Rocky Knob Recreation Area Explained

Rocky Knob Recreation Area
Map:Virginia#USA
Relief:1
Location:Floyd and Patrick counties in Virgnina
Nearest City:Floyd, Virginia
Coordinates:36.8°N -101°W
Governing Body:National Park Service

Rocky Knob Recreation Area is a 4500acres recreation area along the Blue Ridge Parkway, which spans from mile markers 167–174.[1] The park is home to 15 miles of hiking trails, 81 tents camping sites, 28 RV sites, and 72 picnic sites.[2] The campground is open seasonally, typically from May–October. Rocky Knob is also home to Rock Castle Gorge, a 3500acres gorge, and home to the Rock Castle Gorge National Recreation Trail. The trail drops 1,000 feet in elevation in 3 miles, and backpackers can request a backcountry camping permit from the National Park Service.

History

Rocky Knob Recreation area was one of the first of five recreation areas developed along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and is one of the largest recreation areas within the entirety of the park.[3] The backcountry campsite, accessible via a loop trail into the gorge, is on the cite of a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. By the summit of Rocky Knob is a trail shelter, which was one of the first buildings constructed along the entirety of the Parkway.[4] The shelter was constructed for the Appalachian Trail, which ran through the recreation area until its relocation to Jefferson National Forest in 1952.[5] The area was a large focus for the CCC, with very ambitions plans, including a swimming pool, a lodge, a car service station, campground, lake, and hiking trails. Only some of these amenities were built. Before the CCC camp closed in 1941, the corps planted several hundred blight resistant Chinese chestnut trees to replace the American versions lost in previous decades.

Trails

There are four main trails, and 15miles of trails within Rocky Knob Recreation area.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Rocky Knob & Mabry Mill . Blue Ridge Parkway . Blue Ridge Parkway Association . 8 June 2022 . 20 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210620131512/https://www.blueridgeparkway.org/poi/rocky-knob-mabry-mill/ . live .
  2. Web site: Rocky Knob Recreation Area, Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 169.0 . www.virtualblueridge.com . Virtual Blue Ridge . 8 June 2022 . 16 September 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210916220316/https://www.virtualblueridge.com/parkway-place/rocky-knob/ . live .
  3. Web site: Rocky Knob Parks to the Side . unc.edu . University of North Carolina . 8 June 2022 . 15 August 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200815075859/http://blueridgeparks.web.unc.edu/rocky-knob/ . live .
  4. Book: Service . National Parks . Visual Character of the Blue Ridge Parkway Virginia and North Carolina . United States Department of the Interior . Washington, DC . 162–3 . 8 June 2022 . 8 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220608204426/https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015041237267&view=1up&seq=3 . live .
  5. Web site: Appalachian Trail Histories - Southern Virginia, Central Section (1940) . appalachiantrailhistory.org . George Mason University . Mills Kelly . 9 June 2022 . en . 24 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210124123902/https://appalachiantrailhistory.org/items/show/693 . live .
  6. Web site: Rocky Knob Hiking Trails - Blue Ridge Parkway (U.S. National Park Service) . www.nps.gov . National Park Service . 8 June 2022 . en . 8 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220608204426/https://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/rocky-knob-trails.htm . live .