NC Mountains campgrounds

Incidentally, Davidson River in Pisgah (a very nice spot) has WiFi at the entrance booth, an excellent feature.

Lake Santeelah near Robbinsville NC is beautiful. CHEOAH POINT CAMPGROUND, NC

1stgenfarmboy wrote:
Kohldad,

thanks for the feedback on the Davidson river CG, I have been thinking of staying there on one of our trips to the mountains.

Davidson River has changed how many sites are reservable. Last year it was about half with the remainder being walk-up - this year it is about 90%. Showed up last Monday at 10:30 AM (not knowing they had changed), and at 12:30 they gave me a choice of 3 sites for one night. I took one, and went to the gate at 6:15 AM and got first in line. Two others that had spent a one-nighter got in line behind me, and one person from outside showed up. None of us knew about the change before we got there. Camper that was 3rd in line got his site first, because he only wanted one more night. People in the walk-ups had until 10 to renew, and there were 5 that day. The first two did renew, but me and the other two waiting did get sites. The walk-up loop is the last one, and the one that is the least secluded. On the plus side, that loop being the farthest one from town has absolutely no cell service, while the others fade in and out.
If you're going when school is NOT out, you can probably find a site online pretty easily. Their window is 6 months out. Next year I'll be on that site in January and February getting my summer fix.

Kohldad,

thanks for the feedback on the Davidson river CG, I have been thinking of staying there on one of our trips to the mountains.

I camped at Pisgah since the 70s and the sites haven't changed much. Despite being in the mountains, most sites don't have a lot of view, but you can walk to the lodge/resturaunt acros the street or drive to a nearby overlook.

Lake Powhatten has a few tighter back roads to get to it, but not bad if you take your time. Some nice hiking and bike trails leave right from the campground. Very convenient is you need something from Walmart (take BRP north to 25 east and go a few blocks) and the BRP. Have stayed here a few times in the last few years and will be going back. Great base for exploring Asheville.

I've also camped at Davidson River since the 70s. Down in the valley with dual lane road almost to it's entrance. Very easy to get to from the interstate without any hills. Very convenient for the Ag Center which almost always has something going on from dog shows to horse show to tractor show to antique show to model train shows. Very nice for exploring Brevard and decent for exploring Asheville. A few years ago, they added power to a number of sites which are very flat and easy for any rig. The non power sites are also mostly flat.

I enjoy all 3 and it really depends on what we want to do to which one we pick.

Might add Davidson River near Brevard to your list. It is also a Forestry Service CG and similar to these. All are hard to get into in prime season.

I've stayed at pisgah. I liked it but had a couple issues. One is that we were fogged in all but a couple hours each day so didn't get to see much. It was cold so the furnace fan would drain the batteries at night and I had to run the gen longer than I would have liked to recharge the batteries each day.

We've stayed at both multiple times and likely will do so in the future. Powhatan seems to have larger sites with better privacy and the restrooms are more modern. The NC Arboretum is nearby and well worth a visit. Pisgah has a more 'remote' feel, especially when its not crowded, which we really like. Contractor grade generators seem to be a common problem in many of the BRP campgrounds (I own a gen set but have never found a reason to run it continuously for all permitted hours).

Have stayed at Mt Pisgah twice, Lake Pawhatan once. Did not have hookups at either, which for us was fine. Would go back to either. Lake Pawhatan does have a few electric/water sites. Lake Pawhatan very near Asheville, Mt Pisgah on BRPY, less than hour away. Both have dump & clean water. Like most places, both have level and not so level sites, most shaded but not all.

We stayed at Lk. Powhatan last October. We liked it. Large campsites, wooded. We camped in a 40' fifth wheel. Be aware that not all sites have water. You have to fill up beforehand, or at the dumpstation with clean potable water. There are spigots around the campground for getting some washing water. The bath house was nice with individual complete bathrooms.

The only sites that have lake view are on that Lakeside Loop. It is very convenient to downtown Asheville very close to the Sierra Nevada Brewery (if that's your thing).

Great price, too.