 58 ft | 2,517 ft | 137 ft | $30 |
| C | C27 | tent only nonelectric | 28 ft | 58 ft | 2,575 ft | 190 ft | $30 |
| C | C28 | tent only nonelectric | 22 ft | 79 ft | 2,616 ft | 285 ft | $30 |
| C | Group Site 1 | group tent only area nonelectric | 20 ft | 43 ft | 2,165 ft | 249 ft | $45 |
| T | T01 | type not stated | 40 ft | 2,673 ft | 846 ft | ||
| T | T02 | rv nonelectric | 40 ft | 62 ft | 2,594 ft | 788 ft | $30 |
| T | T03 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 94 ft | 2,550 ft | 880 ft | $30 |
| T | T04 | rv nonelectric | 45 ft | 109 ft | 2,471 ft | 838 ft | $30 |
| T | T05 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | 129 ft | 2,342 ft | 889 ft | $30 |
| T | T06 | rv nonelectric | 35 ft | 90 ft | 2,248 ft | 1,022 ft | $30 |
| T | T07 | rv nonelectric | 35 ft | 83 ft | 2,164 ft | 1,095 ft | $30 |
| T | T08 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | 46 ft | 2,094 ft | 1,101 ft | $30 |
| T | T09 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | 47 ft | 2,023 ft | 1,179 ft | $30 |
| T | T10 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | 50 ft | 1,964 ft | 1,176 ft | $30 |
| T | T11 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | 46 ft | 2,048 ft | 1,133 ft | $30 |
| T | T12 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | 70 ft | 1,968 ft | 1,119 ft | $30 |
| T | T13 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | 50 ft | 2,008 ft | 1,128 ft | $30 |
| T | T14 | rv nonelectric | 35 ft | 43 ft | 2,038 ft | 1,046 ft | $30 |
| T | T15 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | 43 ft | 2,019 ft | 1,038 ft | $30 |
| T | T16 | rv nonelectric | 20 ft | 92 ft | 2,161 ft | 912 ft | $30 |
| T | T17 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 41 ft | 2,251 ft | 831 ft | $30 |
| T | T18 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 41 ft | 2,251 ft | 859 ft | $30 |
| T | T19 | rv nonelectric | 13 ft | 46 ft | 2,320 ft | 775 ft | $30 |
| T | T20 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 46 ft | 2,349 ft | 780 ft | $30 |
| T | T21 | rv nonelectric | 16 ft | 59 ft | 2,389 ft | 715 ft | $30 |
| T | T22 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 38 ft | 2,429 ft | 722 ft | $30 |
| T | T23 | rv nonelectric | 23 ft | 38 ft | 2,452 ft | 684 ft | $30 |
| T | T24 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 38 ft | 2,529 ft | 700 ft | $30 |
| T | T25 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 38 ft | 2,549 ft | 662 ft | $30 |
| T | T26 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 52 ft | 2,594 ft | 729 ft | $30 |
| T | T27 | rv nonelectric | 25 ft | 52 ft | 2,634 ft | 685 ft | $30 |
| T | T28 | rv nonelectric | 55 ft | 75 ft | 2,704 ft | 719 ft | $30 |
25 of 110 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Rock Castle Gorge Backcountry CampingBlue Ridge Parkway · 1.8 mi
Horseshoe Point16 mi
Goose Point16 mi
Salthouse Branch17 mi
Deer Island17 mi
Philpott Park18 miRocky Knob Campground is located at Milepost 167.1 on Blue Ridge Parkway, 1.8 miles south of the intersection of the Parkway and State Route 8, about 8 miles (13 km) from the town of Floyd, or about 90 minutes south of Roanoke by car. Visitors are advised that directions from resources like Google Maps and GPS devices are not always correct and should be double-checked.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Floyd, VA
Typical weather
Typical October night 43°F, day 65°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 23°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
Rocky Knob Campground 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 →