C
Cindy S.
Scout
ScoutFancy Gap Cabins and Campground
We were traveling through for an overnight stay, view was excellent and staff was very friendly.
Tent Camping near Crumpler, NC
5 campgrounds with availability this weekend
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Tent campers exploring the Crumpler area of North Carolina's Blue Ridge Mountains can choose from several established and dispersed camping options. Dusty Trails Outfitters offers spacious tent sites along the New River with individual port-a-potties and hand washing stations at each site. Washington & Jefferson National Forest provides dispersed tent camping opportunities along Bear Creek, while Mountaineer Campground offers primitive tent sites approximately one mile north of Lansing.
Most tent sites in the Crumpler region feature basic amenities like fire rings and picnic tables, though facilities vary significantly between established and dispersed camping areas. Dusty Trails provides trash cans and clean portable toilets at each site, while dispersed camping in Washington & Jefferson National Forest requires campers to bring all supplies and pack out waste. Surface conditions range from level, grassy areas at established campgrounds to uneven terrain near riverbanks. A camper noted that at Mountaineer Campground, "the area is level and maybe good for a longer return trip," though they cautioned about traffic noise from nearby Highway 1353 continuing until about 11:00 PM.
The tent camping experience near Crumpler offers excellent access to outdoor recreation, particularly along the New River. Sites at Dusty Trails Outfitters provide direct river access for fishing and paddling, with one reviewer describing it as "both shaded and sunny—so if you were wet from river play, you could warm up and dry easily." Backcountry tent camping in Washington & Jefferson National Forest provides more seclusion, with sites positioned along creeks that offer natural white noise. A camper who stayed at these dispersed sites for three weeks described them as "large, very shaded, along a beautiful treelined road, and surrounded by mountains," though they noted that "folks tend to leave a ton of trash around" and recommended that visitors practice Leave No Trace principles.
Best Tent Campgrounds near Crumpler (53)
1. Blue Bear Mountain Camp
"It offers RV, drive in and hike in tent sites and also teepee camping."
"We had a neighbor nice enough to give us his site because he was leaving early and I would have stayed another night there. It was C3 backed into the woods on level ground. It made for a cozy morning."
Check Availabilityfrom $25 - $136 / night
2. New River Alleghany Access Primitive Paddle-in — New River State Park
"My family went to tent camp and enjoyed our stay. We discovered others with campers that had wonderful campsites. The bathroom facilities are new and very clean. We enjoyed hiking."
"Sites with full hookups: 3, 7, [8, 12, 13, 14, 15 near bath house] 18, 19, 20 Bath house was nice and clean. Canoe up camp sites right along the River."
Check Availabilityfrom $17 / night
3. Dusty Trails Outfitters
"We stayed at Dusty Trails Outfitters (in Crumpler NC) last week and it was fantastic! He was recommended to us by a nearby campground and we were thrilled with our new riverfront go-to! "
"Gorgeous location along the river."
Check Availabilityfrom $20 / night
4. Royal Oak Campground — Hungry Mother State Park
"Most cabins also have covered porches, exterior picnic tables, and exterior fire rings. The Creekside Campground loop has water and electric hookups, picnic tables, and fire rings."
"It has 11 car camping platforms for tent only camping . There is no electric or water at each site. There is a bath house for the 11 sites."
Check AvailabilityCampground full this weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $27 / night
5. Riverside Canoe and Campground
"We stayed in the camping cabins located on the hill behind the store. It was so quiet & offered a beautiful view of the river from the picnic table."
Check Availabilityfrom $25 - $55 / night
6. New River Redemption
"Close to town yet quiet. This is my favorite"
from $35 / night
7. Scales Trailhead Basecamp
"Once reaching the off road trail my partner got nervous, feeling as if our Forrester wouldn’t make it up. My advice… come prepared. I got. Flat on the way up and was able to make it to my campsite."
8. Mountaineer Campground
"Lansing, NC is located in Ashe County and has some very good fly fishing nearby. The campground is run by the city of Lansing and is located 1 mile north of Lansing, just off highway 1353."
Check Availabilityfrom $20 - $25 / night
9. Washington & Jefferson National Forest Dispersed Sites
"The Appalachian Trail and Virginia Creeper Trail are just minutes away, as well as some easy whitewater paddling fun on the White Top Laurel Creek."
"Only downside was the spot I set up camp was very close to the road and headlights from passing cars would light up the spot. However the road was quiet most of the night."
10. Basin Cove — Blue Ridge Parkway
"You have to make a reservation with the park office for your site and drop by the ranger station to pick up your permit."
"Easy hike in, but far enough that you won’t find High-maintenance campers or crowds. Maybe some horseback people. Campground has tent pads, picnic tables, fire pits, pit toilets, water pump."
Drive Time
- 1 hr 34 min from Winston-Salem, NC
- 1 hr 41 min from Kingsport, TN
- 1 hr 46 min from Johnson City, TN
- 1 hr 50 min from Blacksburg, VA
Recent Tent Camping Photos near Crumpler, NC
102 Photos of 53 Crumpler Campgrounds • uploaded by The Dyrt campers
Dusty Trails Outfitters
New River Alleghany Access Primitive Paddle-in — New River State ParkJ
New River Redemption
Scales Trailhead Basecamp
Washington & Jefferson National Forest Dispersed Sites
Blue Bear Mountain Camp
Glalmping Unpluggedb
CreekFall BaseCampb
Royal Oak Campground — Hungry Mother State Park
Wildwood Heart FarmC
Corner CoveI
Growing Faith Farms & Retreat
Tent Camping Reviews near Crumpler, NC
1067 Reviews of 53 Crumpler Campgrounds
- MMichelle A.
GuideFort Chiswell RV Park
Overnight Stay
Need an overnight stay on 81/77 this is the place. Booked is call them complete the reservation via Campspot app which they use so I had to download it. Place had plenty of sites pull through which I didnt need but they were so accommodating. I had a perfect view of mountains and cow pasture Relaxation and sleep close to bathhouse and office. They also have propane fill for your camper
Windy W.ScoutDoe River Landing
Beautiful Place, Ugly host, Oct 2026
Let me first start by saying that this campground is absolutely beautiful. I have lived in this area my entire life and the Doe is one of my favorites. I am a avid camper and have camped all over this area. I decided to give this place a try, I own a small pop-up camper and knew it was going to get cold 10/20/2026-10/22/2026, so me and my sister rented the RV at Doe River. #1 check in is not until 3pm, I always order a load of wood from a local guy who delivers to camp sites, I do all my cooking in a Dutch oven over the fire or burgers and dogs in the fire, what is a camping trip without a nice warm fire. The owner came over to my campsite and asked if I had ordered this wood and I replied yes, she then asked what I was going to do with it all, I replied I am going to burn it. So, I told Carl (the wood guy) where to stack it, the owner then said that I need to leave it in my truck bc if I didn't use it all I would have to put it back on my truck and take it home with me, I said really? It's just a unspoken rule that if you don't use all your wood that you pay it forward and leave it for the next camper?? She said absolutely not, So we moved the wood from his truck and into mine. She then asked again why I needed so much wood and that most ppl just buy small bundles from her. And just like that I understood! Carl the wood man and his wife also made a comment about how rude she was about the wood. It does not end there, Not only does she have camaras on some of the out blds which I get, but I don't get why they are pointing directly at camp sites, We felt like we were in a fish bowl the entire time. Every single time we went to the bathroom she showed up abt 5 mins later, There is a camara right above the bathroom door, One on the pavilion, and one on each side of the bathhouse, at the entrances and who know where else. So much for privacy in the great outdoors. I didn't even feel comfortable hiking, we felt like we were being watched constantly. She was constantly there, walking her dog which was not friendly and so big she could hardly control him on the leash which was really scary, she also was driving through several times throughout the day. Then came the kicker, about 1 o'clock in the morning we were freezing, I had turned the heat on in the camper before going to bed and heard it come on, Well the propane ran out between 11pm and 1am, I called her at least 10 times we had every blanket and was still freezing, We decided we would go to the bath house bc it had a mini split hanging on the wall, Out of luck there, it was set on air conditioning with no way to change it, so we found a blow dryer trying to get warm, still the entire time trying to call the owners, We finally ended up in our car until the husband arrived. He acted so annoyed at us and said all u have to do is fip the switch on the propane tanks outside! We had never stayed in a travel trailer before and according to them all we had to do was show up and start glamping!! So, I was supposed to know to go outside at 1 am and switch over propane tanks?? No, It should have been FULL when I got there!!! With attitude he said,"Its Basic Camping" No sir it's not, what I do is basic camping, I was told on the phone that I was glamping, She, the owner also said we should have called 911 when we could not get hold of them so that Carter County police officers could come and wake them up!!! Not sure if that is putting our tax dollars to good use?? Like I said it is truly a beautiful place and has great potential, we left that second night at 11pm because again the heat was not working, we have not asked for any refund we just took the loss. it would be to much of a hassle. We just know better next time. With owners like that they can keep it. Windy Wells/Debra Price
Bonnie H.ScoutDoe River Landing
Kylie T & Andrew W. Review not accurate
My husband and I arrived at Doe River Landing for 3 nights and enjoyed everything the resort offered. While there we read the 2 reviews posted by Kylie T, and by Andrew W, who gave the resort a 1 star rating. Not knowing the facts that caused the rating by them, and occurred prior to us, we approach the owner and asked.
The owner showed us videos from their security cameras. These adults has stated in Kylie T review and confirm by Andrew W review that they were a group of 20 adults and "every single one of us is over 21 and family". So why are these adults playing "hide and seek" under the pavilion as they stated? Andrew W stated, "It was not blocked off", yet they had to crawl on the ground and around bushes to get under the pavilion. When the owner yelled at them approximately 10 adults that were under the pavilion crawled out which was captured on the security cameras. Andrew W stated in his review the owner called them hooligans, which is rowdy, destructive persons and from the security cameras, that description is correct. There was no mention of damages in their reviews such as the Adirondack chair they broke or possible damage to the water pipes and electric wires under the pavilion, which the owner was currently checking.
Once we read these two reviews by Kylie T and Andrew W and saw the owners security videos, we felt future customers deserved to know another opinion based on our findings.
These entitled adults justified their review of a 1 star by stating they paid money to use the campground.
I would ask these adults "why do you think it is OK to treat someone else's property in this destructive way?"
Kyle T.ScoutDoe River Landing
Unprofessional hosts that ruins a place with good potential
We brought our whole family out and rented almost every cabin on the property, plus the event center, for the weekend— we gave this place a lot of business. And honestly, the stay itself was great— nice place, no complaints about the cabins. The owner is the problem. He came flying in in his blue F-150 doing 20–30 mph where the posted speed limit is 5, and started screaming at us over something that could've been handled with a simple conversation. His exact words:"Where are your parents? This is a family establishment. I will not have hooligans running around here." Every single one of us is over 21 and family. All we were doing was playing hide and seek— which isn't against any of the property's rules— and there were no other guests to disturb, since we had the entire area rented. He still threatened to call the police, even though it wasn't even quiet hours. Before anyone could get a word in, he peeled out so fast the gravel sprayed up at us and our cars. Then on his way out he drove the wrong way down the property's one-way road, so apparently the rules only apply to guests. It's sad, because the property itself is great, and we were never anything but nice to the owners the whole weekend. To be treated in such an unprofessional manner— screamed at, threatened, and never given so much as an apology afterward— put a real dent in the weekend. We won't be back
- AAndrew W.Scout
Doe River Landing
Beautiful place ruined by unprofessional ownership
Our group of about 20 rented nearly every cabin at Doe River Landing for my friend's wedding weekend, with the reception held on site. The cabins were nice and well-equipped, and the only other guests were in a cabin half a mile away through the woods. Unfortunately, the hosts ruined the stay. One night, some of us were playing hide and seek in an area that wasn't blocked off or against any rule. The host's husband came speeding in at roughly 30 mph(the posted limit is 5), jumped out of his truck screaming that he"will not have child hooligans running around the campground," told us to"go back to the motel we crawled out of," and demanded to see our parents— despite all of us being adults in our twenties. He then peeled out so aggressively he sprayed gravel at us and our cars. It wasn't even quiet hours, and we weren't disturbing anyone. Afterward, the host called us again, passive-aggressive, and questioned our ages— even though you have to be 21 just to rent a cabin there. The property is lovely, but the hosts' behavior put a real damper on what should have been a joyful wedding celebration. It's a shame they treat people paying good money this way. We won't be back.
- SSheila B.Scout
Wytheville KOA
From check in to our stay, large big rig drive through lot. Quiet and clean park. Even had pizza and delicious wings delivered right to our coach. Next time through we hope to stay again.
Juliana J.
RangerWashington & Jefferson National Forest Dispersed Sites
Epic Spot Near Iron Mountain and Rush Trails
I wandered a bit and took a left up a gravel road near where the sites indicated were located and just drove for a few miles. Found an awesome spot with a fire pit and lush surroundings. The road was unpaved (but as are all to the best spots) and there were definitely some large rocks and potholes to navigate. Would suggest higher raised vehicle. Saw nobody else and felt like I had my own slice of paradise.
- April V.Guide
Lakeview RV Resort
Nice little campground
Clean nice little campground for the weekend.
Guide to Crumpler
Tent camping near Crumpler, North Carolina offers diverse options within the Blue Ridge Mountains region at elevations ranging from 2,500 to 3,500 feet. Summer temperatures typically range from 55-80°F, with cooler nighttime temperatures even in July and August. The area sits at the junction of Washington & Jefferson National Forest and private campgrounds along the New River, providing both established and primitive sites with varying degrees of accessibility.
What to do
Hike to mountaintop views: At Blue Bear Mountain Camp, trails lead to scenic overlooks with panoramic mountain vistas. "The elevation is high so weather is nice for those trying to escape the summer heat. The hike to the pond was a little more strenuous than we anticipated but once you get there, there is a nice creek and we caught a trout in the pond right away," notes camper Kristen J.
Paddle the New River: Access points near Crumpler allow for kayaking and canoeing on one of America's oldest rivers. At New River Alleghany Access, "Canoe up camp sites right along the River. Nice amenity; there are a few buggies provided at primitive camp sites to help with loading in and out," according to Jennifer K.
Night sky viewing: The minimal light pollution creates excellent stargazing opportunities. "The darkness with no artificial light and the size of our campsite—nothing could beat the fireflies. As darkness set in, the fireflies across the river began to light up, like festive lights. Not just a few hundred, but thousands of them," reports a camper at Dusty Trails Outfitters.
Fishing: Multiple access points provide opportunities for anglers. "The creek's sound is pleasant," notes Sagar B. about creek-side camping in Washington & Jefferson National Forest, while another camper mentions catching trout in a pond at Blue Bear Mountain Camp.
What campers like
River proximity: Sites along the New River offer water access and natural sound barriers. A Riverside Canoe and Campground reviewer highlights the "awesome sites/camping cabins and GREAT river tubing experiences. You can rent a tube to place a cooler inside of so you can tube down the river with beverages and snacks in tow."
Clean facilities: Many established campgrounds maintain well-kept restrooms and wash stations. At Blue Bear Mountain Camp, "Bathhouse was nice and clean. This is by far the cleanest bathhouse I have ever seen. They show great attention to this campground and make sure all their campers are happy," writes Mandy R.
Site spacing: Several campgrounds offer good distance between sites. "The campsites are very spaced out. C1-C3 are completely shaded. C3 is the best by far! But you have to book early because C3 is very popular!" notes a Blue Bear Mountain Camp reviewer.
Cool mountain temperatures: Higher elevation campgrounds provide relief from summer heat. "We enjoyed our stay. The constant light breeze and lack of mosquitoes is a treat," mentions Raven B. about a campground in the area.
What you should know
Access challenges: Some dispersed sites require high-clearance vehicles. At Scales Trailhead Basecamp, "The road in is...'rocky'. High clearance 4wd needed. Not ADV friendly, unless you're very adventurous," warns Jon M. Another camper adds, "Yes, the road in is rocky (& not short...probly 45 mins from the road to the campground), but anything with Subaru Outback ground clearance will be fine."
Seasonal concerns: Weather patterns change rapidly in the mountains. "If you're going in the winter I recommend hiking poles for hiking in the snow," advises a camper at Elk Knob State Park.
Cell service limitations: Most sites have limited or no connectivity. "Absolutely no verizon service," reports a camper about Washington & Jefferson National Forest sites, while another noted needing to "drive at least 10 miles to get cell service."
Packing requirements: Many sites require complete self-sufficiency. Basin Cove campers must "make a reservation with the park office for your site and drop by the ranger station to pick up your permit. The sites have NO vehicle access at all, you have to hike a mile into the campsite. There is NO clean water source, you have to bring a filter system with you."
Tips for camping with families
Pond access for kids: Some sites offer shallow water play areas separate from the river. At Blue Bear Mountain Camp, "The hike to the pond was a little more strenuous than we anticipated but once you get there, there is a nice creek and we caught a trout in the pond right away. I wish there was a playground for the kids but overall it was very nice."
Highway noise considerations: Some sites experience road noise that might affect light sleepers. At Mountaineer Campground, "This place is remote and the locals love their loud engines. Especially at night. The campground backs right up to Highway 1353 and traffic is moving along here until about 11:00 at night. You hear every vehicle and see headlights."
Tent positioning strategy: Position tents away from roadways when possible. At Washington & Jefferson National Forest dispersed sites, one camper shares: "Buddy and I actually set up our tent over there instead, as it was more in the tree line, a bit more protected, and farther back from the road."
Wildlife awareness: Bears are present throughout the region. "Dustin delivered our firewood to our site, did a quick once over to make sure everything was set and reminded us that we were in bear country and bears had been spotted on this road days earlier," notes a Dusty Trails Outfitters camper.
Tips from RVers
Water fill locations: Many sites lack direct water hookups. At Blue Bear Mountain Camp, "They do not have water hookups—you fill your camper tank with water at the office area. They have spots with electric hookups. They have a dump station where you can empty your tanks on your way out."
Road width limitations: Access roads to some campgrounds may be challenging for larger rigs. "The state maintained gravel road used to access campground was narrow and would be difficult to get a large camper up there, although there were lots of large ones there," notes a Blue Bear Mountain Camp reviewer.
Site reservations: Popular RV sites book quickly during peak season. "They have spots with electric hookups...but you have to book early because C3 is very popular!" advises a regular camper at Blue Bear Mountain Camp.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Which is the most popular tent campsite near Crumpler, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Crumpler, NC is Blue Bear Mountain Camp with a 4.8-star rating from 27 reviews.
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