The redesign of the park’s pump track, brand identity, facilities and signage truly bring the park into the 21st century. Sleek and modern, the park is an eye-catching wonder located right off Highway 421. With these improvements, Rocky Knob is the ultimate place to ride in the North Carolina High Country.
Signage
Custom-built signage anchors the new pump track. Designed by our team and crafted locally in Boone, the solid, contiguous railing artwork had to be set in place with a crane.
The design is meant to be sleek and eye-catching, utilizing negative circular space to allow the action behind the sign to become part of the design.
Ribbon
Cutting
Our rebranding efforts and pump track redesign culminated with an all-day community event. The festivities were fun for the whole family, including, a ribbon cutting, kid’s pump track jam, group rides, whip-off competition, music, and food.
Park
Branding
The park’s visual identity contains subtle nods to east coast MTB culture, while highlighting the geological importance of the amphibolite mountain chain that Rocky Knob is a part of.
Community
Involvement
Rocky Knob is a collaborative effort between the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority, Destination By Design, Boone Area Cyclists, and numerous local volunteers. Community input was necessary to shape the park into a world-class destination.
Destination by Design partnered with the Watauga County Tourism Development Authority to oversee the creation of Rocky Knob Bike Park, a 185-acre mountain bike facility now recognized as a premier riding destination in the Southeast. The $3.5 million project spanned concept and design through branding and construction, including a redesigned pump track, custom-crafted signage, and a full visual identity, bringing the park into the 21st century right off Highway 421.
In North Carolina, recreation master planning and greenway development often come together to elevate an existing amenity into a regional destination. Rocky Knob’s transformation reflects that pairing, combining trail planning and design with custom park signage crafted locally in Boone, including a sleek pump track gate built with negative circular space so the riding action becomes part of the design itself.
A well-designed bike park can turn a mountain town into a riding destination that draws visitors from across the region. Rocky Knob achieved that through close collaboration between the Watauga County TDA, DbD, Boone Area Cyclists, and local volunteers, whose input shaped the park’s redesign, culminating in a community-wide ribbon cutting event featuring group rides, a whip-off competition, and a kids’ pump track jam.
Recreation master planning is the process of designing public recreation facilities, from bike parks to trail systems, in a way that reflects community input while positioning the site as a lasting regional asset. For Rocky Knob, that meant park and trail signage, engineering, and a brand identity subtly nodding to east coast mountain biking culture while honoring the geological significance of the amphibolite mountain chain the park sits within.
Rocky Knob Bike Park sits in Boone, North Carolina, right off Highway 421 in the heart of the North Carolina High Country. Its accessible location along a major regional highway helped establish it as the ultimate place to ride in the area, drawing mountain bikers from across the Southeast to its 185 acres of trails.
