Best Campgrounds near Granite Falls, NC

We often camp in and around the Linville Gorge area, mostly in the primitive campsites down in the Gorge on Linville River.

We stayed before Hurricane Helene but haven't been back since then.

There are primitive sites along the foot trail (Linville Gorge Trail) but you still need to call to let the park ranger/main office know when you're planning to camp and provide how many people will be camping.

There are not great tent sites along the trail since it's at the bottom of the Gorge (not much flat ground and rocky). But there are some nice spots further south from Linville Falls. We usually hammock camp and trees hanging has more options.

Hiking out is moderate to hard as it's straight up through switchbacks and good elevation gain.

Pack everything out and practice LNT in this area. You may also be able to trout fish in Linville River if it's trout season and you're licensed. Speckled and Rainbow trout are beautiful in this area. Most fall within the 8-12 inch range. Check bait restrictions. It's almost always no live bait allowed when we've camped there.

Stayed here for one night through the Passport America discount. Their rate for a regular site is $52 (premium is a bit more), so with the PA discount it was $26, but with taxes and a $3 “processing fee” our rate for the night came to $32. We had a FHU site, pull through, very nice and clean and pleasant. 

The RV park is lovely, wooded and quiet and peaceful, and has a campground feel. There are so many amenities here: 

-large clean new dog park

-pond that looks to be under construction

-nice new clean laundry room (dryers work great),$2.50/wash,$1.50 dry

-nice modern and clean and new showers (though unnecessarily gendered), 3 units in individual rooms

-pool with barbecue grill and picnic benches just outside the gate

-office has games, knick knacks, basic camping supplies, snacks, clothing, and adorable dog treats for sale, as well as a large book exchange shelf

-wifi is only good in the office

-propane for sale at $3.75/gal (in Nov 2023)

-firewood is $7/bundle

-playground 

Staff was very friendly and welcoming. Good cell reception for ATT and Verizon. Trash bins but no recycling. Heads up there’s a hefty fee for early check in. They make this very clear so there are no surprises if you show up early. We had a great stay here.

Absolutely beautiful area and one of my new favorite wilderness areas on the east side of the country. I went solo camping for 5 days and stayed at the overlook, got really lucky finding my spot in the middle of the night but nonetheless, I drove the whole road South end to North in my fwd sedan haha and saw plenty of beautiful spots to settle at. Definitely recommend you to come check this out, I met some of the nicest people and another solo traveler that I ended up spending 2 nights with. You definitely wont regret it, and dont worry If you dont have a great car for offroad, I saw alot of reviews about absolutely needing an AWD vehicle with good clearance but I maneuvered my way through the road with my little hyundai. You definitely need to be a confident driver if you do that though. Good luck, hope you enjoy it as much as I did.