Parking
Park at the Rocky Knob Visitor Center lot at milepost 169; the loop starts behind the building.
Overview
About Black Ridge Trail
Start this blue-blazed moderate loop at the Rocky Knob Visitor Center at Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 169. The National Park Service describes Black Ridge as a roughly 3-mile loop through second-growth forest and a seldom-used gravel road, with good north-facing views from atop Black Ridge. The route then crosses the Parkway to join the Rock Castle Gorge Trail before returning to the visitor center.
Expect a mix of natural-surface singletrack, mowed or grassy sections, and the short gravel-road segment. The visitor-center access and upper Rocky Knob route are gently rolling, but footing can be uneven around roots, rocks, fence stiles, and wet grass. The loop is commonly reported at about 3.0–3.2 miles and takes roughly 1.5–2 hours at a normal hiking pace.
At field edges, follow the blue and yellow blazes carefully and carry a map or GPS: the route shares or approaches other Rocky Knob trails before the Black Ridge turn and the Rock Castle Gorge connection. There is no reliable water on the loop. Watch for Parkway traffic at the crossing and allow extra caution after rain.
Why go
- NPS-described second-growth forest, gravel-road segment, and north-facing Black Ridge views
- Convenient loop from the Rocky Knob Visitor Center at milepost 169
Heads up
- Crosses the Blue Ridge Parkway and shares the Rocky Knob trail network near junctions
- Roots, rocks, wet grass, and fence stiles can be slippery after rain
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation3,068–3,259 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
2 active Blue Ridge Parkway alerts
- ClosureNorth Carolina Helene-related closuresAvoid the closed Parkway section from MP 344.2–355.3; recreation of any kind is prohibited there.Official details
- ClosureVirginia Parkway closures and detourFollow the signed detour around the closed James River Bridge and avoid the closed Roanoke Mountain Loop. - James River Bridge (MP 63.5–63.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide
Your drive to Black Ridge Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Blue Ridge Parkway. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Blue Ridge Parkway audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Rocky Knob Visitor Center and Hiking HubListen
“The building coming into view is the Rocky Knob Visitor Center, one of the original recreation areas developed in the 1930s. This is the main staging ground for hiking in this part of the Parkway.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Rock Castle Gorge and Its Epic Loop Hike
- The Saddle Overlook: A Two-Sided Viewpoint and Birding Hotspot
- What’s a Mountain Saddle?
- Rock Castle Gorge: A Rewarding Backcountry Hike
- 277 audio storiesacross Blue Ridge Parkway’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Black Bear, Elk, White-tailed Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 112 trails, 232 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“…We knew we wanted to drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. The narration was impeccably timed. The facts and info provided were meaningful. Without it, the trip would not have been near as awesome.”
Wildlife
Wildlife in Blue Ridge Parkway
1,208 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
1,020 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
2,257 sightingsWhite-tailed DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
200 sightingsCoyoteMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
1,126 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
255 sightingsRed-tailed HawkMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Blue Ridge Parkway. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
