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Located along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway in the lush green expanses of North Carolina, Julian Price Campground is a top destination for boating, hiking, fishing and more. Whether it's for a family camping excursion or a peaceful getaway, this campground has something for everyone. Some campsites at this facility are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Status of these sites is not available online.
Canoe rentals are available at Price Lake, and other types of non-motorized boats are permitted. Fishing is also available at the lake, with a dock provided.Price Lake Trail offers a refreshing hike around the edge of the water, and the Boone Fork, Green Knob and Tanawha Trails are just a few of the trails that are conveniently accessed through the campground. Hebron Falls: A small waterfall accessed from the Boone Fork Trail. The Cascades: A beautiful waterfall accessed by the easy 1-mile loop Cascades Trail. A great hike for children. Moses Cone Flat Top Manor: A historic estate house (currently undergoing restoration) once owned by the Cone family. The grounds offer 25 miles of carriage roads to hike. Tours of the home are available. Currently houses the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Wildlife viewing is also popular as campers have a good chance of spotting bears, grouse, turkeys, owls, hawks and more.
Julian Price Campground is adjacent to Price Lake, a pristine body of water that sparkles against the backdrop of rolling Carolina hills. The surrounding forest offers hemlock, white pine, oak, hickory and birch trees, along with a colorful assortment of wildflowers in the spring and an array of vivid orange and red foliage displays in autumn. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic byway that follows the high crests of the central and southern Appalachians for 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.
The beautiful town of Blowing Rock, located just 20 minutes away on the Blue Ridge Parkway, offers fine dining, shopping and more.
$30 / night
$12 - $28 / night
Black Mountain Campground sits in the shadow of Mt. Mitchell, the highest peak in the eastern U.S. and borders the South Toe River. Black Mountain is a mecca for the outdoor enthusiast.
With the South Toe River located adjacent to the campground, visitors will have no shortage of things to do, including picnicking, day hiking, scenic driving and trout fishing. Hikers will be pleased with a variety of trails from which to choose, including a leisurely half-mile walk through the forest or a challenging 5.6-mile hike to Mt. Mitchell.
The campground sits at an elevation of 3,040 feet. The 6,684-foot Mt. Mitchell towers over the area, with several other high peaks of the Black Mountains nearby. This lush Appalachian forest is rich with wildlife, plants and scenery.
Groups can easily head out for a day of scenic driving along Blue Ridge Parkway or hiking in Mount Mitchell State Park.
$35 / night
Camping - Primitive and require a hike in of 1.5 miles Please note that fees and permits are required for all overnight stays, including backcountry camping. Backcountry campers must make a reservation online or by calling 1-877-722-6762 before setting up at a campsite. Campers can make same-day reservations up until 9:00pm the day of your arrival. Upon arrival, use the self-check-in through the Reserve America Camping App. Site ATTENTION BACKCOUNTRY CAMPERS Please be advised that these sites will ONLY accomodate a maximum of 6 people. If your group has more than 6 people, additional sites will need to be reserved. Sink gratefully into your sleeping bag after a day of hiking at South Mountains and fall asleep in the stillness of the forest. Twenty-four backpack camping sites are offered in seven areas of the park. Permit and fees are required to camp overnight. Please visit the visitor center prior to hiking to your campsite to fill out the permit and pay the fees. A kiosk outside the visitor center allows campers to register and pay the fees if they arrive when the visitor center is closed. These sites are designated on the park map, and hiking distances to each backpack camping site vary. Each camping area has a pit toilet located nearby. All supplies, including water, must be packed to the sites. To drink water from nearby creeks and streams, use a filtration device or boil the water for at least five minutes. Below is a listing of the backpack campsites and the distance between the campsites and the Jacob Fork parking area: Upper Falls – 1.4 miles 1.5 MILE HIKE TO CAMPSITES Maximum group size of 6 people per site. At the park office, back country campers must record the tag numbers of all vehicles left overnight. Water can be found most of the year in a nearby stream. Water must be filtered prior to use. Fires only in fire ring. A North Carolina State fishing license (basic) and the special trout fishing license are required to fish. Licenses are not sold at the park. Please arrive a minimum of 1 hour prior to sunset to allow time to get to the camping area before dark. North Carolina State park rules and regulations are posted in each park and enforced by rangers. Violating these rules and regulations is a misdemeanor and may result in a fine and revocation of permit. Alcoholic beverages, firearms (including fireworks) and other weapons are prohibited. Campers with a proper permit may possess a concealed handgun in permitted areas. Park Hours: November -- 7:00 AM to 8:00 PM; December through February -- 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM; March, April and October -- 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM; May through September 7:00 AM to 10:00 PM. Pets are allowed except in park buildings. They must be on a leash no longer than six feet and cannot be left unattended. Posted quiet hours are enforced. Building fires in undesignated areas is prohibited. Unlicensed vehicles and motorcycles, golf carts, ATVs and mini-bikes are prohibited with the exception of mobility-aid devices used by a mobility-impaired person. All vehicles are prohibited from walkways, trails and other areas not designated for such purposes. State vehicle and traffic laws are enforced, and the speed limit is 25 mph unless otherwise posted. North Carolina State parks are wildlife sanctuaries. No hunting is allowed and collecting plants, minerals and artifacts is prohibited. State fishing regulations are enforced. ** Arrival dates earlier than the online-reservation-window may also be available at the campground.
$15 / night
Please feel free to look at my instagram account for many photos of the estate.
https://www.instagram.com/ambergf/
This is a private piece of property in a quiet area of Buncombe County, just outside of Asheville but just before Lake Lure and Chimney Rock. Many things to do , hike, climb, cycle or motorbikes. A girlfriend of mine has about 30 horses and allows paid rides if you like. Too much to list for the area but would love to discuss it with anyone.
$20 - $30 / night
$15 - $45 / night
Are you looking for a primitive tent camping experience? Come stay at this small campground located along the banks of Jennings Creek. Large walk-in tent sites are screened by native vegetation. In the early 1900’s, this area was the site of an iron forge. Iron ore was smelted and made into materials for the railroad operation that harvested timber in the area.
Traveler
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.
Traveler
Super place, super staff. Kevin the manager and Diane the host are awesome people with plenty of knowledge of the area. The road into the facility (FR 472) turns into a gravel road for the last mile or so with a few small potholes but nothing terrible, we had no problems getting there in a 30' class a RV . Just make sure when you get to the fork in the road STAY TO THE RIGHT! The road on the left is Neil Creek road (which btw has some really nice dispersed camp sites) but if you have a bigger rig and go up that road you will hate life... It twists then gets steep and only a couple places to make a 180. No cell service whatsoever even with a booster... If you walk a 1/4 mile out the gravel road by the 1st A frame house you can get a signal there. The showers have plenty of hot water and are clean. The place is a bear super highway so they take policing your food and garbage very seriously. There are an abundance of hiking trails accessible from the site and are well kept... S
Toe River has some beautiful spots to take a dip if you can handle the cold water.
Scout
On 8/25/23 - 8/27/23, WE went camping for the first time this year and left early that sunday morning. Which turned into a nightmare for my family on the following Monday 8/28/23 we had a social worker come out to investigate my family due to steel creek making a HUGE mix up on giving the wrong site number and wrong information to dss. AND All Steel Creek had to say was they are sorry!! Our life was turned upside down for over two weeks due to Steel Creek giving out wrong information. Shouldn't Steel Creek make sure they give the right information to a department like child protective services? The case was eventually closed because we were the wrong family, but now dss says it will always be on my husband's record with them that he was investigated for child abuse even when we were the wrong family to start with! a weekend that was supposed to be a nice and relaxing vacation turned into my husband having to lose time at work, lawyer fees, and emotional distress for my family. My husband tried to contact Steel Creek after everything was over, but they are screening his calls and staying silent on this situation. The very least they could have done was offer a refund of our stay if not more for everything steel creek has put us through. All of this was due to Steel Creek giving wrong information to the Department of Social Services! Be very aware because this can happen to you! This could be your information given next! I've been going to steel creek since I was a little girl and I'll never go back or recommend this camp ground to anyone and will always tell my story of the wrong steel creek camp ground has put us through especially since the owner Joey has not even reached out to my husband for the trouble his camp ground has caused my family! A little business suggestion for you if at any time a department like social services is calling you for information, you need to make sure yourself and / or your employees are giving out the right information. And to your employees who give false information should be fired! This was an awful situation this camp ground put us in! SHAME ON YOU, STEEL CREEK!
On another note our site was also full of dog crap, people who stay here with dogs are supposed to clean up after them and 90% of them never do so just know if you do choose to stay at this campground have plans on dodging dog crap during your stay. If it's not dog crap you will hear of the many dogs barking the whole time during your stay, which is annoying when you are trying to relax with your family.
Scout
This location was amazing. We couldn’t have been happier with a spot. The host was extremely gracious, there is an outdoor shower, the camp fire setup is awesome, and the animals are friendly. It is easy to find and you’re only 20-ish minutes from Asheville. We’ll certainly be back!
TravelerI came on a Sat in August for First Come First Serve (yeah, not the best plan) and they were just taking the "We are Full' sign down to say they had two sites. One was right across from the welcome hut. I took the other and it was lovely. This campground is VERY shady and has water and bathrooms and showers that are well maintained. There are wonderful sites for families big and small around the central "soccer" field and sites for small-medium trailers and tents and camper vans in "Bear Alley" around the outside. One or two pull in sites for bigger rigs.
I'd come First Come First serve on a Sunday night or Monday night and scope out sites that would be best for you. You pay extra for the access to wonderful hiking trails, the deep Forest feel, and did I mention SHOWERS? It is pretty remote and off a long dirt road off route 80. You don't need a 4x4 but it's a slow careful drive .... and you are NOT going to want to take day trips to Burnsville or Marion. Plan to stay and bring what you need. Bring that bug spray and screen tent.
GuideJacob Branch: Three sites arranged around a clearing. Two pit privies and a BEAR BOX! Woot!! The sites are a bit difficult to pitch on, due to the abundance of roots, hardpan earth, and slope, but you’ll find a spot. I didn’t hang, but there are certainly spots that would be suitable. Water is just down the hill. It’s ample and clear, as of May 2023. There are several ways to hike in, as many of the South Mountains SP trails intersect and wander around a bunch giving a bunch of options for how to get in and out. The variety makes for a nice loop instead of just an in-and-out. Get inventive. Trails are broad and veeeeeery hilly in places. If your knees complain, bring the trekking poles. You’ll thank me.
Shinny Creek: Perfect trip if you have kids…or just want something close by. It’s only a bit over a mile to these four sites (see video tour) nestled by a stream. Clear, flat sites. Bear box. Critter-proof trash bin. Pit privy. Water access from every site within ten paces, so water and entertainment are always available. The trail here is easy peasy rolling hills that follows the river past Bear Falls all the way up to the sites.
GuideCampground has decent amenities, sites are small and on top of each other. Bathrooms and showers leave a lot to be desired. My site is not what was pictured on the website, and I paid to reserve it, so buyer beware. Camp store is decent, and playground is nice. River swimming is the real attraction, and to my kids it was worth it.
Guide
I really like his place. Stayed on the lake side. Plenty of room great walking area and friendly people
GuideCamp sites are nice, close bathrooms, nice facilities. Park boasts about lots to do but there is no road through the whole Park so more than half of the trails you are not easily able to get through. Drove around to other access point and its nothing but a fence and a field. Park is very pretty and the water is nice.
GuideI stayed in beautiful weather in October. I recommend this campgrounds and park for is trails and beauty. Very good facilities as well.
TravelerCampsite 5 is a bit in the way of other campsites but still an amazing place
TravelerUpper Falls Campground is amazing during winter.
GuideWe got a quiet spot with no one around us. There are spots right on the lake but we didn’t book far enough in advance.
GuideHad 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.
TravelerSpent a weekend car camping at Julian Price which served as a great Basecamp for exploring the Blue Ridge and surrounding area. The site has a nice tent pad, fire pit and picnic table. It would be amazing in the spring because it's loaded with rhododendron. The site is near a bathroom and there is quite a bit of traffic throughout the camp. And of course you hear the Parkway but if you go into it knowing you are staying at a campground that is highly trafficked with somewhat close and loud neighbors...then you've picked a great campsite to car camp.
GuideQuiet campground despite the number of sites. We enjoyed our stay, and even had deer wander near our site a few times. Our tent site was in Loop B but near the bathroom/showers in Loop D. Really liked how the toilet and shower were together in the same individual bathrooms.
Campground is conveniently located near Blowing Rock and other sights on the Parkway, like Cone Manor and Linn Cove Viaduct. Nice area.
GuideClean sites, showers, and restrooms. The parking spot at the site was flat for our van. Clean and roomie. Dog friendly. Walked around and enjoyed nature. Lots of trees.
Traveler
My family did our first camping trip here. Very scenic and well maintained
GuideStayed on the C loop. Very private sites other than the path that goes by for the bathroom. No road noise. C loop does not allow generators so no hum. Has bathrooms near by. Showers on another loop. Tent pads are good size, flat and free of large rocks. Mine was half covered in moss. Overall really happy with the site.
ScoutBeautiful place with a lot to offer! The hikes near the falls were quite busy on Memorial Day weekend, but the backcountry campsites were quiet and well-kept. Lots of places to play on the river, rock hopping or swimming around the Jacob Fork Parking area. We were able to park there since we had campsite reservations but others were waiting in a long line to park for day-use, so be aware. We stayed at the Little River backcountry campground, which requires a 1.5 mile hike in, and has a pit toilet but no running water, bathrooms, or trash cans. The Reserve America site lacked some site specifics— From the Little River campground, the closest water source is a creek 0.6 miles (1.2 miles round trip) away- filter it- the walk back to camp is a steep uphill. There is no firewood provided up at the campground but there’s lots of deadfall, bring a saw if you have one. The pit toilet had plenty of TP when we were there, and there was a central bear bin for use by all campers. The four sites were well-spaced so we did not see other campers, with the exception of site 1 which is right off the entrance trail to the campground. Be aware that the hike up to the campground, though only 1.5 miles, is pretty steep from the Jacob Fork parking area (600ft elevation gain) and most of the day hikes (the falls, chestnut knob) leave out of that parking area. So one option would be to hike down to your cooler in the car and grill lunch or dinner at one of the shady picnic areas near the parking lot and river while day-hiking, then hike back up to camp overnight. Overall, recommend!
ScoutClassic simple state run campground. Large comfortable campsites all with picnic tables, fire rings,and gravel tent pads. Some are right in the lake but they fill up fast. We got one that we where able to park our boats right at camp. The lake is stocked with trout by the state and your can also catch bass and tons of sunfish. The lake is not swimming and no motor boats. But you can paddle up the creek and take a dip. And the absence vof motor boats make for a lovely time on the lake.
ScoutThis is a great place to camp. It is somewhat close to Charlotte, but is little known. There are extensive hiking trails. The grade of the trails is from easy to hard. They have a 70 foot waterfall that has a stairway along the side of it. This has car camping, backpack camping, horse and bike camping. You can even fish there if you have a license.
RangerThis campground is a gem. It’s small, pretty, clean and close to Mount Mitchell and the Blue Ridge Parkway. There’s a hiking trail near the campground that’ll take you to Mount Mitchell but it’s a loooooong hike. There’s a relatively short hike to a waterfall called Setrock Creek Falls.
I wasn’t able to book a site on short notice but about 10 sites were first-come-first-served which was great! We showed up at opening time, which I think was 8 or 9am (call to confirm). The office person gave me a list of open sites that I could choose from. We drove the campground loop and chose the site we wanted. Within a couple hours the rest of the sites were taken.
The bathrooms were so incredibly clean. They actually have the same bathroom/shower buildings as Lake Powhatan Campground. It has single stall bathrooms and showers. I think the shower stalls are heated. And yes, there’s hot water.
Dump station. This campground does not have a dump station however there is one nearby. I forget where but call the campground and ask where it is. We drove to it. It does exist.
Fresh water. The campground has water spigots throughout. We filled our van’s fresh water tank by repeatedly filling up our 5-gallon fresh water container and pouring that into our tank.
Internet. The glory of this place is that it’s out in the woods away from stuff. This translates to no cell signal. With our booster, we could eek out enough signal to get the weather app to refresh on Verizon after waiting several minutes. But that’s it. If you want/need signal, you can get a strong but limited data signal at the golf course east of the campground which we passed on our way there. But if you need some serious signal to work or download Netflix, there’s an amazing spot even further east where 80 and Blue Ridge Parkway intersect. It’s a scenic overlook at the Eastern Continental Divide at Buck Creek Road. I actually needed to work that Friday. We ended up driving to the campground to secure a site. The whole way there I checked the signal. Then we drove back the way we came and ended up spending the whole day at this scenic overlook. The download speed was great but thankfully I didn’t need to video chat because the upload speed was almost nil. T-Mobile via Nighthawk MR-1100 - 13.6 mbps down and 0.6 up with 54 ping.
Legend
Way up the road! It's a nice place once you get here on the narrow country road. Nice clean bathhouse. Cabins, RV spots mostly level, paddocks for horses. Lots of exploration in the woods potential.
LegendI camped here with a friend and our dogs. Our campsite was in the A loop.
I'm not really sure how to rate the campground. It was on my list for a while but I think my expectations were too high.
The area is very very pretty. It is right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The campground has several loops. The A loop is right by the lake but not all sites have a view or access to it. Some of the sites are also very close together and share one parking spot, which can be a problem if you either have a bigger vehicle or more than one car per campsite. You find a big tent pad, a lantern pole, firepit, and a picnic table in each site. The restroom is older and has no showers. It also seemed to be used by a lot of people that weren't campers.
The area was very crowded. When we drove back from Blowing Rock around lunch time we saw a really long line of cars try to get into the town. There are also a lot of very nice trails and waterfalls nearby. We walked around the lake (the trail starts in the campground) and it was absolutely beautiful.
I don't think I would camp here again. Like I said the area is very pretty and so was the campground, but it is just a little bit too crowded for our taste.
LegendWhile there's a few dozen great places to stay in and around the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, there are few campgrounds as prized as Julian Price, which has plenty to explore just steps from your tent's front door (er, flap!).
After a 3+ hour drive from nearby Raleigh, my very great friend Gary (or'Gariatica' for short) and I landed at the D Loop, which is one of four campgrounds you'll find here. What's important to know about the'Big Letter D Barrio' as the locals refer to it as, is that the campground perches up almost immediately after entering it, so you'll be first met with a few of the lower campsites (which must receive a decent amount of noise from the passing traffic that is only 30-40 feet away from them) before coming to the ground's bathhouses (while just mediocre and not the cleanest, there are bonus points here for providing 'no coin required' individual, private stalls (8 in all), so no group showers, which will be disappointing for some, I suspect).
After passing the communal bathing facilities, you will circumnavigate the D Loop in counter-clockwise fashion (although many tried to swim upstream and go in the opposite direction, which I don't recommend, as apart from being hit from oncoming traffic, even if there was none, you would need to conduct a 17-point turn-around to park your car in the provided parking spot) to tour the 40 or so campsites.
While there were only a few free slots to chose from at the time of our booking (about 3-4 weeks in advance, so book early if you can!), we did get relatively lucky with our campsite, good 'ol D20, which had plenty of space for our behemoth 24 person tent cabin (OK, so you can't really sleep 24 in this sucker, but it sure would be fun trying!).
I would actually recommend the sites that were located directly across from ours - while ours slanted upwards(revealing our entire site), those on the other side of the road sloped downwards so had a solid amount of privacy. Basic amenities were had at most sites we saw- solid (yet aging) picnic tables, fire rings (with pull down grill) and wooden-encased tent platforms. Warning: no nearby running water (to clean dishes, you'll have to load them up in a bucket and trudge back and forth to the bathhouse (donning a towel is optional).
Also, I would suggest if you are looking at campsites here or in the other areas of this campground, do look at whether or not a trail cuts through or by your campsite. I don't know how you feel about 100's (this is a popular campground with loads of people hiking trails when we were there, so I'm not overestimating here) of strangers passing by your front door (dang it, I meant'flap' again!), but you might want to avoid the heavy foot fall traffic.
Also, unlike any other campground I've ever visited (I lost count after the first 100), I've never stayed at a campground where it was so easy for anyone to simply drive up and around the campground (usually, you have to persuade someone at the front gate that you belong there, right?) as this location has an EZ access point that avoids the ranger at the gate(who left promptly at 5pm anyway), which made me a bit uneasy, although we had no problems to speak of.
Last tip? My buddy who knows the area fairly well took me to Gamekeeper's Inn [https://gamekeeper-nc.com\\\\\\\] for one of the best meals of my life. This oversized log cabin chalet has an outstanding bar, simply fantastic staff, upscale smarts and feature exotic meats and rare game, so while I would have preferred hot dogs and beans fireside, followed by endless amounts of s'mores, I was instead dining on grass-[hand]-fed Bison and dungeon-free Emu, the likes of which I had never savored before. Quite delish, washed down by very fine Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in the land of kiwis and finished off by, what else? You guessed it, a fantastic creme brûlée. Very nice and quite expensive, but hey, you only live once, right?!.
Happy Camping!
ScoutWe loved it here only thing we didn’t like was haveing to leave you are close to your Nabj but everything was great
Horse camping in North Carolina offers a unique blend of scenic trails and well-equipped facilities for equestrian enthusiasts. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventurous getaway, the state's campgrounds cater to all your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Linville, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Linville, NC is Julian Price Park Campground — Blue Ridge Parkway with a 4.7-star rating from 46 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Linville, NC?
TheDyrt.com has all 11 equestrian camping locations near Linville, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
