Best Glamping near Pisgah National Forest

This is a great campground next to the beautiful North Mills River. Hosts were very accommodating and delivered ice and firewood for a cheap price upon request. It rained quite heavily during our stay and the hosts made the rounds to make sure we were all right and if we needed anything. There is a walkway on the far end of the site that leads to the North Mills River, great for fishing, tubing, or just listening to the river babble. The private bathroom included on the group site was clean. The other shower/bathroom building that was a 5 minute walk away was exceptionally clean. The group site had ample parking for our three cars. Site also included 4 picnic tables, bear box to store food, water pump, and a fire pit with removable grill grate. Tons of extra space to play frisbee and other games. The campsite is a 25 minute drive from Pisgah National Forest, where we did some great waterfall and landscape hikes.

Just a stone’s throw from the bustle of Asheville, yet secluded enough to forget it all, this little gem is conveniently located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest.

I went camping here on November 2nd, just after half of the campground closes for the off season. Usually starting at $22 per night, after November 1st the prices get cut in half, so I stayed for $11 (hard to beat)! To pay you fill out a permit envelope, tear off the receipt, include your payment and insert it into a mailbox of sorts. Make sure to bring a writing utensil (I forgot one, but luckily my neighbors let me borrow theirs). You then simply place the receipt portion in the provided zip-lock bag on the number post in front of your site. Check-out time is noon.

Each site comes with a gravel platform for your tent, picnic table, bear box, and a fire pit with a grill top. I opted to set up my backpacking tent in the bed of my pickup, but the site was very clean and well maintained. The host made rounds in the evening and the following morning, and was very approachable and informative, and even gave out weather predictions for the coming days to those who asked. The bathroom facilities may be limited in the off-season due to being unheated, but they were open during my stay, and shower facilities are available during the regular season.

I had a blast enjoying the peace and serenity of the woods, smelling the autumn spice of decaying leaves and campfires, and listening to the babbling river that runs through the center of campground. The other occupants were quite mellow, with no unwanted noise or partying (not that it would be a deal breaker, everyone camps a little differently). In the morning I took a stroll through the recreation area and got to see the group sites; everything was pristine and gorgeous in the gleaming yellow sunlight. My pooch also enjoyed the area, and I was grateful for the free bags to pick up after her.

I would recommend this little spot to anyone looking for a quick getaway from the traffic and humdrum of the nearby townships, as well as visitors to the park. Hiking trails, fishing and hunting opportunities, and scenic waterfalls are all nearby, making the location prime. A big chain grocer is also just a 10 minute drive up the road, making it easy to grab last minute items you may have forgotten. I look forward to returning!

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.

Stayed here with a group . I van camped, a Bell Tent, Avion camper, Geodome , and mini house was rented. All pretty well maintained. There were a few electrical issues due to the crowd that arrived for a music event over the weekend. They sorta stick people all over the place when their busy. Beautiful view along the River. Bar and food truck with vegan options on site. We whitewater rafted, the guides were excellent and it was an awesome trip. The AT meanders along the River and is easily accessible from the campground. Be flexible if you stay here, their reservation system leaves a lot to be desired, but it is a very layed back and enjoyable stay.

Ranger Review: Eclipse Sun Sleeves at Harmon Den Area(Pisgah National Forest) https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=70836

There are a few dispersed camping sites at Harmon’s Den, and they are spacious sanctuaries beside Cold Springs Creek. Harmon Den is in Pisgah National Forest, and dispersed camping is allowed but only where there is a camping symbol posted along Cold Springs Creek Road. To get to the campsite, you have to get off on Exit 7 along Interstate 40 in North Carolina and travel a gravel road for several miles. You will not want to drive too fast since there are several potholes, washboards, and protruding rocks in the road. At the campsite, there is a fire ring, but there are no other facilities such as bathrooms, showers, electricity, running water, trash cans, camp store, firewood for sale, campground hosts, etc. It is pretty much just a space for camping. With that said, it offers all the exciting activities that national forests offer, such as fishing, biking, hiking, etc. Harmon Den is mostly known as a horse camp, although car camping without horses is a common occurrence. When I was there, I passed by a couple of car campers that did not have horses. I did see a few vehicles with horse trailers pass by on the road. Because it is a popular horse camping area, you have to watch where you step. At our campsite, there was horse poop in several places, and I had to watch my grandson closely so he didn’t step in a pile of horse manure. Expect to encounter horse flies as well. There was also lots of poison ivy, so that was another concern I had about my grandson running freely. Since there are no bathrooms, practicing LNT(Leave No Trace) is important. Unfortunately, there was lots of trash, but that was a teachable moment for my grandson, and we definitely left the campsite better than what we found it. Before it gets dark, make sure you know where you are going to take care of business when you have to get up in the middle of the night. That way, you can avoid stepping in the wrong place. There were also quite a few people fishing in the creek on the way to the campsite since the creek is a popular place for trout fishing. As a matter of fact, a wildlife officer came through our camp with a fishnet full of trout to stock the creek. She asked us if we brought our fishing poles. Unfortunately, that’s one thing I didn’t take camping with me. What was I thinking? Even with the horse poop and the poison ivy, it’s a great area for camping if you like solitude and the sounds of the creek throughout the night. Another reason to camp at Harmon Den is to visit Max Patch while you are there. I would suggest staying at least two nights so you can spend one day just enjoying Max Patch. It is a large mountain bald over which the Appalachian Trail crosses. I have been there in the past when people are having picnics, flying kites, or just lying on a blanket enjoying the magnificent scenery. If you go at the right time of year, one of the trails up to Max Patch will take you by wild blueberries and blackberries. As I stated earlier, the campsites are spacious, and it felt very peaceful just being there. 

Product Review: 

As a Dyrt Ranger I get to occasionally try out outdoor products while camping and this trip I brought Eclipse Sun Sleeves(https://eclipseglove.com/)..) As a stem cell transplant survivor from stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I can never be in the sun without adequate protection for the rest of my life. That’s why Eclipse clothing is perfect for me. Even in the middle of the summer, I have had to wear long sleeves and a broad-brimmed hat. I had earlier written a review for the Eclipse shawl, but with the Eclipse Sun Sleeves, I can finally wear my short sleeve shirts again. Since I love the outdoors and have some cool t-shirts, all I have to do is put on my sun sleeves and I am protected. The only thing I could see that might need improving would be to figure out how to keep the upper part to stay up. It wasn’t that much of a problem, and I don’t how the company could solve it, but overall, the sun sleeves are great. I would further like to say that because of sun sleeves, those who are allergic to the sun have one less excuse not to go outdoors in the sun..

While 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!

What a weekend! My family desperately needed a COVID safe getaway so we decided to retreat to the woods. Cherryfield Luxury Group Camping exceeded our expectations. The shelters and grounds were prestine and the covered platforms were definately the way to go car camping. Our tents stayed neat and the covered shelter kept us dry and cozy as we watched the rain on our second night without a fly on our tent. This campsite has thought of everything. There are grills an firepits beside each platform (each platform is large enough for 3 four person tents) and there are two common shelters with electricity and GORGEOUS bathrooms. It is funny to say, but the bathrooms were nicer than many hotels we've stayed at... large tiled shower with digital temperature controls, excellent water pressure from the large rain shower head, and, as a bonus, surround shower heads for that extra special something. I have never been excited by a shower or bathroom at a campground, but I made sure to shower before leaving because the experience was so zen. There is ample lawn space to play games, set up additional tents, and spread out for privacy, even during larger group gatherings. There are grills and grill tops by each fire pit making campfire or grill cooking easy, but delicious local restaurants just 10 minutes away also offer catering style menus that makie car camping and group gatherings even easier (the local BBQ and Italian were terrific). The grounds are meticulously kept and there are sturdy bear boxes to protect food and trash to help keep unwanted visitors from troubling guests. While we enjoyed some activities away from Cherryfied, we could have easily spent the entire weekend at the campsite. Not only are the grounds spectacular, but there is an easy walking trail to a lovely moss covered waterfall just steps away from the campgroud. The sound of the waterfall can be heard from the campground. It added ambient atmosphere and lulled us to sleep each night. The hosts were terrific and offered many suggestions for take out meals and activities. My only criticism is that the weekend went by too quickly. I did not realize how much my family needed an escape of this sort until we got the Cherryfield. I recomment Cherryfield without reservation. Take good care of this special place. We cannot wait to return.

   We camped at Emberglow campground for a long weekend the third week of April 2022. The campground is amazing. We all had a wonderful time. There was a combination of Camping trailers, and one family rented a Tiny House. The house was beautiful. The bath house and bathroom facilities at the campground were pristine. They were completely tiled and very clean. There were multiple activities for children including a bounce pad, playground and ball pit. The swimming pool was lovely and scheduled to open the next weekend. There are also tent sites available. Some of the RV sites had outdoor kitchens with sinks and propane tanks. Each site had a picnic table and fire ring. Our site had a gravel base. The close proximity to Chimney Rock and Lake Lure is an added bonus. The owners and staff were very friendly and helpful, but unobtrusive. I highly recommend Emberglow Campground.

Really cute campground just a short jaunt to the beautiful multi-level Catawba Falls hike in the Pisgah National Forest. We stayed in a tent site VERY close to a rushing creek of cool water. The sound definitely helped put me to sleep!

The tent sites all have a tent pad, camp ring, trash can, and picnic table provided. This site had a bit more privacy than others we saw and was on the other side of the property from the RV area, which also included a playground, bathrooms, showers, and small store. There are also small tiny cabins to rent out which is great if you had a large group and not everyone was down for roughin' it. Some tent sites were also close to shared pavilions which were very nice to use during the rainy weekend we experienced! We appreciated the hot showers since we were outside hiking all day but wanted to hit up some sights in Asheville that evening without looking too worn out.

The people who run the camp were extremely nice and helpful -- we arrived later than expected in a downpour thunderstorm and they were able to accommodate us and transfer us and our bags from the car to the site via golf cart.