Parking
Use the small parking area at the end of Black Balsam Knob Road (FS 816), near Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 420. Pit toilets are available at the trailhead; arrive early because the lot fills quickly.
Overview
About Sam Knob Trail
Why go
- High-reward summit with wide views for a compact outing
- Meadow, forest, rocky tread, and an open bald in one route
Heads up
- Small trailhead lot fills quickly on clear weekends and in fall
- Steeper rocky sections, wind, fog, and slick footing can slow the climb
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation5,650–6,076 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 Sam Knob 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 area
The Parkway’s Bloom Calendar: Chasing Spring up the MountainsListen
“Spring doesn't happen all at once here. It climbs the mountains at a rate of about one week for every 1,000 feet you go up.”
Plays on the road 1 mi from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Devil's Courthouse: The Best Punchy Climb on the Parkway
- Devil's Courthouse: A Steep Climb to a Four-State View
- Graveyard Fields: Waterfalls and Wild Blueberries
- East Fork Overlook and the Ghost Trees
- 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.”
Trail guide
Hiking Sam Knob Trail
Why choose itSam Knob packs high-country views into a 2.5-mile out-and-back. Allow 1 to 1.
Sam Knob packs high-country views into a 2.5-mile out-and-back. Allow 1 to 1.5 hours and roughly 425 feet of elevation change. The open summit feels properly mountainous without an all-day commitment.
Follow the ridgeFrom the small lot, follow the trail through meadow and forest, staying on the signed route at…
From the small lot, follow the trail through meadow and forest, staying on the signed route at junctions. Natural ground, roots, rock, and wooden steps lead to the summit. The stored line follows the corridor once; the listed distance includes the return walk.
Prepare for high countryWind and fog arrive quickly, and footing gets slick after rain.
Wind and fog arrive quickly, and footing gets slick after rain. Bring shoes suited to rocky tread and a layer. Dogs are allowed when leashed. Pit toilets are available, but parking is limited; ice and snow are possible in winter.
Look out from the topThe summit opens toward Cold Mountain, Richland Balsam, Black Balsam Knob, and Devil's…
The summit opens toward Cold Mountain, Richland Balsam, Black Balsam Knob, and Devil's Courthouse. Include foreground meadow or rock in photos for scale. Stay on established paths and protect the fragile grassland.
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.
