Best Equestrian Camping near Bakersville, NC

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Bakersville, NC

127 Reviews of 16 Bakersville Campgrounds

• 

  Kirsten J.

  Legend

  Aug. 5, 2018

  Julian Price Park Campground — Blue Ridge Parkway

  Wooded, shady campground near a lake!

  Julian Price Park is a beautiful campground just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. We enjoy this campground on the weekends throughout the fall and spring as it is less occupied. Reservations can be made on-line or walk up to the small building in the front of the loop. The campsites are separated into several loops. One loop is closer to the lake, the other loop has more availability and quite a range of campsites.

  Bathrooms are available here (upgrades coming soon!) as well as drinking water.

• T

  Tony E.

  Guide

  Aug. 9, 2019

  South Mountains State Park Family Campground

  Nice but crowded

  There are multiple campgrounds here. I stayed in the drive up campground for people without horses. There is also equestrian camping and campsites one can hike to. My experience was the campsites were a little close to each other and, since it's a small loop, they fill up fast. I prefer more space and privacy when camping. My tent pad was a little uneven as well. There is a lot of good hiking in the park and horse back riding for those with horses. I'd like to try the back country camping at some point.

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  Jackie S.

  Traveler

  Aug. 30, 2024

  Equestrian Campground — South Mountains State Park

  Beautiful

  I took my horses and grandson to camp in the equestrian campsite. The bathrooms are very clean with AC. There a beautiful creek you can ride your horses in or just play if you want.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  Aug. 9, 2019

  Julian Price Park Campground — Blue Ridge Parkway

  Older Campground with Great Location

  Julian Price Campground is part of the Julian Price Memorial Park, which is along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the northern part of North Carolina. I have heard about this park for many years, so I wanted to finally camp there. It is an older park, and it shows. We stayed at site A4, and I chose this site for a few reasons. It was close to the lake, but unfortunately, we couldn’t see the lake from the site. Many of the sites in the A loop are reservable, and they have been reserved for several weeks(maybe months) in advance. They are the best sites as far as seeing the lake and sometimes because they are larger. The worst part I discovered about sites in the A loop is that you can hear traffic from the Blue Ridge Parkway all day long except for two to three hours in the middle of the night(about 1:30 to 4:30). On average, you can count on about twenty-five vehicles every five minutes(I know because I counted). It doesn’t help that the parkway is under construction and the road is gravel, which makes the sounds of vehicles even louder. The restrooms in A loop are old and need updating. There are no showers in A loop. The only showers are between B and D loops, which are on the other side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. On the positive side, the showers in a new bath house, and they are private shower/restroom units. We rode through all of the loops to see what the other sites were like, and some of the sites are seldom used if the picnic tables and surrounding vegetation is any indication. Some of the picnic tables are covered in moss. Those were mostly in the sites that were small or sloped. For that reason, it is a good idea to look at the photos on the website for each site before reserving. Many of the sites are walk-in sites and you can set up before the 3:00 time for reservable sites. As far as activities, there is no swimming, but fishing is allowed. There is also a boat ramp, and you can rent canoes, kayaks, and SUPs. The lake is hatchery supported, and I did witness someone catching a fish as we walked along the lake trail. While we were in this area, we saw several small deer, including one that came through our campsite. Our campsite was spacious, and it had a concrete picnic table, a fire ring, a lantern pole, and a tent pad. The tent pad needed some maintenance since the dirt had washed onto it and made it slightly sloped. Not until later did I discover that there was a tall dead tree next to our tent. Only the top part was dead, but it could be a potential danger. The site next to ours was sectioned off because of a dead tree. If you are staying in A loop, I give it two stars, especially since the sites and bath house need maintenance, and because of the road noise. If you are staying in B or D loop, I would give it three or four stars. The sites in E loop are mainly for RVs and have less shade. One section in the A loop also is an open field and has limited shade. Overall, it’s not a bad choice for a campground, but it needs updating. What it has going for it is location. It is along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Cone Memorial Park is down the road, which is a great destination in itself. There are lots of hiking trails and the beauty of the mountains is spectacular.

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• 

  Susan E.

  Guide

  Jul. 16, 2020

  Bristol-Kingsport KOA

  What luck!

  I’d never used a KOA before but was tremendously impressed with the serene beauty of this place situated well away from traffic in a bucolic setting. Mindful of my budget I learned to ask for a tent site with no electricity, no water, just toilets and showers. The young man who helped me observed I was alone and put me in a small cabin for no additional charge. Just outside the cabin was a bonfire of old wood from construction debris. I was super stoked to get this deal. I spent lots of time stoking that fire and sitting outdoors watching the evening arrive. If you’re anywhere near the area do stop in and enjoy a quiet and lovely night. You can even pet the horses nearby.

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• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  Apr. 1, 2021

  Harmon Den Horse Campground

  Remote Campground for Horseback Riders

  One of my best friends invited me to go camping with him here, although I knew it was a horse camp and we didn’t have horses. There are lots of trails for horses, and there are places to tie up the horses. Knowing it was a horse camp, I expected there to be horse manure, but manure was everywhere—even on the tent pads. Other than that, which as I said I expected, it was a good place to camp. The sites are spacious and fairly private with woods between each site. You have to reserve in advance to get a code to get through the gate, so you don’t have curiosity seekers coming in. There was supposed to be access to water, but the only pump in the campground was not working. Fortunately, I brought water with me. There was a pit toilet, but when I first went to it, it smelled terrible and was in need of a big time cleaning. The next morning, when I went, it had been“cleaned”(if you want to call it that). My buddy and I decided to go to Max Patch, a mountain bald, a few miles up the road. Max Patch is a beautiful grassy bald with 360° views, and the Appalachian Trail runs across it. Unfortunately, it is popular. By that I mean TOO POPULAR. When we made it there, the parking lot was full, and there were cars lined up for about a half mile down the road. Having been on Max Patch before, I knew it was not going to be a pleasant experience. Overall, the campground is probably okay for horse campers except that there was no water. The pit toilet needed more attention than it was given, but it was a toilet. There’s a good chance I will not go back to this campground. It’s not that I do not recommend it in general. I just don’t recommend it if you are just camping in a tent without horses. However, I do recommend one of the dispersed camping areas not too far down the road, especially if you want to be close to Max Patch. Just don’t go in the more popular seasons.

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  Taylor

  Guide

  Nov. 10, 2022

  Paradise Ridge Permaculture

  Small, quaint permaculture farm in the mountains

  Had a nice experience here. Amber, the host, was very kind and accommodating. She showed us around the grounds which has horses, pigs, chickens, a natural spring, and fruits/vegetables/mushrooms growing around the property. The grounds are conveniently located near the city of Asheville and hiking trails. There was a shared gazebo, cozy fire pit, and cold showers. The only downside was that there wasn’t a secluded spot available for car camping, even though Amber did figure something out for us to be able to stay. Would recommend to get away from your typical campground.

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  Dave V.

  Legend

  Jul. 1, 2021

  South Mountains State Park Family Campground

  A Sleeper worth Staying At

  South Mountain State Park, NC From I-40 Exit 104, you twist and turn, up and down but keep a sharp eye for the small, brown State Park signs or you’ll pass your right hand turns. 

  The South Mountain Visitors Center is very spacious and attractive but doesn’t offer a great deal. There is a cool 3D topo map display of the state park. At present, this is a 23,000 acre State Park...and ever acquiring more land. 

  The family campground is a short distance further inside the park on the left side(approx 2 miles) marked by a small brown sign...and is situated at 1400 ft elevation. 

  The campground is tiny and narrow, running between a creek and the state park roadway. The sounds of the creek melodious, the road traffic noise-not so much. I would definitely advise selecting the creek side campsites as they lay deeper in the wood line out of sight of the roadway and have the creek noise to cover roadway noise.(note: the roadway dead ends at the trailhead/picnic area, so the only traffic are day visitors and park staff) Be forewarned, Cell service is nonexistent. Your site will have a WiFi password for internet at the Visitors Center, but you need to be at or in the building for it to work. 

  PROS:

  •Small campground with few amenities

  •Mountain/creek location

  •Nice modern facilities

  •Water

  •Adjoining trail network

  •No cell service

  •80’ Waterfall•Interpretive Hemlock Nature Trail

  •Beautiful Day Use picnic area 

  CONS:

  •Road noise for sites 10-14, during working hours and day use hours.

  •No cell service 

  Site 13 backs up toward the roadway, and without much understory, passing traffic is very visible and noisy(the high shoals falls and trail network are popular day use attractions). On the sites between the campground roadway and the State Park roadway, you are much closer than the website maps post, and without understory vegetation, you have direct visibility of several neighbors and normal conversations can be heard. Night noise restrictions, on our visit, were observed so it wasn’t an issue. My visit was Wed, Thurs. midweek Oct 7-8. 

  Our site was an“leveling,” octagonal, elevated, crushed gravel pad, surrounded by landscape timbers...an elevated fire ring with a swing-over, non-adjustable grate, a picnic table and metal lantern pole. It worked fine but I used a small two-man tent. Depending on wind direction, fire ring embers would present a problem for a larger tent. Our site parking area was 45’ from the raised timber to campground roadway. 

  The restroom/shower house is a monstrous, mountain lodge style modern facility...very clean, spacious and well-stocked. 

  Walking the Family Camground my future site picks would be 5 or 7. Site 5 is a park and carry but it did not appear to be more than 50’ and it sat on the creek. Site 7 is on that same small loop but had a larger rectangular raised pad, for keeping tents distanced from fire pits. 

  Some sites have a deep enough gravel drive for a small camper or popup. And a few have electric. 

  Several trails lead from the NW end of the family campground parking lot and vary in length and difficulty. Most notable is the Raven Rock Trail to the High Shoals Falls Trail, which, depending on your level of fitness could be deemed a moderate to strenuous 2.35 mile climb and descent to the upper falls and then wooden boardwalk and steep steps down to the gorgeous 80 ft High Shoals waterfall. Smaller falls and cascades continue on the descent. Our total loop mileage was 5.5 with nearly a thousand foot of elevation gain. 

  Park employees both at the Visitor’s Center desk and in the field were very friendly and pleasant. The NC State Park Ranger was very informative and helpful, as well as giving much appreciated suggestions for great and often lesser traveled hiking trails. 

  Roughly 16.5 miles of mountain bike trails intermix with hiking and equestrian trails. There is a separate equestrian campground between the Visitors Center and the Family Campground. Note: there are several backcountry backpack-in campsite areas(Upper Falls Campsites offer picnic tables, fire ring and a couple pit latrines).

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• 

  Rachael H.

  Ranger

  Jun. 21, 2020

  South Mountains State Park Family Campground

  Nice

  Quiet, small, shady spots. Level tent pads. Obligatory fire ring and table. Small clean facilities. Hot showers. Beautiful but crowded trails. There are equestrian trails and camping facilities. Dogs welcome. Ice cold creeps and lovely waterfalls.