Best Cabin Camping near Mills River, NC

Multiple cabin accommodations are available within short driving distance of Mills River, North Carolina. Rutledge Lake RV Resort offers cabin rentals with full amenities including electricity, heating and air conditioning, and private bathrooms. Each cabin features furnished bedrooms, kitchen facilities with basic cookware, and outdoor picnic areas. "The bathrooms are very nice, second only to Disney," notes one visitor who appreciated the cleanliness of the facilities. Lake Powhatan Campground provides more rustic cabin options set in a densely wooded area near hiking trails, offering basic amenities with access to central bathroom facilities.

Options range from tiny log cabins to spacious family-sized layouts. Most cabins require advance reservations, particularly during peak summer and fall seasons. Rutledge Lake RV Resort and Asheville KOA locations maintain year-round operations, while other facilities like Davidson River Campground operate seasonally from March through November. Pet policies vary by location with many allowing dogs for an additional fee. According to feedback on The Dyrt, "We had spot #10 water front. It had plenty of space for the 5 of us and 2 dogs."

Most cabins include beds with mattresses but require visitors to bring their own linens, towels, and toiletries. Kitchen amenities vary widely between locations - KOA cabins typically offer refrigerators and microwaves while more rustic options may only provide fire rings for cooking. On-site camp stores at several locations stock basic provisions including firewood, ice, and camping supplies. Grocery stores are located in nearby Fletcher and Asheville for more substantial shopping needs. Many cabins include outdoor picnic tables and fire rings for meal preparation and dining.

Best Cabin Sites Near Mills River, North Carolina (148)

    1. Davidson River Campground

    83 Reviews
    Pisgah Forest, NC
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 785-5337

    $37 - $84 / night

    "There is a short walking trail within the camgpground, and the Art Loeb trail starts right at the beginning of the campground as well."

    "Why would you place the fire pit next to the lantern pole. That seems dangerous having a lantern so close to the fire."

    2. Lake Powhatan — National Forests In North Carolina

    63 Reviews
    Enka, NC
    7 miles
    +1 (828) 552-8040

    $37 - $135 / night

    "PROS  Discounted camp fee with senior pass 

    Reserved 169 days prior to arriving 

    Friendly and helpful gate attendant 

    Nearly 100% shade at each site 

    Excellent dark sky viewing 

    Private sites with"

    "PROS: Quiet, peaceful and clean•Beautiful mountain setting

    •Plenty to do in and around the campground

    •Spacious sites and spaced apart

    Trails by the miles

    •Modern facilities-Hot Showers•"

    3. Rutledge Lake RV Resort

    19 Reviews
    Fletcher, NC
    6 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 654-7873

    "The entrance is key card only , the park staff are welcoming & helpful. They have a heated pool & lake activities. All of the facilities are nice. The park is up-kept very well."

    "It had plenty of space for the 5 of us and 2 dogs. Nice gravel level sites. Greg was very helpful at leading us back and gave us great information about the area."

    4. Asheville East KOA

    52 Reviews
    Swannanoa, NC
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 686-3121

    $50 / night

    "As typical of a KOA, they shove you in there so you are very close to your neighbors. The stars of the park are the riverfront sites."

    "It’s accessibility to Asheville is great, but the site itself is clean, with tidy grounds and a spotless bathroom (didn’t use showers). Plenty of places to walk and pet friendly."

    5. Asheville West KOA

    24 Reviews
    Candler, NC
    15 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 665-7015

    "I didn’t use showers or restrooms. Loved pet run area. Nature walk is good for stretching legs. My site B19 was close to neighbors but felt private between campers. Quiet hours respected."

    "It was an ideal location since it was between downtown Asheville and Waynesville which is where we split our time. The staff was friendly."

    6. Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground

    28 Reviews
    Swannanoa, NC
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 686-4258

    $75 - $200 / night

    "Tucked away into the mountains not far from the interstate, super quiet and nicely taken care of."

    "It had the cleanest laundry room I've even seen at a campground and we are full timers so have been to many places. Washers seem new and large enough for a full load-$2 and dryer$1."

    7. Table Rock State Park Campground

    55 Reviews
    Sunset, SC
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (864) 878-9813

    "Table Rock State Park is a large park with at least three“campgrounds.” One is a primitive campground, and one is a traditional campground."

    "The alternatives #5 and #6 were close to the entrance and therefore exposed to the road, and #49 was next to the restrooms, but similar to #60, so stayed with #60."

    8. Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground - TEMPORARILY CLOSED

    9 Reviews
    Canton, NC
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 235-8350

    $15 - $50 / night

    "As other reviews have said, this campground is in a lovely location, right on a small creek/river. The grounds are well maintained and grass covered for the most part."

    "I think the rustic cabins were all taken, but there were plenty of sites left for tent camping.  It was a great, friendly mix of every kind of biker looking for a getaway. "

    9. Creekside Mountain Camping

    16 Reviews
    Gerton, NC
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 625-4257

    "Nice creek running nearby and a few short walking paths. The drive to spruce pine is scenic and long but head back toward bat cave and there ade neat little adventures to have with the kiddos."

    "This was a great little spot away from the hustle and bustle of the highway. Very close to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. Pool was clean. Arcade on site."

    10. Campfire Lodgings

    15 Reviews
    Weaverville, NC
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (828) 658-8012

    "Great park, pet friendly and great views! 30 minutes from the Biltmore."

    "If you can get a site along the edge of the drop off, you will be able to witness a beautiful setting."

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Cabin Reviews near Mills River, NC

1231 Reviews of 148 Mills River Campgrounds


  • A
    Nov. 2, 2018

    Camp Driftwood Asheville

    Camp Driftwood

    I found this campground through airbnb. They have tent camping as well as two cottages. The cottages are titled "Paddlers Paradise- Camp Driftwood Cottage" and have cable TV, a laptop friendly work space, heating, air conditioning, and a private entrance. The tent camping sites are titled "Camp Site- Camp Driftwood" and have fire rings, picnic tables, and access to a shared bathhouse and common area. Both of these have free parking and are located right on the French Broad River. The water is easily accessible and tubing is frequently seen along the bank. The entrance to the area is directly off the road, but has a VERY steep decline immediately following. Be cautious in driving too far up the bank as the path becomes soft, especially after a good rain. Overall, a small and personable camping option that is worth a visit!

  • M
    Jul. 20, 2018

    Adventure Trail Campground - **CLOSED**

    Rustic Cabin Camping Experience

    My family is usually tent campers, but we decided this year we didn't want to deal with the hassle of setting up & breaking down camp. We chose this campground because of the rustic camping cabins they offer. The price is right, and the experience felt just like our usual camping trips without the set-up (& no worries about leaking tents during rain!).

    Cabins are VERY rustic (perfect for us), one-room, with a handful of bunk beds & electricity. Ours had 3 bunk beds, so slept all 6 of us easily. You bring your own bed linens, and use the same shower-house/restrooms as tent campers would. Your site has a picnic table & fire ring. I believe they asked us to keep food out of the cabin. Not a big deal, since the cabins are basically just enough room to sleep anyway. We did breakfast most mornings of our week-long stay at our own campsite, as well as a few easy dinners (hotdogs), but for our bigger dinners we used their picnic shelter (which has a decent grill & a lot more space). If the park had been very busy, it might have been a little difficult to do so, since they only have the one picnic shelter, but we honestly didn't see more than a handful of other guests during our stay.

    The grounds themselves are nicely kept. They come around every morning & pick up your trash from your campsite. They do have a pool, playground, park store, bathhouse. All the essentials. Did notice that the pool & bathhouse were often closed for cleaning mid-day. The bathhouse had a sign stating cleaning took place between 1-2pm, but it seemed like that block of time always ran over quite a bit. Not too big a deal, since most days we were out doing things off-site for the bulk of mid-day, but if you were tent camping & stay on the campground all day I could see that being a lot more annoying. The bathhouse is pretty typical of most state and national parks - maybe even a bit nicer. Kept well cleaned.

    For the price, & the number of additional amenities, this place was perfect! Lots of waterfalls, hikes, & opportunities for outdoor activities in the area. Cherokee's not far away, and definitely worth a visit.

  • Denise G.
    Sep. 10, 2019

    Paris Mountain State Park Campground

    Nice Place to Relax, Just out side the bustle of Suburbia.

    We had a great time staying here. Some of the sights were rather inclined, but they listed this on the website when booking(it's on a mountain after all). The areas between most of the sites was spacious, we were able to hang 2 hammocks to chill in. The Bathhouses had been remodeled and were kept clean while we were there. (There wasn't hand soap at the sinks that was a little weird for me).  The Large trash bins were located back down across from the Park Center, as was the play ground. It would have been more convenient for campers to have these things closer but were convenient for day use visitors. The park center is a gorgeous stone/log cabin type building with a long porch facing the Swimming area. There are Adirondack chairs on the porch, then between the porch and the lake are wooden lounge chairs and benches to relax on while taking a break from swimming or hanging out. There are miles of trails and streams to explore. We had a lovely time and plan to visit again soon.

  • R
    Apr. 13, 2024

    Black Bear Campground

    Great primitive campground opened 2023

    This is a brand new tent and cabin campground built by Duke Energy and run by McDowell county on Lake James. There is a boat ramp very close by, a fishing dock, picnic area, trails in and around the campground, and a seasonal Black Bear Marina Restaurant across the inlet or not far by road. All sites have tent pads and 2 parking spots. Many of the sites are a short walk from the car which affords privacy. There is a rental picnic shelter and a group csmping site. The rental camping cabins have 2 cots with a plywood base,( bring a mattress!).

  • R
    Sep. 28, 2021

    Moonshine Creek Campground

    Top Notch

    This is an excellent campground! It’s really woodsy and the creek is fabulous. Nice laundry facilities. Especially nice are the tent sites. They seem to have some of the most scenic spots. The Sanctuary area is awesome and the tent sites are right on the creek. It is for those with no pets or kids and is limited to 2 people per site. It’s a quiet zone. There is one tent cabin and 4 tent sites with water and electric. You CAN park at your sites. We weren’t sure before if it was a walk in area. The bathhouse for this area has two toilets and two showers.Each is completely private. There are outlets and sinks in all four. There is also a very nice sink and counter on the end for dishwashing. It’s all in excellent condition. Very nice picnic tables too. They were easy to wipe off. Sites S1-3 have an awning/ shelter. S4 does not but is much larger. S4 is higher up so you look down on the creek. It is more off by itself. S1 even has access to a 2nd picnic table close to the creek. It is the smallest as far as tent space. We would love to visit again!

  • J
    Apr. 6, 2021

    Moonshine Creek Campground

    Best laid out and maintained park

    The park is very well maintained. You can tell the owner takes pride in the park. The place is laid out so that almost every site is creekside. Bathrooms are placed all throughout the park. plenty of parking. extremely nice bath house with 4 showers and dressing area separate as well as 4 toilet rooms also had 3 washers and 4 dryers, looked very new. plenty of hot water. we stayed in a camping cabin which had a full bed and sleeping loft. the loft is very large, 3 10-12 yrs old as well as 3 3-4 yr olds fit up there nice and comfy. they have camping cabins, fully equipped cabins, rv sites as well as tent sites. every site has a grill/fire pit and picnic table. they gave a camp store with firewood and just about anything else you need or forgot to bring. the town of sylva nc is only 15 minutes away and it has fast food, restaurants and, grocery and a walmart.

  • Napunani
    Jun. 23, 2022

    Lake Powhatan — National Forests In North Carolina

    Shade, Shade and more Shade!

    PROS 

    Discounted camp fee with senior pass 

    Reserved 169 days prior to arriving 

    Friendly and helpful gate attendant 

    Nearly 100% shade at each site 

    Excellent dark sky viewing 

    Private sites with large space along with vegetation between sites 

    Very quiet 

    Asphalt parking pad surrounded with bean size gravel 

    Concrete picnic table 

    Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

    2 hook lantern pole 

    Electric at water connection for heated water hose connection 

    Recycle bins in campground loop 

    Trash dumpsters immediately out of campground loop 

    Firewood for sale but gate attendant told us to buy at Ingles (grocery store) where it is $3 bundle cheaper and we did! 

    Next to North Carolina Arboretum 

    Close to Asheville Outlet Mall and Camping World 

    CONS 

    3 bear sitings a day prior to our arrival in campground, according to gate attendant 

    No overnight gate closure even tho RULES proved at check-in stated gates closed at 10pm, but no open hours in RULES

     Lakeview site 38 not level 

    Up hill sewer connection at Lakeview site 38 

    Fire ring not cleared of ash upon our arrival 

    Non-moveable concrete picnic table and beyond camper awning 

    2 toilets and 2 showers for entire Lakeview Loop (21 campsites). There were lines! 

    Low hanging tree branches over roadways and roadside tree branches over roadways so it was a maneuvering obstacle challenge to not scrape camper roof and sides Campground roads narrow with tight curves along with roadway asphalt dropped off to steep shoulders; could be challenging to novice rig drivers (as we witnessed that more than once) 

    Two-and- a-half-mile drive on a twisty hilly road through residential neighborhood to get to the campground 

    No WiFi 

    1 bar Verizon

  • Ashley M.
    Sep. 17, 2019

    Moonshine Creek Campground

    Beautiful Campground

    My husband and I stayed here for my birthday in one of the camping cabins. We will definitely be back now that we have our A-frame camper. The campground is beautiful with a mountain stream flowing through the entire campground. Immaculate bathhouses and wonderful owners. Great store onsite and lots to do in the surrounding area.

  • S
    Oct. 16, 2016

    Moonshine Creek Campground

    Moonshine Creek Campground

    Owners are very friendly. Our tent campsite was very secluded, included a fire pit, picnic table, over looking deck, running water and electric. Loved hearing the running creek from our tent site. Very clean bathrooms. Highly recommended!


Guide to Mills River

Camping cabins near Mills River, North Carolina provide convenient access to the Pisgah National Forest, with elevations ranging from 2,100 to 5,700 feet in the surrounding area. Local cabins experience moderate temperatures with highs averaging 85°F in summer and lows around 30°F in winter. The region receives approximately 45 inches of rainfall annually, creating lush forest conditions and multiple streams throughout the camping areas.

What to do

Mountain biking near Davidson River: Located less than 20 minutes from Mills River, Davidson River Campground offers easy access to extensive trail networks. "Great place and great MtB trails super close," notes a visitor who frequents the area. Another reviewer confirms, "If you're looking to ride the mtb trails you're in luck. They start literally across the davidson river from the campground."

Hiking at Lake Powhatan: This forested campground 25 minutes from Mills River features multiple trail connections. "There are numerous hikes that are on the grounds or just outside," reports a camper who stayed for six days. The hiking options range from easy to difficult with "nice scenery" throughout the trail system.

Fishing opportunities: Multiple campgrounds offer fishing access, with Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground providing stream access despite its name. "Sits on a river. Cabins are clean. Showers are hot and clean," explains one reviewer. The campground welcomes non-motorcyclists too, with one visitor noting they "stumbled upon this Gem" when their original campsite fell through.

What campers like

Heated bathrooms: Davidson River Campground maintains comfortable facilities during colder months. "On the upside- the bathrooms were heated," reports a camper who visited during cooler weather. This feature makes shoulder-season cabin camping more comfortable when temperatures drop.

Privacy between sites: Lake Powhatan — National Forests In North Carolina offers more separated sites than many commercial campgrounds. "The sites are spacious and well spaced, offering more privacy than many locations," writes one visitor. Another mentions the campsites are "semi private and were well maintained."

Spectacular views: Many cabins in the area feature mountain vistas, with Campfire Lodgings offering particularly impressive scenery. "We had a premium site overlooking the French Broad River and the surrounding valley. Breathtaking," writes one camper. The campground provides access to sunset viewing areas for all guests with "picnic tables, and if you take your comfortable chair, you could sit there for hours looking at the view."

What you should know

Reservation requirements: Due to high demand, especially in fall, advance booking is essential. At Davidson River Campground, a visitor cautions, "This place is packed most all of the summer now so you don't want to show up without a spot." Bookings open 6 months in advance for most Forest Service cabins.

Wildlife presence: Bears are active in the region, requiring proper food storage. At Campfire Lodgings, "This campground DOES have bears who visit the campground for food," reports one camper who experienced issues. Most cabin accommodations provide secure storage, but tent campers should store food in vehicles.

Seasonal operations: Operating schedules vary significantly between properties. One camper at Davidson River notes, "There are only 3 loops of the campground open in the off season." Verify operating dates before planning trips from November through March as many Forest Service facilities close for winter.

Tips for camping with families

Cabin selection for kids: Cabin floor plans and amenities vary widely between campgrounds. At Rutledge Lake RV Resort, a family reported, "We had spot #10 water front. It had plenty of space for the 5 of us and 2 dogs." Many cabins accommodate 4-6 people comfortably but require bedding supplies.

Swimming options: Several campgrounds maintain swimming areas for children. "There is a beach on a swampy lake," notes one visitor to Lake Powhatan. Another option, Asheville East KOA, features "a large lake and river running through the center" plus a swimming pool during summer months.

Kitchen preparations: Cooking facilities differ significantly between cabins. At Asheville East KOA, review your options as "the cabin was perfect for a girls' weekend away." Most basic cabins include only outdoor cooking facilities, while deluxe options might include refrigerators and microwaves but rarely full kitchen equipment.

Tips from RVers

Site leveling challenges: Many campgrounds in the mountains require careful positioning. At Asheville West KOA, a camper noted their "site was large and mostly level," but this isn't universal. Be prepared with leveling blocks, particularly at forest service campgrounds.

Campground access: Mountain roads can challenge larger rigs. At Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground, "The roads are uphill and a little narrow, but nothing too difficult if you go slow," advises one RVer. Call ahead to confirm maximum vehicle lengths, as many cabins sit on narrow access roads.

WiFi reliability: Internet access varies significantly across the region. One full-time RVer at Mama Gertie's reported, "Campground wifi was excellent and quick. We work remote and usually have to hotspot our phone for video calls, but didn't have to here because it worked so well." This contrasts with more remote locations where connectivity remains limited.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Mills River, NC?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Mills River, NC is Davidson River Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 83 reviews.

What is the best site to find cabin camping near Mills River, NC?

TheDyrt.com has all 148 cabin camping locations near Mills River, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.