Best Tent Camping near Old Fort, NC

Recent Tent Reviews near Old Fort, North Carolina

1465 Reviews of 68 Old Fort Campgrounds

• 

  Laura E.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 21, 2024

  Nolichucky Gorge Campground

  Nolichucky gorge campground fun

  My teen daughter and I had a last minute midweek opportunity to go tent camping and they were so accommodating and friendly here. Beautiful riverfront grassy tent sites are serene and peaceful. Highly recommended

• T

  Tracy S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 31, 2019

  Lazy J Campground

  We love this place

  Good people run this place. Bath houses are very clean. We have tent camped and now taken our RV. Tent sites right on the river. You can tube down and get out right at your site. Three Falls waterfall is just up the road. You can get tubes at the office. Chickens and horses on site. Playground and lots of fun. Sites are wooded and quaint. Roads are a little narrow, but passable. One of our favorite sites.

• 

  Jill G.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 5, 2021

  Campfire Lodgings

  Excellent location, views, & amenities for tent campers

  We stayed at Tent Site #3 in late May and early June. We have stayed at the campground twice before. We love coming back here because of the great amenities, location, and access to activities. 

  1. The amenities are great for the kind of tent camping we like to do: electric & water at each site, central bath house with individual bath suites that are cleaned regularly, and a dish washing station. 

  2. The location is excellent - you can get to downtown Asheville in 10 minutes! 

  3. The views are amazing - so many mountains and the French Broad River!

  Our pup loved the trails at the campground. I would recommend you not picking tent site #3 (the picnic table was not level) or #4 because they are right across from each other and there isn't a lot of privacy between the two. I would definitely pick tent site #2 if you want to be closer to the bath house or #5 if you want to be farthest away from the other sites.

• 

  Nancy R.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 7, 2021

  Linville Falls Campground — Blue Ridge Parkway

  Great Campground Best Showers

  We camped in this quiet and comfortable campground for 4 nights. We really appreciated the warm shower rooms, large, clean and private. Though we have a 28’ Open Range with shower and septic hookup, we preferred the shower rooms. There is a beautiful area for tent camping with lovely tent sites. And some were occupied by campers who braved a couple of below freezing nights and the first snowfall. The owners are so friendly and helpful you feel like a long-time neighbor. Fully functional septic, electricity and water. Well maintained.

• 

  Kirsten J.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 8, 2018

  Linville Falls Campground — Blue Ridge Parkway

  Remote, gorgeous, starry campsite!

  Remote, quiet family friendly campground. It is a basic campground with both tent sites and hook-ups. We enjoy tent camping here on the large field where fireflies light up the night sky! There are sites that are close to water so you can fall asleep listening to the gurgle of the creek - and sites near the woods. The bathhouse includes toilets and sinks with a hand dryer. You can drive to the falls or drive to the visitor center and hike to the falls - a great campground!

• A

  Anthony B.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 18, 2024

  Catawba Falls Campground

  Creekside Camping

  Beautiful RV sites in wooded area along Catawba Creek. Old Fort, NC and Falls nearby. Nice bathhouse, pump-out nearby. Diverse tent camping also available. Don’t let full time rv’s scare you. New RV site down from the entrance.

• D

  Don C.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 12, 2021

  South Mountains State Park Campground

  The Family Campground section is exactly that...It's for Family's, Seniors

  I have going to this site BEFORE it was a state park.  They developed it has a tent camping and put in two outhouses (pit toilets).  It was easy to go camp without reservations anytime.   The they installed the nice bathrooms and two RV sites.  Good Luck making a reservation.  It stays booked.  The campground has a creek running beside it.  It is stocked with trout a few times each year.  You MUST have all of your NC Licenses.  Be sure to pay attention to what season it is and what bait you can use.  Hiking is great.  Beautiful waterfall.   NO PHONE reception.  My wife loves it.  There are 16 tent sites with no power and two RV sites with power.  We love it.

• 

  Kirsten J.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 16, 2018

  Lazy J Campground

  Rural campground on a creek

  This campground is located in Rosman NC, west of Brevard. We camped here as a base camp for day hikes in the area. It is very wooded, in a valley with a creek running alongside the tent camping sites. The scenery is gorgeous and horses and chickens were sweet. The tent sites are small, smaller than average park campsites. We woke to the smell of our neighbor smoking and coughing throughout the night.

  The facilities are good, nice hot water in sinks and showers. Clean bathrooms etc. We also had a spigot and plug near our campsite if we needed them. The people were extremely friendly and kind.

  We like for our kids to be able to run, play and explore while camping and this was not the site for that. Across the creek is a busy road which was not busy during the night, but had constant travel during the day.

• V

  Valerie P.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 10, 2018

  Roan Mountain State Park Campground

  Roan Mountain in June

  Sites #1-40 are for tent camping and the rest are for RVs. We camped with tents in the RV section because it was all that was available. It was definitely tough to find places to put our tents in our site (86), but the designated tent sites were large and flat. It was pretty crowded while we were there and campsites are close together.

  The campground has lots of amenities—a pool, amphitheater, camp store with firewood and ice for sale, flush toilets, laundry machines, etc. They put on lots of fun activities like group hikes and educational talks. We went to the see the live music at the amphitheater Saturday night and it was charming. There are lots of hiking trails you can walk to, but we didn‘t have time to check them out.

  The highlight of the trip was hiking the grassy balds starting at Carver’s Gap. Get there early! Parking was tricky when we got there at 9:30am and impossible when we left around 2pm. The scenery was absolutely beautiful. Overall a nice weekend in Roan Mountain State Park!

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  

  May. 31, 2021

  Appalachian Pond Campground

  Back to Nature Campground to Get Away from it All

  For tent campers, I would rate this campground with five stars. For RV campers, I would rate it with one star. There are no hookups for RV campers, but there is a place to park a small RV camper that is self-contained. I loved this campground. It is everything you need for tent camping. It is remote in the mountains of western North Carolina and has lots of shade. It has a small pond, it is quiet, and the owners are very nice. One of the owners apologized for the grass being so high, but I assured him it was all right(and it wasn’t really that high). 

  There are several tent sites back in the woods, but they are spacious and not on top of each other. Some of them have access to running water, and at least one has electricity.  There is also a small cottage by the pond, and a camper that can be rented.   At night, all you will hear are crickets, the wind through the trees, birds, and frogs—just the way I like it. This campground truly is off the beaten path. 

  As far as facilities, it has a shower. There is a portable toilet across the path. Although it sounds primitive, which it is, the quaintness of the shower house and the fact that it has both a shower and a portable toilet is good enough unless you are looking for luxury accommodations. This campground may be remote, but it is not far from many hiking trails and sites, including but not limited to Purchase Knob, Hemphill Bald, the old Ferguson Cabin, Cataloochee Valley, the Great Smoky Mountains, and much more. 

  An additional feature is the old barn owned by the same people, which can accommodate special events, such as weddings and other venues in a beautiful rural setting. Would I recommend this campground? Absolutely!!!!… especially for tent campers.

• 

  Julia K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 23, 2022

  Campfire Lodgings

  Rude Property Manager and BEWARE of BEARS

  This campground DOES have bears who visit the campground for food. There are no bear boxes provided and the property manager, Jason, will assure you it’s your fault if they come into your campsite and you left something out that is square in shape. Anything square apparently, so store everything in your car. He also does NOT want this information shared. He accused my family of chasing away business when we were honest about having seen bears but in fact had encouraged the fellow camper’s they were safe. 

  Tent Campsites leave a lot to be desired.

  Campground is well maintained and view from BATHHOUSE is beautiful, but not from tent sites. 

  Bathrooms leave a lot to be desired. Old, Stained and Mildewed, low lighting and poor ventilation. 

  Note: We left out a cube shaped plastic water jug and lost our tent as a result. We didn’t even complain to management or say a word, but still were treated horribly because when asked, we were honest and told a fellow camper the truth about bears destroying our campsite because of the cube shaped waterjug. We assured them it was our fault. Still the property manager accused us of driving away business. Very Rude. Never listened to us. We packed up and left a day early as that is not the kind of place we wanted to be, or people we wanted to be around.

• R

  Ruth P.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 15, 2023

  Campfire Lodgings

  Best overlook area

  This campground has one of the best overlook areas I’ve seen. I could sit for hours and stare at the mountains and the French Broad River. Well-worth a stop here just for this. Details: this is a small campground - about 15(?)ish RV sites, plus a few tent sites, some yurts and a rental house. The Premium sites are paved and have fantastic long-range views. The downside to these is that they get the full brunt of the afternoon sun - not a huge downside in winter but absolutely a consideration during the summer! The gravel Deluxe sites are shaded and slightly larger. They’re only a few seconds walk to the community overlook area, which is equipped with seating. The yurts are down a hill and in the woods, so excellent for privacy. The tent sites aren’t the best, in my opinion, and are the furthest from the small (and dated) bathhouse. I don’t think I would choose to tent camp here. They are expanding and adding another dozen rv sites - though I haven’t heard if they also plan to add another bathhouse or expand what they currently have. The wifi works okay, but we stuck to using our hotspot. T-mobile signal was adequate, ATT signal less so. The campground location is very good - 15 min drive will get you into Montfort or downtown Asheville - or into Weaverville in the other direction. It’s also close by the River District. Head over to High Five Riverside Dr to get great coffee or a beer and sit at a table next to the French Broad while you drink it. If you have dogs, there’s a little dog bar down the road called Wag Bar - it was some nice off-leash time for our dogs. An important note: the campground is at the top of a small Knob, so the road up is steep and a little curvy - it is gravel and narrow, so they ask you not to arrive until after 2p in order to ensure that arriving rigs don’t meet up with departing rigs on the road - when that happens, one rig driver will be really unhappy when they have to back up on that road. There is not enough room for two RVs to pass! This was our 3rd trip, and we will return again. We love the peace and quiet and natural feel.

• 

  Scott K.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 7, 2019

  Montreat Family Campground

  Killer sites - most alongside as creek - mere yards from a gorgeous College

  We abandoned plans to stay at place in Old Fort (see listing for Catawba Falls) and ended up here as a last chance before having to hit a hotel to turn back around to CLT.  Boy, were we happy with our choice.  Nice bathhouse w/ heated showers, super nice semi-primitive sites, half of them alongside a creek, the others are mere steps away.  Lovely homes line the drive up and you are on land owned by Montreat College, a private Presbyterian-affiliated liberal arts college you hope your grandkids are smart enough to get into.  Stately buildings, a lake, hiking and walking paths galore.  Just the right amount of civilization - wood to purchase, flush toilets.  Spotty cell service - if you have T Mobile forget it, if you have Verizon you're golden.  I saw trailers in several spaces but it looks like a TIGHT squeeze in many sites.  Tent sites are plentiful and lovely.  Check in down the hill at the stately Assembly Inn hotel.  Like the campground and the surrounding area - the people are total class and you cannot get a better price and location this close to Asheville.

• 

  Jenny C.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 4, 2018

  North Mills River

  Great place to tent camp!

  Great place to go tent camping. There are large flat grassy areas are available with places to build a fire . There is also a clean flowing river right beside the tent camping sites. I thoroughly enjoy bringing my dog and spending time here. Know that there are fees for parking and camping.

• 

  Dave V.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 29, 2017

  Mount Mitchell State Park Campground

  Lofty Blue Ridge Experience

  Mount Mitchell State Park, highest peak east of the Mississippi...6,684ft elevation... is located on The Blue Ridge Parkway, but it is still a bit of a climb (for foot or vehicle traffic) to get to the summit. https://www.ncparks.gov/mount-mitchell-state-park

  Getting here the day after the solar eclipse, it was still pretty busy...and if you are traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway...speed is only 45 mph, so do your calculations. There are only nine, yes, count them...nine tent camping sites. So reservations are a must if you want a site! The campground is open from May 1 to Oct 31...but if you walk-in to the sites, as in via the trails, you can rent a site amost all year.

  Tent sites are small, but nice. You get a timber lined tent pad, a crushed limestone area with picnic table, wooden lantern post, and a fire ring with flip grate...and a bear secure food storage bin. There are flush toilets between sites 3 and 7... and two water spigots nearby.

  If campsites are full and you desire to hike the trails, you can register your vehicle with office, leave it there in the parking lot and locate a place to make camp along the trails. There are also several free roadside sites marked with a brown plastic post with a small tent emblem on them. Ordinarily these are along a stream where you can gather water (filter it!)...but it is primitive (LNT!).

  The park has a restaurant, a museum, gift shop and an observation tower at the summit. Pretty cool that the observation tower is ADA...but steep.

  Check weather reports. These mountains make their own weather. And remember, for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain, temperature decreases by 3 degrees (roughly...there is constant debate). So pack wisely. Surprisingly, though reports called for rain...we saw none.

  Great hiking and long mountain views are one of the draws. The walk up the Observation trail is paved but steep, so give yourself some time if you are wanting to capture the sunset. If hiking, there are a myriad of sites that offer maps, levels of difficulty and recommendations. Did I mention that if you are planning to hike for the day...plan and pack for weather?

  A worthwhile place to pitch your tent, but there are also several other campgrounds at lower elevations that also have great trails and more amenities.

• 

  Rachael H.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 31, 2020

  Hot Springs Campground

  My favorite place

  Across the road from the “resort and spa” that houses the rent-by-the-hour hot spring hot tubs. Situated along the beautiful French Broad River. They offer cabins (primitive to full amenities), RV sites, tent sites with electric, tent sites without and primitive tent sites way at the beach with no tables or fire rings. Plenty of shade and trees. Bath houses. The campground is now gated. The AT runs right in front of it as it passes through the adorable little town. There is a little outdoor outfitter, a couple restaurants... beautiful hikes which ever direction you go.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 1, 2019

  Winngray Family Campground

  Great Campground for RVs and Great Views for Tents

  I had wanted to stay at this campground for several years, and I finally got the opportunity to do so. It looked inviting every time I passed by it. When I looked on the website, it showed tent sites, but most of the sites are for RVs. I was surprised to see that the best sites are along Jonathan Creek. These do not have water or electricity, but that didn’t matter to me. There are tent sites that have water and electricity, but they are behind the office, which is part of the main building. I am guessing that there are well over 100 RV sites. Most sites(if not all) have water, electricity, and sewer hookups. There are not many tangible amenities; there is no pool or playground, basketball court, etc. However, this campground is all about location. Not too far from the campground is Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hemphill Bald(mountain and trail), the Cataloochee Divide Trail, and the natural beauty of the mountains. There is also Jonathan Creek, which is known for trout fishing. The tent sites along the creek are beautifully arranged in a line with enough space not to be crowded. Unfortunately, most of them do not have fire rings, but I found one at T5 that did have. I am guessing that the picnic tables at the entrance to the tent sites are for the tents since only one or two tent sites had picnic tables and it is close to the end of the season. My favorite part about the tent sites is that you can sit facing the creek and look at the mountains in the background, although you will see a few houses in the mountains. Another advantage of the tent sites by the creek is that you hear the creek all night long, which drowns out any road noise. This campground is privately owned and not part of a franchise. It is good to see that they still welcome tent campers.

• 

  Anna R.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 16, 2018

  Creekside Mountain Camping

  Nice amenities

  This is a good family option with a pool, store, and laundry. The tent sites are removed enough that you can feel private if you need to. Snag a tent site by the creek and enjoy fishing and hopping in the clear water. My son spent hours hopping along the rocks in the creek.

• L

  Lathan B.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 23, 2024

  Grandfather Mountain Campground

  Friendly campground with reasonable rates

  Love tent camping here, awesome views and great prices

• 

  Andrew U.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 20, 2020

  Aca Southeastern Section

  Non existent

  I lived under mellow mushroom and know for a fact that there is no tent camping here. There are paid parking lots on king and queen street, and have seen campers be able to stay there. But NO tent camping here in downtown Boone. Be better off trying to camp at local park or greenway I think, but there’s so much to offer around, find a nice tucked away spot like trash can falls less than 15 away from there.

• C

  Chelsea Y.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 4, 2016

  Asheville East KOA

  Asheville East KOA

  Very friendly staff! We tent camped and had a wonderful experience! No complaints on this campsite at all.

• Z

  Zack F.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 9, 2020

  Hickory Nut Falls Family Campground

  Great Family Owned Campground

  This is a great family owned camp ground everyone is very friendly but would love to see larger tent camping sites

• c

  cam M.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 25, 2021

  Ash Grove

  Wonderful Campground

  Tent camping comfort with mulched level sites…WiFi available…Owners live onsite,and always available…clean restrooms,hot shower…

• 

  Pam L.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 1, 2019

  Roan Mountain State Park Campground

  Excellent SP

  I'd have given RM a 5 star review except for the RV sites are small and so close together. We have a small camper, 15" including the tongue and I felt the site too small. The tent sites are lovely., large and more private. Next time we''ll see if we can get a tent site since our camper is so small. No hook ups on the tent sites, but hey we're camping. The staff was friendly and extremely accommodating. We had some severe weather during our visit. 45mph, horizontal rain and a power outage. The staff was right out after the storm to clean up and help out. Our traveling companions were in a tent and their site was in standing water. The staff hauled in gravel and made an elevated pad as well as helping to move the tent. Great service! The area is spectacular and has something for everyone.

• 

  John G.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 20, 2019

  Campfire Lodgings

  Best sunset view from an Asheville campground

  The campground is situated on a mountainside overlooking the French Broad river. Most of the sites are for RVs but they do have an assortment of tent sites. The premium RV sites have the awesome views. The tent site we stayed at had a nice carpet of grass and a good deal of space to spread out. Overall the campground was clean, quiet and a great place to chill out after a long day of hiking, rafting or whatever.

• p

  peter

  Traveler

  

  May. 17, 2021

  John H. Moss Lake Campground

  Nice small campground

  Stayed 1 night at a tent site.  Had a hot shower and facilities were nice.  Each site has a ring for fire/grill/ picnic table.   

  Only has 3 tent sites.  I don' think tent campers can stay at the others.  I didn't see the tent pad that they had at my site and just pitched the tent on the ground.

  FYI you have to call up to make reservations.  I arrived late and they gave me the code to the bathrooms over the phone and the wifi password.  

  you could hear road noise at night but didn't bother me.

• S

  Sonya A.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 21, 2020

  Hot Springs Campground

  Nice park

  Nice clean gated park. Nice big spots. Only 3 fifty amp full hook up sites. Lots of 30 amp and tent camping. Right on the river.