Doughton Park Campground — Blue Ridge Parkway

Doughton park campground is absolutely beautiful!  Just off the Blueridge pkwy approx 20 miles past Stone Mountain state park in NC, the elevation is high enough to have escaped hot summer days elsewhere.  White-tailed deer might greet you first, as the land is reserved for them, and some might even have a little attitude.  Us humans are guests in their home.  I love the misty mornings. The rolling green hills are beautiful and nearby trails are terrific.  The staff are always polite.  Sitting by a fire at night is quiet.  Not everyone wants to be as remote as it is up there, but for people who love the sound of nature, Doughton park is a winner!

Doughton Park CG: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5 Price: $10/ night w senior pass Usage during visit: low due to rain Site Privacy: some, like ours - #9, are very good Site Spacing: some sites are nicely space and some are pretty close. Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Very quiet during our stay. A small group of folks, older, play music together on a regular basis. Bring your instrument and join them. One plays a lot of Gordon Lightfoot - they were friends. Low key and quiet. Very, very enjoyable.
Road Noise: Sites 1 and 2 are close to the parkway. The rest of the sites are set far enough back that, maybe motorcycles can be heard. Right now through there is no through traffic as a nearby portion of the parkway is in the middle of a 3 year construction project. Through Traffic in campground: None Electricity: No Water: Availability at the dump station and one faucet.
Sewer Hook up: No Dump Station: Yes Generators: Allowed Bathroom: Small and clean. Showers: No Pull Throughs: Most or all are back in.
Cell Service (Verizon): Good from our site Setting: Deciduous forest on high ground. Weather: Unseasonably wet during our stay. 4 days of almost non-stop rain
Bugs: None Solar: Fixed solar panels might work in sites 1 and 2. Host: Present. Rig size: There are a couple 30 to 35’ rigs here Sites: #9, our site, is one of the best sites we have had in almost 4 years of travel. The regulars call this site the “honeymoon site”, because of the heart shaped large rocks which create a lower terraced picnic area. Best sites: 9 very best, 4, 8, 7. Next best: 5,21,19. Nice but picnic area is not quite as private: 20, 18,16,14,12,11,10. All other sites along the outer side of the loop I would be happy with. The exception are sites 1 and 2. These two sites are along the parkway.

We reserved a spot (B4) as it was one of the only ones left when we booked ten days out. We intended on seeing if there was a‘first come first serve’ spot that might be better(as was mentioned in another review). We got there around 4:00 and the rangers let us drive through and switch to C87. There are some spots that are pretty close together and would probably work better as group spots, others (like C87) had plenty of privacy. We thought it would be packed on the beautiful October weekend, but the campground did not fill up and there was plenty of room to spread out. 

The proximity to the parkway was great. So many hikes and views. My kids loved Brinegar Cabin(1876) which is right up the road. 

The bathrooms were clean, but very basic. The fire rings were a little worn. Some of the parking spots were made during a time when cars were smaller.  None of that was a problem for us, but others may think differently. It is an older park and feels that way, but we found it charming. We thought it was an overlooked gem!

This campground is quiet, shaded, and right on the blue Ridge parkway. It's high in elevation so it's cooler than the surrounding areas. There are trails you can hike from camp. There is a basic dump station at the entrance as well as potable water.

Friendly and picturesque campground on the blue ridge parkway. One side for tents, with RVs across the parkway.

There are approximately 4 primitive sites here. It is located behind the Flat Rock Ridge Trailhead. You can drive your vehicle (4wd not required) up to the sites. A river/creek is beside the campsites, so water could be filtered. There are no amenities. You will find rock campfire circles, but that's about it. The area immediately around the sites have been picked relatively clean of firewood, so that might be a bit of a journey.

We were told by a ranger we talked with earlier in the day that this campground might be closed for the season but the gates were open, so we checked it out and saw a sign saying that it would close for the season on November 4 so we were good!

There are two different campgrounds– one for tents and one for RVs. Normally, we can stay in tent sites with our 17-foot campervan but not at Doughton, as the tent pads are a distance away from where you park and there are not suitable pads where you could park and camp. Also, there was not a soul in the tent section. The RV section is across the street (on the Blue Ridge Parkway) and it was about 2/3rds full. No hookups and the bathrooms were reasonable Two toilet stalls, two sinks, no showers but don’t forget to bring your flashlight; there were no lights and it was dark even during the day when it was cloudy/foggy. 

Each site has two pads– I’m assuming one is if you have a trailer or 5th wheel and one to park your car. However, even though there are two, they are not long, so bringing a large 5th wheel might be problematic, and a large Class A would definitely be challenged. 

Even though many of the sites were occupied, it was very quiet. I’m assuming a Monday night in late October meant there were no children. Can’t beat the value for$10 (with a senior pass).

no reservation required.  There is always room to stay.  We were motorcycle camping the blue ridge parkway and camped here for the night.  There was a place to eat and drink not far down the road at Laurel Springs.

Only $20 a night. Beautiful no showers. Decent spots, lots of hiking to do. The rangers however are a bit rude and hard to deal with. The camp host however were great.

Love the views from this area especially the morning.

Large camping area but Government shut down for a time. It now open. Great spots but lots of snakes last we were there.

The Doughton Park campground off of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a great place to spend the night without if you are driving along the Parkway and don't want to venture too far off course. The campground is much larger than I expected. There's an RV section on one side of the Parkway and a tent section that is on the other side. I only explored the tent side.

Although a little bit confusing, with concentric loops, there are many sites to choose from. Some loops and sites are more wooded and further from roads and amenities while others are more central and along a field. I opted for a more central site and ended up being the only person camping in that loop. At the end of October there were only three other campers in the whole tent side of the campground.

The hosts were friendly and helpful in choosing a site. The bathrooms are small but clean and there are easily accessible water sources about. There has been a young bear hanging about in the campground so they, very reasonably, ask that you keep all scent sources in your car.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is an incredible drive, my favorite section is south of this campground in North Carolina. Just along the VA-NC border the Blue Ridge Music Center is well worth the stop. There is free music there daily from 12-4!

This was the only place we saw bears but not in our campsite just wandering in another loop. We stayed in loop b and found a perfectly shaded site that was quiet and private and near the comfort station. Lots of greenery and getting into the highlands means cooler temps in the summer.