Lake Powhatan, near Asheville, North Carolina, is a fantastic campground that offers a blend of outdoor adventure and relaxation. With a variety of sites for tents, RVs, and even glamping options, it caters to different camping styles while providing a comfortable atmosphere.

The campground is known for its clean facilities, including well-maintained restrooms that visitors frequently praise. Many campers enjoy the nearby lake, which features a lovely swimming area and scenic hiking trails that are perfect for families and outdoor lovers alike. One visitor noted, “The best thing about Lake Powhatan is the nice hike around the lake and the fun little lake beach.”

For those who like to bike, there are plenty of trails accessible right from the campground, making it easy to explore the beautiful surroundings. The lush forest provides ample shade and privacy, creating a peaceful environment for a getaway. As one camper mentioned, “Loved the lush forest surroundings! Campsites are well shaded and have good privacy.”

If you’re looking for a spot that combines nature with convenience, Lake Powhatan is close to Asheville’s local breweries and attractions, making it easy to enjoy both the great outdoors and the vibrant local scene. Whether you’re here for a weekend or a longer stay, you’ll find plenty to keep you entertained and relaxed.

## Overview

 \_\_Glamping sites are now available at Lake Powhatan! Experience nature and outdoor recreation without sacrificing the comforts and luxuries of home. Choose one of 12 custom designed, fully furnished canvas platform tents in the heart of the national forest for your next mountain adventure, only 10 minutes from downtown Asheville, NC. Learn more about[ glamping near Asheville][1] . To book your glamping site, [click here][2]. Located just minutes from the popular city of Asheville, North Carolina, Lake Powhatan has something for everyone. The campground is convenient to a variety of cultural and natural attractions, including art and music venues, shopping and dining in Asheville, scenic driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, numerous hiking trails and lakeside recreation. 
## Recreation

 Visitors have a number of different activities to choose from. Kids love the lake's sandy swimming beach and anglers enjoy the calm waters for trout fishing. The French Broad River, popular for fishing, is also nearby. Note that use of personal watercraft is STRICTLY PROHIBITED in the lake due to potential introduction of foreign material to the Lake Powhatan riprarian ecosystem. The forest is known for its hiking and mountain biking trails, several of which are located near the campground. 
## Natural Features

 The campground is situated in a heavily wooded area on the banks of Lake Powhatan in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. The elevation is 2,200 feet. The surrounding land boasts mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls and slopes thickly forested with hardwoods and conifers. 
## Nearby Attractions

 Among the more popular nearby destinations are Sliding Rock, Looking Glass Falls, the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, The NC Arboretum and the Biltmore Estate. 
## Contact Info

 For facility specific information, please call (828) 577-7278.
## Charges & Cancellations

 Any cancellations must be taken care of directly with recreation.gov. Note that this facility does not provide refunds for No Shows or incliment weather. 

[1]: https://www.pisgah-glamping.com/
[2]: https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/10004919

Lake Powhatan — National Forests In North Carolina

The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Enka. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Enka is surrounded by family-friendly activities. Discover great camping spots near Enka, reviewed by campers like you.

Enka

The Best Camping Near Enka, North Carolina

I loved my stay at Lake Powhatan. It was incredibly clean, the campground hosts were very friendly and helpful, and the quick access to both the Blue Ridge Parkway and downtown Asheville are unbeatable. Lots of campsites, but far enough apart to still feel private, bathrooms + showers (both are single use, not stalls, which I suppose could be inconvenient if there were a lot of people waiting, but it's nice to have the privacy!). I would 100% visit again!

One of my favorites

Wow, this is an amazing place to be. Right next to Powhatan Lake, but most of all, a mountain biker's dream! Hikers too, but really, all trails allow for bikers-single track riding. The trail system goes into an experimental forest area (whatever that means). Ensure to print out a map before hand, I can't begin to start to explain how many small loops, links, connector trails there are.

Campground itself is just 10-15 mins away from downtown Asheville, filled with great breweries and eats. It's also about 45 mins North from Brevard and Dupont State Park, another mountain biking hit. DuPont was also unbelievably amazing for waterfalls and swimming holes. We actually hiked to 3 waterfalls in DuPont, swimming and sliding down flat rocks at Hooker Falls and High Falls. Amazing experience that everyone should have on their bucket list. 

Amazing place! Bike Trails forever!

Lake Powhatan Campground is by far our favorite campground we have stayed in. This campground is located on the south side of Asheville and is approximately 10 minutes to the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway (if that). The staff is very friendly and welcoming. Shower and restroom facilities are extremely nice and seem newer. Trash pickup occurs once a week which is very helpful for extended stays. The campground sells ice, firewood and other helpful items. There is a “lake” that attracts a lot of visitors for swimming during the day but if you get a site far enough away from the “lake” you should not even notice the traffic. Minutes away from bike trails and a little longer to great hiking trails!

Distances:
50 minutes to Mt. Pisgah; 
1 hour to Graveyard Fields hiking; 
10 minutes back to heart of Asheville; 
10 minutes to Parkway/Arboreteum


Our Favorite Campground to Date

Right outside Asheville (15 minutes tops), this campground is in a national forest with lots of hiking and boating opportunities. On site there is a beach, fishing, ranger programs, and trailheads. Campsites are densely wooded and lovely though none with lake views as far as I know. The bathrooms are modern but otherwise this is a pretty basic site---just the way we like it. 


Lovely but can be crowded 

I first stumbled upon Lake Powhatan during a run through the NC Arboretum. The trails connect Lake Powhatan to the Arboretum and they go on for miles. The Campground itself has a good walking trail around the small lake and trails emanate from the campground for biking and walking/running. The facilities are nice, and the campsites even have picnic tables and grills. I would recommend this campsite to anyone-- it's in a great location near Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway, and if you're adventurous enough, you can hike to the Arboretum. One note though- I did see warnings for Black Bears having been spotted recently, though I did not see any myself.

Absolutely Impressed by Lake Powhatan

We loved this one, it had a nice quiet campground, huge tent pads and clean bathrooms. Lots of trails for hiking and biking and beautiful lake. We didn't find the trails to be particularly well-marked, but we managed not to get lost - maps would be helpful. 
The campground is located right next to the entrance to the Blue Ridge parkway so you can hop on that for some killer hikes and views. It's about 20 minutes from downtown Asheville too so you can go enjoy live music, shopping and chow down on some delicious food.  

Camping in Asheville

We stayed here before spending the day in Asheville and continuing north, but we had to set up camp in a pinch at a KOA because of a car issue. I would have loved to come back to this site that night. We didn't need any of the hookups but each plot was spacious. enough for a pair of 2 man tents with some room between them. The plots were separated by trees which added privacy. 

great amenities, great for tent campers, MUCH better than a Koa

You would be hard pressed to find a bad site on this campground. Most, if not all, are moderate to full shade. There is adequate space between sites and the bathrooms are centrally located.

The bathrooms are always kept clean, thansk to the hosts. The showers are the "press here every 30 seconds" kind, but at least it's hot and clean. 

Great hiking and biking right from campground!  

One of our favorites in Asheville area. 

Well what can I say it's a great place for a weekend getaway. 

Beautiful place 

Stayed here for a week last spring, such a great campground, nice semi private sites, shaded. Beautiful area. Love that you can hike and bike right from the campground. The trails in Bent Creek Experimental forest are very nice and very well maintained!  As we were leaving last year I was already booking again for a return trip. This has been our favorite campground we've come across and will definitely return! Also super close to the Blue Ridge Parkway for some scenic drives!

A Favorite!

Stayed here as we were visiting The Biltmore House and Gardens. Great campground hosts, park is super clean and quiet. Has a great beach and lots of hiking and mountain bike trails. Its part of the National Forest system so its super cheap. Downtown Asheville is only 15 mins away.

Great Location !

Love this campground. It's so easy to get around Asheville from here, and you feel like you are out in the country. There is a Lake if you are a swimmer, loads of hiking trail - can get to the botanical gardens with a short hike from there.

Asheville Easy Drive

A great campground for a trip to Asheville! Spent some time in the lake, on hiking trails, and in town. 

Great Location

Lake Powhatan is a clean, shady campground south of Asheville NC. We initially chose this campground because of the lake! After setting up camp and walking to the lake, we realized it was a very small lake. We set up our tent on a terraced site just off the road and set up a dog run between trees. This was a very private site - perfect for both our dogs and kids! The bathrooms were clean and the loops were hilly which made for a nice walk to the dumpster. We could walk from our site directly to the lake. The sand was nice to play in and the water was very, very warm. The kids enjoyed playing in the warm water before walking back to our campsite for a fire. The campsites varied between level and green and more uneven sites that would be challenging for either a tent or an RV to camp at.

Quiet, shady, calm campground. 

We rushed to this campground to make it before the gate closed at 8 PM. There was some bear activity. You are required to put a tent on the gravel pad and not allowed to use the forest floor because it is an experimental forest. We were able to use hammocks outside of the gravel.

This campground has a very strict feel which can be good or bad depending on what you like in a campground. Lots of rules.

There was a beach/lake but we didn't use this. We were mainly using campground because it is close to the NC arboretum and the city of Asheville.

Close to town with some bears 

We took our 5 and 3 year old sons camping here this past weekend and had a great time.

Site: Our site was on the Hard Times loop which offered huge, flat gravel pads (our site was an RV site but also perfect for tent camping since it's pea gravel and not paved). If you have a 6-person or larger tent, opt for a gravel RV site, as you'll get tons more room than the "tent-only" sites which have the tent pad surrounded with railroad ties.

Facilities: Powhatan really takes care of their facilities. Restrooms were cleaned multiple times per day and the showers are clean and the water was actually hot - awesome after a day of hiking before jumping in the sleeping bag. Gate house sells ice and firewood too.

Activities: Tons of trails within Bent Creek but are mainly geared towards mountain bikers. Had to be on constant alert with my kids and dog, as the bikers absolutely bomb down these trails. Similar to hiking in Dupont but with a heavier concentration of mountain bikers. This was the only downside of camping here but there are some great hiking-only trails off the BRP just 30 min away. I wish the trail system worked its way through the campgrounds, as we had to walk a ways down the main paved road to access any trailheads.

Great, quiet campground with clean restrooms and hot showers

We chose this campground to be close to Asheville and the mountain biking trails and weren't disappointed! It is a very well maintained campground and is right in the woods. The only downside is that we weren't able to get any cell reception or wifi. That makes it tough to get work done! We went mountain biking a few times right from our site and the bathrooms were really nice and clean. None of the sites were right on the lake, but the lake is walkable from some areas (all if you are up for a longer walk!). The lake is small and you can't use your own watercraft on it. We stayed in both the Lakeside Loop and the Bent Creek Loop and were happy with both. Our Lakeside Loop sites had full hookups and the Bent Creek site had electricity only. We were in sites 48 and 56 on Lakeside and liked them both. They weren't huge sites, but plenty of room for our RV and Jeep. We had slightly better wifi on our Verizon hotspot at Site 56, but that could have been because it was during the week and there weren't as many people around. We were in Site 35 in the Bent Creek Loop and really liked this site. It had tons of room which worked out perfectly since we had friends coming to tent camp with us. We all fit without a problem at all! I'm only giving it 4 stars because of the lack of cell/wifi.

Clean, quiet campground in the woods

This campground has some of the cleanest and best maintained facilities that I have encountered. There were several trails that we went hiking on in the area and lots of places to go mountain biking nearby. Check-in time is late in the afternoon though, we couldn't go directly to our site once we arrived.

Great Facilities!

We stayed here on a road trip for a trail race in Brevard in early December. Campground was fairly empty. Site was spacious, with a fire ring and picnic table. Bathroom facilities were great, with free hot showers. Close proximity to Asheville, with its many restaurants and breweries, and very close to the Blue Ridge Parkway as well. We used this as a jumping off point to do some hiking along the blue ridge, with some local beers afterward.

The campground is in the Bent Creek experimental forest, which has some really great trails for mountain biking, hiking, and trail running. We have mountain biked here before and loved it. We didn't check out much of the lake, as it was cold when we were there. Really liked this campground!

Great camping, close to Asheville with awesome mountain biking trails

Lake Powhatan campground is well maintained and peaceful. Bathrooms are clean and there's hot showers. Firewood and ice are available for purchase by the gate. There's a good amount of trails to hike at and the lake is good for fishing. We enjoyed our 2 days camping in here. All the rangers are nice and friendly. We stayed at hard times loop, site 68\.

Amazing campground

Great location, close enough to visit Asheville and hike the best Pisquah trails. The facilities were really nice, the staff friendly, and the camping lots were well kept and very well spaced. The area was open enough to not feel over crowded. Definitely will visit again.

Asheville Mountain Camping

Site 5 in 31 ft long Class C. Level site, plenty of space, good privacy, close to bathrooms (very clean).
Park staff friendly and helpful. Good hiking trails and lake was beautiful. Dogs can’t swim in lake but good access to nice creek.
Didn’t see any bears, but you do need to keep normal precautions with food. We were also asked to bring the dog water bowls in at night.
Can’t wait to go back next year...worth the 10 hour drive.

7-13 July 2019 Visit, Husband, wife, two dogs

Sites are limited and should be reserved ahead of time.

Very clean with great trail access.

A smaller campsite but very well organized and maintained. Small lake on site. Several hiking trails nearby. You can hike a trail into the NC Arboretum. Very near Asheville and Biltmore Estates. Tent sites, RV sites and Glamping sites. Clean bathrooms and properly supervised. A hidden gem minutes from Asheville

Easily accessible campground near Asheville NC

Got there in time to catch a first come first served rv site and glad we did! Nice big site. Helpful staff. Great location. Explored Asheville but would like to check out the area more next time like the trails and such.

Served us well

This campground is perfect if your looking to bike/hike/trail run. There are various trails you can access from the site.  Grounds are well maintained. Sites are small but spaced out. Very quiet. Restrooms were clean and showers were hot.  Close proximity to downtown Asheville if you’re looking for something to do in the evening or if you want a good meal.  I will certainly return to this campground.

Mountain Bike Heaven

Words cannot describe

Nice place to enjoy with family, we had a lot of fun in the lake. In the middle of the trees, as we like and close to the city. Very quiet, nice activities and people are nice!

Fun!

Beautiful area with lots of trees. We were in site 43 ,a little uneven but doable and other sites varied. The staff is very friendly and competent. 

Shady and  lean

We had plenty of room and great separation from fellow campers. No hookups at our site. 

Real Gem

This was my first time at this campground. It’s pretty but our site was not the greatest. I do not recommend site 16 if you know it’s going to rain. It is sloped a little bit and the water just pools under your tent and overruns your campsite. Site 15 and 20 in the Big John loop are really nice. Try to snag these first. Cheers! 

Site selection

I really wanted to love Lake Powhatan, it’s so close to Asheville and I thought it would be my go to place to stay when I wanted to visit friends there but the staff was rude and there were so many loud groups at night. I had a prime site with lots of space between myself and my neighbors and an easy walk to the bathrooms with hot showers. Dogs aren’t allowed in the small lake but there are tons of streams along the trails they are allowed in so that was perfect for my senior dog to cool off. The trails were crowded with people and mountain bikers but conveniently located to the campground. Along the streams there were tons of these tiny blue butterflies and I saw a young bear stroll past my campsite one morning, just magical really. At night people showed up late slamming car doors and partying at several sites, some that I could hear weren’t even on my loop and it was a bit frustrating. I also had a very uncomfortable interaction with one of the men working their (who didn’t make it clear he even worked there) who basically restricted my movement for several minutes and then accused me of trying to steal from the glamping sites because I was driving around checking out where I might stay the next time. I was so uncomfortable I packed up to leave right after and the people at the site next to me said they had issues the previous year with the staff, really unfortunate when you are trying to relax in nature. They and I emailed the campground about the incidents with no response from management, I will not be going back. 

Nice campground, not so nice staff

 Like everyone says , you can’t beat this place for piece and quiet. Very few spots are too close. Bathrooms and showers are clean. Camp spaces are cleaned as soon as the last guess pulls out. There has been a lot of rain this year and beach area needs some clean up and more sand added, but still good enough for us. No ice and firewood being sold because of COVID but , we were prepared for that. Best advice I can give is don’t get hung up on finding spots in certain loops trying to get close to the lake or certain trails , this place is spread out and you’ll have to ride a bike or drive to them anyway. 

Always Great

This is a busy campground. Lots of hikers and Mountain bikers come here. The trails are really fun and there are lots of them. We took a swim in the lake at the beachfront site and had lots of fun. I recommend site 15 on the Big John Loop. We have a 28ft Nucamp Avia and dry camped for two nights. Site is flat and easy to back in to. Dump station was great with potable water separate from the dump area. Took an afternoon trip to Asheville which was only 15 minutes away. All of the roadways are paved so the kids loved to bike and scooter around. Poor cell service so don’t rely on that.

Bathrooms are weak. The map shows it closer to our site but in reality it’s closer to sites 2,3,21.
No Laundry and they reserved full hookup sites to tent campers.

Great Location! 

Camped here for one night. Busy campground but still pretty private. Amenities were a plus if you’re looking to shower. Only bummer was that dogs aren’t allowed to swim in the lake..Not a bad drive from campground to downtown Asheville! 

Awesome location 

I decided to stay at Lake Powhatan for my first solo camping trip and campsite 063 was the perfect location. I was right next to the campsite host and the bathrooms, so I felt safe the whole time. I went during the week, so despite being next to the bathrooms, it was very quiet. The only downside to this site was the picnic table was directly on top of the trees, so my hammock was almost directly on top of the table. But other than that, I have no complaints. 

The bathrooms were very nice. Staff came around and cleaned the bathrooms and showers every morning. And the fact that they were both individual, private rooms were very convenient, as I had my service dog with me, so I was able to bring a towel to put on the ground while I showered and I didn’t have to worry about anyone else in the bathroom trying to pet him. 

All of the staff was super friendly, but it was a minor inconvenience that the campground store was closed due to COVID, so if you needed ice or firewood, you had to drive up to the gas station that was a few miles out. 

I would definitely go back again though! 

First solo trip - perfect spot!

20 minutes from downtown Asheville, we got to enjoy the city a little bit while also camping. 
Campground and staff were great but campsites are extremely close together (we stayed at hard times loop), some of the RV sites at Big John Loop seem to have a bit more privacy, however those are completely paved and not suitable for tents. 
We have Verizon and usually get service everywhere even spotty locations but our phones hardly worked there and definitely no internet. 
We got lucky (due to the cold I think), the site next to us was empty until our last day. 
The showers kinda suck, it’s a few seconds of timed release, if you’re trying to get clean and wash your hair having to keep pushing a button every 30 seconds that the water goes out is pretty annoying, specially when it’s so cold. And the lack of pressure and position of the shower makes you have to almost lean on the wall. 

Pretty and convenient.

Some sites are pretty close together. The sites closer to the lake have more privacy-without direct lake views. Lake is underwhelming-but still nice. Bathroom and showers are cleaned well everyday-and are heated. 
Book ahead-the guy said they'd been completely full since June. 

Very clean bathrooms and showers

Even though it’s only 10 minutes or so away from the edge of Asheville, it has the feel of being much further away - including no Verizon service. 

Several areas were closed due to the time of the year, but still explorable by foot or bike.

Some reviews mentioned the lake being underwhelming. It is small, but looked pretty to me. Also looks like a lot of fishing pressure, so might be a tough bite.

Lots of trails including several that are popular with mountain bikers on the road into camp.

Close to the NC Arboretum, too!

Great spot close to Asheville

Decided to stay at this campground after reading the other reviews and it did not disappoint. We stayed in site 50 in the Lakeside Loop - it had more privacy than a lot of the other sites, and was right next to a trail leading down to the Homestead trail that goes around the lake. The facilities included single person bathrooms and showers and were very clean! We only briefly spoke with the people working the entrance station, but they were friendly and helpful. They do take credit cards for firewood purchases, which was super helpful. 

  

Even though the campground seemed mostly full while we were there, we only ever heard the people at the campsites closest to us, and even then only occasionally. 

  

We used this campground as a base camp for checking out the trails within walking distance of our campsite, as well as few others on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Very close to Asheville if you need to go into town for anything, but felt very secluded and away from the city. We did not have any Verizon cell service while at the campground.

Secluded Campground w/ Lots of Trails!

We picked this campground due to it's close proximity to downtown Asheville since it was at the end of a week long camping trip. It was the perfect location to go to the brewery district for a couple of hours in the evening (10-15 minutes away). That being said, it felt like you were far from an urban city. The "hard times loop" sits on a hill but the sites are well graded and leveled. The only downfall is they are filled with large gravel which can be uncomfortable if you don't have a thick sleeping pad. The spacing between sites and amount of trees/scrubs is perfect. Bathrooms are clean and well maintained. Staff were friendly. Wish we would have had more time to explore the park!

Accessible, clean, great privacy 

Got to camp with the
 bears!  Sites were shades and privacy was nice.
Water electricity
And I'll stay again

Cross country camping

We camped one night and were glad to be close to Asheville where we ate dinner with friends. Hot shower much appreciated the next morning before we left, but a paved path to the bathroom rather than a trail through the woods would have been nice. The campground was navigable the night before even in the pouring rain.

Quick stop-over in the pouring rain

I only stayed a night here but it was just the spot I needed to reorganize my truck and enjoy a wonderful hot shower. 

Also really needed the quick swil in the lake in the evening. 

This site sells ice and firewood usually (they were out of ice when I was there) and also has a number of "glamping" tents available to reserve. 

Perfect Spot for the Summer Solstice!

Lake Powhatan Campground, Asheville, NC 

  

Tucked quietly away only 10 miles southwest of Asheville, Lake Powhatan Campground(within Pisgah National Forest) is a popular but peaceful campground. 

PROS:

•Quiet, peaceful and clean•Beautiful mountain setting

  

•Plenty to do in and around the campground

•Spacious sites and spaced apart

•Trails by the miles

•Modern facilities-Hot Showers• 

  

CONS:

•Trail maps would be useful

•Site 28/29 picnic tables were entirely rotted 

  

Three loops off to the left of the main entry(Big John Loop 1-21; Bent Creek Loop 22-35; Lakeside Loop 36-57)...just past Smokey the Bear...and then a 4th larger loop straight down the hill from the Entrance office and to the right(Hard Times Loop 58-97). Which is where the“luxury cabin tents” are located on a separate loop within. These large cabin tents appear nicely appointed, on an elevated wooden platform with tarred porch. 

  

All four loops have a smattering of all types of sites...some that accommodate trailers, some offer pull-thru drives, some electric and water, some have steps up or down to gravel tent platforms. Something for everybody. 

  

The restroom/shower house in each loop offers four(4) doors on one side. Two(2) outer doors are individual unisex bathrooms and the two(2) inner doors are individual showers. All are spacious, well-maintained and stocked. It was in the low 40’s at night and only the restroom and shower on the left side were heated, the right ones were not. I was advised that this campground and facilities are open year round. We stayed at site 28/29(a shared pull-through). Tents must remain on the gravel pull-through...bent a lot of tent stakes on that one. Water spigots are spaces evenly throughout the loops. 

  

Lake Powhatan itself is a dammed reservoir. A picturesque setting, but more the size of a pond than a lake. There is a nice fishing dock and a separate swimming area. The feeder stream is stocked with rainbow and browns. 

  

Trails abound...for hiking, biking and equestrian. Mountain biking seems all the rage. I was dismayed(as a lifelong cyclist) of the lack of common courtesy trail etiquette...like“on your left” or“passing.” Several bombed by without a word and most are narrow trails. Some education needs to take place. 

  

Speaking of trails, the trailhead maps were not adequately informative and the campground was out of the pocket size. Cell service is pretty nonexistent so you can’t utilize some trail apps unless you preload them...Our campground neighbors got lost mountain biking. Locals know the trails intimately, but visitors do not. One trail leads to the NC Arboretum...a very worthwhile visit!...but is quite lengthy round trip. Tuesday was half off entrance at the arboretum for carloads...quite a deal at$8. Several local Craft breweries and Cider Mills close by...and you couldn’t throw a stone in any direction without hitting a bicycle shop. Shameless plug for the Bold Rock Cider Mill and their food truck...the smokehouse bacon burger and apple-grilled cheese sandwiches were excellent. Asheville has a REI and a Sportsman Warehouse nearby, but my favorite is the Frugal Backpacker(which was sadly closed during this visit).

Wonderful Wilderness Close to Big City

We were only to snag one night here and loved it! We dispersed camp and didn’t use any amenities, but enjoyed out setup, nature and some wildlife! 
Driving through the Blue Ridge Mountains leaves me awe struck :)

Scenic sexiness

Had a great site where everyone was quiet and very friendly.  No power but water was nearby for use.  Hosts very very nice and stopped by to say hello!  Can’t wait to return!


Relaxing weekend

We stayed in this NC state park and could not have liked it more. Great hosts, clean bathhouse. Small lake (ok for kids and dogs) but near Asheville, lots of hiking and backs up to the beautiful NC Arboretum with its miles of trails. Ours was electric only, full hookups nearby. I also liked sites 10, 44, 48. 

Alongside NC Arboretum

Loved this campsite, very clean and well maintained. Large parking/ camp space. Well spaced out and private.

Only complaint, the shower! No water pressure, on timer, and no temperature control (just warm).

Big John loop, loved it 

BEAUTIFUL and Clean campsite. Very convenient stations to dispose of trash, grab fresh clean water, use the restroom, and shower. Perfect distance from other campers; not too close to feel overcrowded, not too far to feel all alone. VERY clean. Friendly, helpful staff. STUNNING place to watch the fall foliage in a national forest. Close to many trails and recreation activities. LOVED it, will be coming back. 
Didn’t see any bears— but you have be VERY careful about disposing your food quickly and properly etc. Still loved it ❤️

Excellent campground

We stayed at site 15 with our Runaway camper and friends that were in a tent. Plenty of room at the campsite and the facilities were nice as well. Close to town and local breweries which was a plus 😉

Perfect early fall camping! 

PROS 

Discounted camp fee with senior pass 

Reserved 169 days prior to arriving 

Friendly and helpful gate attendant 

Nearly 100% shade at each site 

Excellent dark sky viewing 

Private sites with large space along with vegetation between sites 

Very quiet 

Asphalt parking pad surrounded with bean size gravel 

Concrete picnic table 

Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

2 hook lantern pole 

Electric at water connection for heated water hose connection 

Recycle bins in campground loop 

Trash dumpsters immediately out of campground loop 

Firewood for sale but gate attendant told us to buy at Ingles (grocery store) where it is $3 bundle cheaper and we did! 

Next to North Carolina Arboretum 

Close to Asheville Outlet Mall and Camping World 

  

CONS 

3 bear sitings a day prior to our arrival in campground, according to gate attendant 

No overnight gate closure even tho RULES proved at check-in stated gates closed at 10pm, but no open hours in RULES

 Lakeview site 38 not level 

Up hill sewer connection at Lakeview site 38 

Fire ring not cleared of ash upon our arrival 

Non-moveable concrete picnic table and beyond camper awning 

2 toilets and 2 showers for entire Lakeview Loop (21 campsites). There were lines! 

Low hanging tree branches over roadways and roadside tree branches over roadways so it was a maneuvering obstacle challenge to not scrape camper roof and sides Campground roads narrow with tight curves along with roadway asphalt dropped off to steep shoulders; could be challenging to novice rig drivers (as we witnessed that more than once) 

Two-and- a-half-mile drive on a twisty hilly road through residential neighborhood to get to the campground 

No WiFi 

1 bar Verizon

Shade,  Shade and more Shade!

We saw bears and reported them so they could try to scare them off with air horns. The showers had little pressure and terrible nozzles so the water pretty much just dropped down the side. Sites were nice and there was a swimming area.

Large Campground

Loved the lush forest surroundings! Campsites are well shaded and have good privacy. Lots of trails for hiking and mountain biking (most are marked on the trail map but there’s also many unmarked trails if you want to be adventurous). Can take the trails to the NC Arboretum which is nearby if you wish.  

Only negative was the bathrooms- were decently clean but sinks only have cold water and showers only have one temperature setting (warm) on a timer. Also can’t adjust shower head and it faces down very close to the wall. Didn’t affect our overall experience too much as everything else here made our stay well worth it! 

Gorgeous camping in mountains 

Stayed in the dry camping Hard Times Loop. Busy due to its close proximity to Asheville, but nice spacing between sites that felt private. Enjoyed the closeness to the Biltmore Estate, Blue Ridge Parkway, NC Aboretum, and all Asheville has to offer. 

Nice Campground 

Very nice camp sites and the staff was helpful and friendly. We stayed in the hard times loop and did notice a water pressure issue with one of the showers as others mentioned, but the other shower was fine and both had nice hot water. We were able to access multiple mountain biking and hiking trails directly from the campsite which was the goal of our trip.

Great for biking/hiking 

Our first time to Lake Powhatan and won’t be our last. We stayed in the lakeside loop and it was extremely clean and quiet despite many of the sites booked for the weekend. Bathroom was clean and easily accessible. Would definitely recommend to others! 

Fantastic campground

We spent a great weekend at Lake Powhatan.  I was a little nervous after reading reviews that said that the staff &amp; hosts could be aggressive.  We had no trouble there.  Everyone we encountered was very friendly and helpful.   I saw a host drive by in a golf cart once, but we were basically left to our own devices.   I did not see anyone who could have been the older male mentioned in the older reviews across a few different websites, so the former problematic hosts may have moved on. 

We stayed on the Hard Times loop at 90 and 91.  We scoped out both spots when we got there and decided 91 would be our base camp and 90 would be used for extra parking.  91 was on the outer loop and had some woods behind it for the kids to play.  There was also more room to spread out.  There was enough level space for a 6 person tent, 4 person tent, and large shelter (over the rather large concrete picnic table).   There were also a few trees within the spot, that made rain-prep tarping easier.  The space was fairly sunny when the weather cleared up so we kept the tarp up for some shade Saturday afternoon.  (Trees didn't have leaves yet, not sure if it would be shadier later in the Spring/Summer). 

90 had steps leading up to the spot which were cool, but could be problematic for someone with mobility issues or young children.  The useable space was a bit smaller, too.  It was also closer to neighbors on the other side of the interior loop.  Bathrooms were close to both, but closer to 90.  Could be considered too close for some, perfect for others.  If we had only booked 90 it would have been lovely, but 91 was the better spot.   

The bathrooms were some of the cleanest we've seen.  My husband, who normally does not comment on that sort of thing, pointed it out more than once.  When we got there they were spotless, but took a little beating with the rainy weather. They were cleaned Saturday morning and someone was in there cleaning up again after the rain stopped.

Dumpsters were within walking distance, which was nice to be able to walk it down instead of putting it in your car for the night.  There was also aluminum recycling.  

The lake was close enough for my 7 &amp; 8 year olds to bike.   And there were so many trails to chose from.  

A friend stayed at the glamping sites and thought they were fantastic.  And happened to be very close to our spot. 

There was a water spigot on the road in front of site 90 which made filling up our water cooler so easy. 

A few things that didn't bother us too much but others might want to know:

There is no camp store for extra supplies, but they do sell ice and plenty of firewood at the gate.  

There are only two bathroom stalls per bathhouse.  There were a couple of times when both would be in use, but I never had to wait long and there was never a line. 

We had very little cell service (Verizon).  We could sporadically send texts, but not get on the internet.

Great little campground

My adventure was quiet and full of stars at night. I liked the clean restroom and bike friendly space

Perfect Esct

We had a lot of fun at our glamping campsite. The gorgeous tent was on a platform and included a large bed and decorated interior. The site had a campfire ring and was close to the bathroom. The platform had some chairs and the campfire wood was there for us. 

I did have a bear encounter on my way to the bathroom during the night, but we both just backed away slowly. This was actually the experience that made me pro-camper with a bathroom lol.

The camp host arrived shortly after we did to check in on us and to give us the lay of the land. He fortunately also came around the next morning when our car battery was dead and gave us a jump.

The best thing about Lake Powhatan is the the nice hike around the lake and the fun little lake beach. It’s the perfect size for kids. Plenty of people also seem to enjoy the biking, but it’s a bit uphill for me and there can be a fair amount of cars.

Lake Powhatan is a great little getaway!



Photos of Lake Powhatan — National Forests In North Carolina

Real photos from real campers