Parking
Park at the Sims Pond Parking Area/Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway near milepost 295.9. Sims Creek Overlook provides alternate access to the loop, but Sims Pond is the primary parking and trailhead location.
Overview
About Sims Pond Loop Trail
Why go
- Varied loop through Sims Pond, creekside woods, rhododendron, and open pasture
- Distant Price Lake and Calloway Peak views on clear days
Heads up
- Several creek crossings and muddy footing after rain
- Steeper, slippery sections on the descent and limited long-range views
The 2.3-mile Green Knob loop is a compact but varied hike from Sims Pond, with creekside woods, rhododendron, open pasture, and mountain views. It is a moderate-to-strenuous outing rather than a flat pond walk.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy this hikeMap & elevation
The route
Loading the Blue Ridge Parkway map
Full mapElevation3,465–3,881 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 Sims Pond Loop 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
Sims Pond Trail: A Compact Loop with Lots of VarietyListen
“Ahead is the parking area for the Sims Pond Trail. This is a great choice if you're looking for a hike that packs a lot of different scenery into a short walk.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Blue Ridge Parkway Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Julian Price's Creekside Picnic Spot
- Sims Creek Overlook: A Classic Creekside Loop
- Price Lake and its Famous Mountain View
- Julian Price Park Campground: Lakeside Basecamp
- 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 Sims Pond Loop Trail
Trail experienceStart at Sims Pond Parking Area and cross the bridge below the Parkway overlook, then follow…
Start at Sims Pond Parking Area and cross the bridge below the Parkway overlook, then follow Sims Creek through dense rhododendron and old-growth timber. The trail climbs through pasture and forest to Green Knob, about 3,920 feet high, before descending a steeper section back toward the Parkway. On clear days, the open sections can offer distant views toward Price Lake and Calloway Peak. The route also passes beneath a tall Blue Ridge Parkway bridge and includes several creek crossings, some best handled by rock-hopping.
Expect uneven tread, short steep sections, and muddy or slippery footing after rain. The loop is scenic and manageable for experienced families, but the creek crossings and descent require more care than the short distance suggests.
LogisticsDistance: About 2.3 miles total (loop).
- Distance: About 2.3 miles total (loop).
- Trailhead: Sims Pond Parking Area/Overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway; Sims Creek Overlook provides alternate access.
- Time: About 1.5 hours for a typical hiker, with extra time for wet footing and stops.
- Dogs: Allowed on a leash. The rocky, muddy, and steep sections are not wheelchair- or stroller-friendly.
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.
