Best RV Parks & Resorts near Purlear, NC

On the Blue Ridge Parkway, nestled in the trees and mountains of North Carolina, this campground has been well maintained. Sites are ample but the asphalt pads were designed for shorter travel trailers, but include an extra pad for the tow vehicle. Many of the sites have upgraded concrete pads for the picnic table and built-in fire pits. There are no showers in the trailer (RV) loop, but does include a couple comfort station with flush toilets. Campground hosts were helpful and friendly. Sites are split between first come first serve and reservations. Payment at kiosk by credit card only.

The new owners have revamped this campground. From what I’ve heard, this wasn’t the place to go prior to the ownership change. The owners here care about everyone at the campground, and keep it nice and clean. They also expect their full time campers to keep their lots and campers in good condition. Both owners are very approachable and respectful. Campground is just a short hike to the Ararat River. Which is why the new name is Ararat River Campground. No tent camping, but 30 amp and 50 amp camper hookups are available with sewage. In the warm months the owner holds church services in the pavilion behind lot 12. Owners offer a flat monthly rate that includes water, electric, wifi, and campground maintenance.

5/21/23-6/22/23: We stayed a whole month ($500) to recuperate from our previous travels. Owner/manger, Brent Fowler, was a gracious and accommodating host. This is a new 110 acre campground which has only been open a few months (as of this writing). The grounds were well kept and new features are continually being added. There are full-hookups at each site (20/30/50A, water, sewer), high-speed WiFi, and 150 new trees have been planted around the perimeter. While there is presently no water at the dump station, there will be, but water can be used from nearby pull-through sites. Further, a bath-house with showers and laundry facilities are in the works. Mountain City is under 5 miles away and proved to be very convenient. 

Wildlife in the campground and surrounding area was abound with a variety of birds wakening us each morning, and deer that came into camp regularly. Red winged black birds, swallows, and Cardinals are all abundant and quite vociferous. This new campground has the most important quality down pat: Friendly and supportive ownership! We plan to return next year and will likely stay much longer.

We have been staying at Mtn River for about 3 years now and it’s become ‘home away from home’. You have your choice of river or mountainside sites. We prefer the river sites personally for the views & fishing. 

The campground owners are fantastic people who’ve become friends. They live on site and take great pride in the property. The property is always impeccable. They are always working. Such a gorgeous place!! The pond is in the center of the property- yes you can fish(catch& release). 

Areas setup with hammocks, corn hole, seating, etc. The new playground has been a big hit! Oh, and there’s also a dog park area. 

The bathhouses are super clean and have air conditioning. The laundry room is brand new with great units and also A/C. 

They incorporated additional activities this year over at the pavilion which our family has loved! Bingo, tie-dye t-shirts, food trucks, live music, and more! Our grandson loves to join us. Lots of kids and a great area for them to all play. 

Tubing the river is always a fun treat! You can bring your own tubes or rent from the campground. 

The camp store has expanded and features a mix of items- t-shirts, hats, hoodies, koozies, and more. As well as local jams, rubs, and other treats. They’re in the process of building a new office/camp store so we’re excited to see this complete. 

We have a 40’ fifth wheel. No problems every getting in. They accommodate all size rigs. All sites have a concrete pad, fire pit and very nice large picnic table. Sites are spacious and do not feel cramped like we've experienced at other campgrounds. 

Wi-Fi is generally pretty good. We’ve been able to work remote on some of our trips. We even had phone service our last trip(AT&T)! 

Lots to do in the area! Hiking, Linville Winery(yum!), Linville Caverns, Grandfather Mtn and so many other great places. The office staff can certainly provide plenty of recommendations, too. 

There are 2 grocery stores in town about 15min away. There’s also a local dollar store about 5min away. 

We cannot say enough good things about MRFC. We’ve met some great campers there who we now call friends. We truly love this place and already have bookings for next year!

General: Smallish campground (< 70 sites in two loops) with a mixture of water/electric and tent sites with no hookups, and also four yurts.

Site Quality: Some were back-in and some were pull-through. Gravel pads. Not a lot of separation between the sites. Some were more level than others but not a problem to make it work for us. 

Bathhouse: Heated! Clean. One shower in the bathroom plus additional shower rooms. Best place in the campground to catch a fleeting cell signal so it was not unusual to see people in the bathroom on their phones! 

Activities/Amenites: Hiking! Close to the AT. Unfortunately, the best trail IMO was the Cabin Creek Trail (it was also awarded one of the best 25 trails in the US) but it is not accessible directly from the campground. There is also a small country store, but it was not open when we were there. There is a small museum at the Visitor Center and well worth a trip there. There is also a dump station. 

There was an unseasonable cold snap when we were there in October (temps got down to mid-20s with wind chill in the teens) so even though we had planned on two nights there, once we hiked the Cabin Creek and Rhododendron trails, we decided to go to a lower elevation and warm up!

I picked this campground because it was very close to Blue Ridge Parkway. My plan was to ride my motorcycle through this beautiful area of NC, but the rain didn't cooperate this trip. I camped in site 112. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. This was a last minute reservation and they had limited availability. The site is not very level and very tight for my 32 foot RV. The site had full hookups (water, sewer, 30 amp electric) that worked great. I walked most of the campground and there are some great sites. Most are wooded and reasonably spaced. Quite a few long term campers, but the rigs and sites were all very well kept. At $64 per night it is a little pricey, for site 112, but probably not for the campground and area as a whole. No grill, just a tire rim for campfires and a picnic table.

Getting parked was a bit of a challenge to get things as level as possible and work around power stand and be able to get awning out to stay out of rain.

I would camp here again and recommend others give it a try. Lots to do in this part of the NC mountains.