The best camping near
St. Stephens , NORTH CAROLINA

Being right on the Parkway was awesome and provided some great driving and hiking close by.  The staff were very helpful.  We camped at C13 which was right across from the large playground in November.  No noise issues, but it was dark by 6:30pm.  May be different in the Summer.  My daughter had a blast and we could keep an eye on her while we worked/played at the site.

Ok so this place was just beautiful all around. It is close enough to town to get in and see some places near…. but far enough out that you have some quiet time. Sites were fair and the bath house near us was shut down. Next bathroom was to far to walk to but we made do. Overall great visual and be sure to go up to the town of Blowing Rock… really nice place. Terrible cell service so be prepared to dish out $8 a day for internet….

We camped in mind-September and had a great time. These are the cleanest bathrooms we’ve ever seen. The on-site store is a life saver and the hosts are very helpful. We will return.

Stayed here for 5 days in November 2020.

The road is gravel and dirt. No major potholes and easily navigable. Two cars/trucks and most likely two small to mid-sized RVs can squeeze by at the same time. If you take the road all the way to the end, about 2 to 2.5 miles, there is a huge asphalt parking lot(see pics). One caveat: there is a relatively narrow turn near the top of the lot, past the camping sites, that would be difficult for larger RVs. Then again many trucks hauling dirt bikes on trailers made it up to the parking lot. If they can, I imagine many lengthy vehicles probably could get through also.

This parking lot is mainly used by Off Highway Vehicles(OHV). That is, dirt bikes and four wheelers. The OHV trail starts at the parking lot, which is why on weekends it gets extremely busy. I'd say I saw upwards of 25 trucks and vans in November. Most leave before sundown. Some may occasionally camp. The OHV lot is far enough from the sites, about 0.5 miles, that you won't hear the bikers coming and going from the OHV trail. You will hear them when they pass your site on their way in and out. By the way, I believe you cannot camp at the parking lot though I did not try.

There are a handful of sites, all of which are of different sizes and shapes. All can accommodate tents with ease. Tables and fire rings are available in most though I didn't check them all. Some sites will fit trailers and trucks, especially if you squeeze them in. See pics of how a few campers did exactly that. Small RVs will fit in most sites, possibly by backing them in. The road is wide enough where backing in is possible, especially with assistance. I saw a large fifth wheel in one of the sites and a truck and trailer in another of the smaller sites(see pics).

There are two toilets about 100 feet apart. They are clean and toilet paper is supplied(see pics).

Phone reception and internet access are unavailable at the sites, or at least the one I was at. It's possible that with a booster you may get service. You will get service to make phone calls at the OHV trail parking lot. Internet is spotty.

Being a forest, trees abound. Depending on the site you are at, you may or may not get sunshine. The trees provide plenty of shade. This can be good and bad. My solar panels had to be moved every 15 to 20 minutes if I wanted them to provide full charge. A bit of a hassle but doable. I was able to charge my power station sufficiently.

As for groceries, there is a store diagonally across from the entrance of the forest. Unfortunately, it was only open during the weekend when I happened to be there. The Collettsville General Store is about 6 miles from the dispersed camping sites and a far better bet. If you're exiting the forest, turn left and keep going until you hit a T point. Turn right and it's immediately to your right. They are a fully stocked convenience store where you can also get pizza and sandwiches. The general store also serves as a gas station. And they're open 7 am to 9 pm to boot!

About 0.25 to 0.5 miles from the Collettsville General Store is the Hard and Flossie Clark Family Park, a public park, where phone reception is available. There are covered picnic tables so you can sit and surf(see pics). If you scout around you'll find a power outlet that is turned on. Enough to get routine tasks done while charging your laptop.

Collettsville also has a post office, which opens during the afternoon every day. I think from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Or it may be 12:30 to 4:30.

Happened upon this campsite not long after starting up the “105” fro the south. At only 2575’ it’s not high but the view is spectacular. Plenty of room for a couple of tents. Wouldn’t try with a RV though.

Very nice campground. Our RV site had plugs for 50 or 30 amp, which was convenient. The bath house is on the back of the little store, a short walk for the tent campers / longer walk from the RV sites. Bathrooms were VERY clean and spacious with plentiful hot water. The store sells ice cream as well as firewood bundles for the fire pits.

Beautiful Fall foliage. Miles of hiking trails connected directly to the campground. The Carter Falls trails are more moderate-intensity but definitely worth it. The trails headed east toward Elkin and Grassy Creek Winery are more of an easy hike, with plenty of beautiful hardwoods and creeks to cross. The winery itself was beautiful and worth the trip.

We also visited Elkin Creek Winery while we were there. You could hike it, about a 20-min walk from the campground, along the road. The road seemed pretty safe. We were tired, so we drove. The winery was gorgeous and the proprietors were so kind. We went on Sunday when they had brick oven pizza - reservations are required, since they have limited quantities. It was one of the best pizzas we’ve ever had (Bacon Brie and a build-your-own with basil, tomato, and mushroom).

For my first time camping, we got a great location. The tent site we got, we could hear the running water from the stream. Bathroom and shower are clean and has heated water. Our came site had a lot of rocks so it was hard to sleep at night. Would recommend talking a air bed.

You can’t check in late because the road in is through a neighborhood and is windy, narrow and dark early because of the surrounding area.

Within hours of being on our site on the creek my daughter was stung by a hornet 3x, we had maintenance come out and take care of the nest that was under the deck at our site.

The campground is very large and does have fishing ponds, hiking trails, and a playground. The pools are closed for season, the activity room is closed due to Covid, and you can’t rent any equipment for putt putt golf, tennis, or basketball right now. However, you may bring your own.

The roads around the campground need repaved, and are very busy. We tried to walk and ride around with our children but constantly had to get off the road or be cautious as cars came around the turns in the campground.

Primitive camping and a perfect uphill 1.9 mile hike to the top of the world! If you're going in the winter I recommend hiking poles for hiking in the snow.

Cushy campsites with electric and water. Rent a canoe here and take it out on the lake! Or hike the Boone Fork Trail, a 5 mile loop right across the parkway. Beautiful anytime of the year.