Hiking

Ash Grove Mountain Cabins and Camping

Ash Grove Mountain Cabins and Camping in Brevard, North Carolina, nestles into the hardwood forests of Transylvania County, offering both rustic log cabin accommodations and traditional tent camping in the southern Blue Ridge Mountains where western North Carolina's concentration of waterfalls, old-growth forest, and wilderness trails makes it one of the most biodiverse and scenically rewarding outdoor destinations in the eastern United States. The property's understated, forest-immersed character attracts guests who prioritize natural setting over resort infrastructure, and its location between two major public land units gives it an unusually strong position for serious trail users. Guests choose between fully appointed cabins suited to families and couples seeking shelter and privacy or established tent sites set beneath a canopy of tulip poplars, white oaks, and second-growth hemlocks recovering from woolly adelgid damage that reshaped the forest understory in recent decades. On-site walking trails wind through the property's wooded grounds, and communal fire pits provide evening gathering spaces that encourage the quiet, unhurried social culture that distinguishes campground stays from hotel travel. The overall atmosphere is deliberately low-key—cell signal is limited, evenings are genuinely dark, and the sounds are forest sounds. The landscape surrounding Brevard is defined by the layered ridges of Pisgah National Forest, a 512,000-acre protected wilderness that encompasses more than 600 miles of hiking trails, multiple designated wilderness areas, and some of the best trout streams and single-track mountain biking in the Southeast. Transylvania County receives over 80 inches of rain annually—among the highest precipitation totals in the eastern US—feeding more than 250 waterfalls within the county boundaries, a concentration so extraordinary that the county markets itself as the Land of Waterfalls. Black bears, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, and the occasional river otter inhabit the surrounding forest with a density that makes wildlife sightings a routine part of any extended stay. DuPont State Recreational Forest, just south of Brevard, protects the famous cascades used as filming locations for The Hunger Games—High Falls, Triple Falls, and Hooker Falls—all accessible from connected trail systems that allow visitors to link multiple waterfalls in a single outing without backtracking. The Blue Ridge Parkway's historic motor road runs along the ridge crests to the north, providing access to scenic overlooks, higher-elevation meadows, and the cultural heritage of Appalachian communities preserved along the route. Asheville's vibrant arts district, nationally recognized restaurant scene, craft brewery culture, and the Biltmore Estate's elaborate Victorian architecture are approximately 30 minutes northeast. Ash Grove operates from spring through late fall, with the summer waterfall season and October's hardwood foliage drawing the heaviest visitation. The property books steadily with hikers using it as a base for multi-day Pisgah Forest itineraries and families returning annually for cabin stays during Brevard's Music Center summer festival season. For guests whose primary goal is deep immersion in the forest landscape of the southern Appalachians, Ash Grove's combination of genuine woodland setting and strategic location between Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Recreational Forest makes it one of the better-positioned campgrounds in the region.

Blue Bear Mountain Camp

13 RV Sites, 1 Cabin, 29 Tent Sites

Blue Bear Mountain Camp in Todd, North Carolina, offers 13 RV sites, a cabin, and 29 tent sites across 150 acres at 4,000 feet in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with 30 and 50-amp electric service and rigs accepted to 40 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Stargazer dome glamping, a hand-painted tepee, and hike-in backcountry sites make the accommodation mix unusually varied. Thirteen sites carry electric service on 30 and 50-amp in back-in and pull-through configurations, sized to 40 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables — note there are no water or sewer hookups at the sites, though a dump station is available, so plan tank capacity. Twenty-nine tent sites include hike-in backcountry positions, and a cabin, a 22-foot hand-painted tepee, and stargazer dome glamping units round out the range. Laundry, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. The 150 acres carry the experience. Walking trails run the property for hiking and biking, with fishing available and the 4,000-foot elevation delivering mild summer temperatures and cool mountain air that the valleys below cannot match. The dome glamping units are built for the night sky, which at this elevation is worth the trip on its own. Pets are welcome. Todd sits eight miles north of Boone in Watauga County, where the New River's ancient headwaters drain one of the most geologically significant valleys in the Appalachians — the New is among the oldest rivers in North America. The Blue Ridge Parkway, the Appalachian Trail corridor, and Boone's university-town infrastructure are all close. October foliage is the peak in the High Country. Reserve well ahead.

from $30/night

Smoky Mountain Meadows Campground

1 Onsite RV/Trailer

Smoky Mountain Meadows Campground in Bryson City, North Carolina, offers full-hookup RV sites, tent camping and cabin rentals across an open meadow valley four miles from the Deep Creek entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sites accommodate rigs up to 42 feet, and the campground's meadow setting — framed by forested ridgelines rather than enclosed by them — gives it a more open feel than most sites in the Tuckasegee drainage. Full-hookup RV sites take rigs to 42 feet, with a dump station available on the property. Tent sites serve campers who want the valley setting at a simpler price point, and cabins provide enclosed lodging with the same meadow outlook. A general store stocks camp basics and firewood, and bathrooms, showers and laundry cover the practical side of a longer stay. WiFi reaches the campground. On-site recreation centers on the meadow itself. A playground anchors the family end of the property, and basketball, volleyball, horseshoes and corn hole give guests something to do without leaving camp. A community fire pit provides the evening gathering point, and a covered pavilion handles group meals and rainy afternoons. Pets are welcome. Great Smoky Mountains National Park's Deep Creek entrance sits four miles north on Deep Creek Road and holds the most accessible waterfall cluster in the park — Tom Branch, Indian Creek and Juney Whank Falls all fall within a 2.5-mile walk of the trailhead, and the creek's calm Class I water makes Deep Creek the park's most family-friendly tubing run. Bryson City itself is the departure point for the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad through the Nantahala Gorge, and Harrah's Cherokee and the Museum of the Cherokee Indian are eight miles northwest on the Qualla Boundary. The campground runs April through October. Spring wildflowers peak from late March into May and fall color arrives in the Tuckasegee valley through October — the two busiest windows of the year alongside the summer national park season. Reserve early for October weekends, when Bryson City lodging fills across the board.

Roaring River Vineyards

7 RV Sites

Roaring River Vineyards in Traphill, NC, offers 7 RV sites behind a working winery, with 30 and 50-amp service. Sites sit in a tree grove near the pond, numbered one through ten, with the Roaring River close by. Power is 30 or 50-amp; water is communal rather than at the site, and there's a dump station rather than sewer hookups, so plan your stay accordingly. Access can be tight for larger rigs — worth calling ahead if you're at the upper end of the length range. What makes this one unusual is what's attached to it. The Tasting Haus pours the estate's wines alongside German-style beers and serves European fare, and it's a short walk from the sites rather than a drive. Planned events run through the season. Stone Mountain State Park is nearby for hiking, and the property has its own walking trails and a pond. WiFi and cell service both reach the sites. The entrance is gated, and pets are welcome. This is a small, quiet place — a weekend or overnight stop rather than a resort with a pool and an activities director. Vacation rentals are also available on the property if you're travelling with people who aren't in the rig.

from $25/night

Great Outdoors RV Resort

54 RV Sites

Great Outdoors RV Resort in Franklin, North Carolina, offers 54 full-hookup back-in RV sites in Macon County's gem-rich valley, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 51 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout. Premium and standard categories join a pool, fitness center, recreation center, and on-site dining in the southern Blue Ridge. Fifty-four back-in sites run in standard and premium categories, both carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 51 feet, with picnic tables. Two tiers keep booking straightforward. A general store, laundry, propane fills, dump station, restrooms, showers, firewood, and a pet washing station handle the practical side. One scheduling note: check-in runs 1pm to 5pm Eastern, and the resort cannot accommodate arrivals after 5pm because insurance requires all guests to be escorted to their site. An outdoor pool anchors the warm months, with a fitness center, recreation center, on-site dining, cabins, and a dog park filling the grounds. Hiking runs in every direction. Pets are welcome. Franklin has an international reputation for ruby, sapphire, and garnet mining — the corundum deposits in this valley have produced fine gem material for well over a century, and the mines welcome visitors. The Little Tennessee River runs through town, with the Appalachian Trail, Nantahala National Forest, and the Great Smokies all close. Summer and fall foliage drive the heaviest demand in the North Carolina mountains. Reserve well ahead for October, and plan your arrival to clear the 5pm check-in cutoff.

from $63/night

Buck Creek RV Park

31 RV Sites

Buck Creek RV Park in Marion, NC, offers 31 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 45 feet. Sites come in several categories — back-in 30/50-amp with cable, premium back-in 30/50-amp, pull-thru 30/50-amp, and waterfront back-in 30/50-amp without cable — all carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table. One booking note: your specific site number is not guaranteed and is assigned at check-in. The park is rated big rig friendly, with laundry, a bathhouse with showers, firewood, a dump station, a community fire pit, and both RV and boat storage. Pets are welcome. The property covers 48 acres with swimming and hiking from the site. Marion sits in McDowell County at the base of the Blue Ridge, where the Appalachian escarpment drops from Mount Mitchell — the highest peak in the eastern United States — toward the Catawba River valley. Rates by site category are on the booking page. Waterfront back-ins are the ones to request, though the exact site is assigned on arrival.

from $59/night

Fort Wilderness RV Park & Campground

27 RV Sites

Fort Wilderness RV Park and Campground in Whittier, North Carolina, offers 27 full-hookup RV sites across ten shaded acres just outside Cherokee, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 40 feet. Premium pull-through, small back-in, and amperage-specific pull-through categories join an outdoor pool, fitness center, game room, and lake. Twenty-seven sites span back-in, premium pull-thru, pull-thru 30/50-amp, pull-thru 30-amp, and small back-in categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 40 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The small back-in category right-sizes for compact rigs rather than making them pay for space they cannot use; note the 40-foot cap before booking a larger coach. Cabins round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, dump station, restrooms, firewood, and RV storage handle the practical side. The pet fee is $2 per pet per day. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a fitness center, game room, arcade, pavilion, playground, dog park, lake, volleyball, basketball, horseshoes, and fishing filling the rest. Planned activities run through the season, and a golf course is nearby. Directions from the junction of US-74 and US-441 at exit 74: north 1.6 miles on US-441 to Shoal Creek Road, then west a half mile on the right. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance at Cherokee is minutes away, with the Blue Ridge Parkway's southern terminus and Harrah's Cherokee close. Summer and fall foliage drive demand hard. Reserve well ahead for June through October.

from $48/night

Norwood Campground

25 RV Sites, 10 Tent Sites

Norwood Campground in Norwood, NC, offers 25 full-hookup RV sites and 10 tent sites, with 30 and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 45 feet. Sites come in two categories, back-in 30-amp and back-in 50-amp, each carrying water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. The campground is open all year, with laundry, a bathhouse, a general store, firewood, propane exchange, a dump station, a recreation center, golf cart rentals, boat storage, and a pet washing station. Pets are welcome. The lake access is the draw: exclusive Lake Tillery beach access, boat docks, and a fishing pier, plus a pond, walking trails, a pavilion, a jumping pillow, horseshoes, corn hole, a playground, and gem panning, with swimming, fishing, boating, birding, and planned activities. Norwood sits at Morgan Mountain on Lake Tillery in Stanly County's Piedmont foothills, with hardwood forest around it. From 24/27 heading west, turn onto Indian Mound Road in South Albemarle just after crossing the Pee Dee. Rates for sites and tent spots are on the booking page. Summer lake weekends fill first.

from $40/night

Hidden Trails RV Park

20 RV Sites

Hidden Trails RV Park in Grover, NC, offers 20 full-hookup back-in RV sites with 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 50 feet. Every site is a back-in carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table. Note the electrical: the park runs 50-amp service, so a rig wired for lighter service will need an adapter. Laundry, a bathhouse, and WiFi cover the essentials, and pets are welcome. The property covers 45 wooded acres with hiking and fishing from the site — quiet by design, with no pool or activity schedule competing for attention. Grover sits in the Piedmont foothills of Cleveland County, where the Blue Ridge's last ridgelines meet rolling Carolina Piedmont and the western edge of the Charlotte metro blends into working farmland. Rates and availability are on the booking page. Twenty sites means calling ahead is worth the minute on a holiday weekend.

from $60/night

Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground

18 RV Sites

Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground in Swannanoa, North Carolina, offers 18 RV sites in the Swannanoa River valley east of Asheville, with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 60 feet. Tiered categories including partial mountain view back-in sites join full-hookup and water-and-electric tiers, with a fitness center, library, recreation center, and on-site dining. Eighteen sites span Tier 1 back-in 30-amp, Tier 1 back-in water-and-electric 30-amp, Tier 1 pull-thru 30-amp, and Tier 3 partial mountain view back-in 30-amp categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 60 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. One seasonal note: the premium mountaintop and mountain view sites are open April 1 through October 31 and closed the rest of the year — call 828-686-4258 for details. Cabins round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, dump station, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. A fitness center, recreation center, library, community fire pit, pavilion, dog park, walking trails, biking, and on-site dining fill the grounds. Pets are welcome. Swannanoa sits in the Blue Ridge east of Asheville, where mountain character and small-community authenticity meet. Asheville's Biltmore Estate, River Arts District, and brewery scene are minutes west, with the Blue Ridge Parkway and Mount Mitchell close. Fall foliage drives the sharpest demand around Asheville. Reserve well ahead for October, and confirm mountain view site availability.

from $75/night

Sycamore Lodge Resort

19 RV Sites

Sycamore Lodge Resort in Jackson Springs, NC, offers 19 full-hookup RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service and back-in sites for rigs up to 45 feet. Sites are sorted precisely: back-in 30-amp, back-in 30-amp with patio, back-in 30-amp water-and-electric, back-in 50-amp, and back-in 50-amp with patio. Full-hookup sites carry water, sewer, and electric. The patio sites are worth the upgrade. Laundry, a general store, RV storage, golf cart rentals, and WiFi cover the practical side, with cabins available for guests without a rig. Pets are welcome, with a dog park. For 19 sites the recreation is remarkable: an outdoor pool, a hot tub and sauna, mini-golf, a game room, a library, a pavilion, a ball field, sport courts, basketball, volleyball, bocce, corn hole, a playground, and a lake and pond with boat docks and a beach for swimming, fishing, kayaking, and hiking. Planned activities run through the season. Jackson Springs sits in Moore County's Sandhills, in longleaf pine and wiregrass country, minutes from Pinehurst and its golf. Rates for sites and cabins are on the booking page. Patio sites are limited and book first.

from $72/night

Spacious Skies Hidden Creek

108 RV Sites, 18 Cabins, 26 Tent Sites

Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, North Carolina, offers 108 RV sites, 18 cabins, and 26 tent sites at the base of the Black Mountains, with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 60 feet behind a gated entrance. Premium creek-front pull-through and lakeview categories join standard back-in sites, with a pool, mini-golf, and gem mining. One hundred eight sites span back-in 20/30-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, premium creek-front pull-thru, premium lakeview back-in, and premium lakeview pull-thru categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric, sized to 60 feet. The creek-front and lakeview premiums are the ones to request. Eighteen cabins and 26 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, and firewood handle the practical side. All guests and visitors check in at the main office on arrival and sign the terms. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a lake and creek supporting fishing, boating, and swimming. Mini-golf, gem mining, a jumping pillow, arcade, recreation center, billiards, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, and corn hole fill the grounds, with walking trails, hiking, golf cart rentals, a playground, pavilion, community fire pit, and dog park besides. Pets are welcome. McDowell County's gem mining tradition is genuine rather than a novelty, and the surrounding hollow-and-ridge terrain marks the Blue Ridge's steepest eastern escarpment. Summer and fall foliage drive demand in the North Carolina mountains. Reserve well ahead for October.

from $25/night