Camping near Barnardsville, North Carolina provides access to Blue Ridge Mountain terrain with elevations ranging from 2,000 to 6,000 feet. RV sites near Barnardsville, North Carolina experience temperature variations of 20-30 degrees between valley and mountain locations, affecting camping comfort throughout the seasons. Cell service can be unreliable in deep valleys, with strongest signals found at higher elevation campgrounds.
What to do
Creek activities: Buck Creek provides multiple swimming holes with clear water for cooling off during summer months. One camper noted, "There were two swimming holes along the creek, which were a ton of fun. I swam in both. The water is very clear and refreshing."
RC airplane flying: At Buck Creek, the central field serves as a designated RC flying area where campers can participate or watch. "The central field area is mowed and set up as an RC flying field. A few campers flew their model airplanes. It was fun to watch. I even jumped into the RC hobby, buying a trainer plane at a local Hobby Shop, and began flying."
Tubing rentals: Stay at Wilson's Riverfront RV Park for discounted tubing opportunities. "Camp right next to French Broad River (and you can rent tubes for a discount from SkyTubing b/c you stay at Wilson RV)."
Mountain biking access: Rutledge Lake RV Resort puts you near popular trail systems. A camper mentioned, "Great place to stay if you like mountain biking with DuPont and Pisgah national forest being close by."
Gem mining excursions: Unique to this region, some campgrounds offer access to gem mining opportunities. A visitor at Three Peaks RV Resort shared: "On any given day, you could take a mountain hike, go mining for your own gems (real gems!), drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, go tubing in the nearby Toe River, and all manner of other adventures."
What campers like
River sounds for sleeping: Mountain Stream RV Park offers sites with wooden decks overlooking the water. A camper described, "The rushing stream was the perfect white noise for a restful night. The deck over the rushing stream was a perfect place to sip coffee in the mornings and whiskey in the evenings."
Dog amenities: Multiple parks feature dedicated pet areas. At Red Gates RV Park, guests appreciate "an off lead dog area with water available and poop bags." Mountain Stream RV Park provides similar conveniences: "The dog park gave our pup the chance to run free."
Saturday community events: Some parks organize weekly social gatherings to build camping community. A guest at Mountain Stream RV Park shared, "Each Saturday evening, Kevin serves up his special home cooked bar-b-que under the shelter at no additional cost, and many campers bring sides to share. It's like having a back yard picnic with friends and family!"
Well-maintained bathrooms: Parks in this region often receive high marks for cleanliness. A camper at Red Gates noted, "Pristine bath house! Pristine campground!" Another visitor to Mountain Stream mentioned, "The clean bathhouses gave us a place to freshen up."
Convenient shopping access: Several campgrounds provide easy access to grocery shopping without long drives. At Three Peaks RV Resort, a camper appreciated that "Ingles grocery store, which has tons of local organic offerings, is only 3 miles away in the town of Spruce Pine."
What you should know
Entrance challenges: Several parks have difficult access roads that require careful navigation. At Wilson's Riverfront RV Park, a camper warned: "When you come off the interstate you have to make a extremely hard right to get into park, not possible with a big rig...had to go up to the office/shop and turn around."
Winter water restrictions: Below-freezing temperatures affect water access at some parks. One camper at Rutledge Lake RV Resort noted: "We found out after we arrived that due to the temps we were not supposed to use the water connections."
Airport noise: Certain campgrounds experience overhead flight patterns. A visitor to Rutledge Lake RV Resort mentioned: "There is a lot of airplane noise as it is close to airport."
Variable site sizes: Many parks have significant differences between sites. At Mountain Stream RV Park, a camper explained: "The only reason I did not give this a Five Star Rating was that the site we stayed at was a little small#7. Even with a 25-foot camper, I could not let me awning out fully and we felt almost on top of camper when we sat outside near the fire pit."
Limited office hours: Some parks restrict amenity access based on office hours. At Rutledge Lake RV Resort, a camper advised: "The only thing I would recommend is keeping office open later then 5. When office closes you can not take boats, or kayaks out. So when you spend day out site seeing and return office is closed."
Tips for camping with families
Child-friendly creek play: Buck Creek offers safe water access for kids. "The campsites are a bit close to each other, but they are well maintained. There is only one bathhouse so if you are not close to it you will walk further to get to it, but it is clean and well maintained as well."
Playground options: Three Peaks RV Resort provides dedicated play areas. A visitor shared: "Other things I love are the huge, private shower rooms (so clean!), the kids' playground, the fenced-in dog park, the game room and laundry, and the incredible number of things to do locally."
Field space for games: Several parks offer open areas for active play. Granny's Place RV Resort features "a big open grassy area" that provides room for family activities.
Swimming locations: Find designated swimming areas at several parks. A Buck Creek visitor shared: "Swimming, tubing, fishing available. Shaded and perfect for our pop up, but lots of larger rigs there as well."
Age-appropriate hiking: Nearby trails offer varying difficulty levels. A Three Peaks camper noted: "On any given day, you could take a mountain hike, go mining for your own gems (real gems!), drive the Blue Ridge Parkway, go tubing in the nearby Toe River, and all manner of other adventures depending what you're into."
Tips from RVers
Satellite reception issues: Granny's Place RV Resort has tree coverage that affects service. "We were not able to get DISH coverage on any of the western satellites at our site, as tree coverage was too heavy to the SW. We were able to get 17 OTA channels here with our omni antenna."
Internet connectivity: Signal strength varies significantly between sites. At Granny's Place, a camper found "AT&T coverage was decent, ranging from 1-3 bars that vacillated between LTE& 5G with speeds varying from 1.3 to 6.2 MB/s."
Concrete pads: For leveling ease, Rutledge Lake RV Resort offers solid foundations. "We had a great stay! We had spot #10 water front. It had plenty of space for the 5 of us and 2 dogs. Nice gravel level sites."
Rig size limitations: Some parks have tight turns challenging for larger vehicles. At Wilson's Riverfront, a visitor noted: "Great park. Right on the French Broad River. Little tight to get in and out but it's the mountains so everything is tight."
Hookup quality: Water pressure varies significantly between parks. A camper at Bear Creek RV Park experienced "Good: close to attractions, along the French Broad River, greenway runs through campground, nice city park down road, concrete pads, decent size sites. Bad: hard to get in and out of with large camper, poor water pressure, small dated bathhouse."
