Best Dog-Friendly Camping near W. Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir

This campground was pristine - from the moment we turned the corner, until the moment we left!  

We met Kimberly within seconds of pulling on the property.  She was incredibly kind and made us feel at home immediately.  As tent campers, she told us our best choices were a 30 amp site on the river ($50) or a 30-amp site off the river ($44).  These prices are steep for tent camping, but include 2 adults, kids and pets.  Additional adults come with a fee, but we were happy the kids were included.  Not only were the pets included, but they have a dog park area that they can run free and stretch their legs!  

We came into the cute little office where Kimberly gave us a campground map (which was painted by a resident camper glass blower) and told us about her property. Several items were on sale inside the store, including many shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. They also sell kids fishing poles, stickers and even a fresh coffee cup machine.  They have recently renovated the bathhouse (wait until you see it!) they have a library with books and games, an outdoor sink to wash dishes etc. and even a laundry room that operates on the honor system.  How great is that!  I thought it was wonderful that we could wash a wet sleeping bag or a quick load of stinky hiking clothes if necessary!  Kimberly explained that they have a pretty good mix of short and long term campers (primarily RV's) and even a cute little cabin that can be rented.  

Kimberly said that they choose not to allow on-line bookings to maintain the atmosphere that they desire.  You can call, or submit a request, but they want to have a conversation with you before booking.  The campground was calm, friendly and so so clean.  Campers were friendly, the campground host was as kind as could be, and so proud about her new bathrooms.  (See below).  This is the kind of campground we would feel good about our kids biking around in the evening as they chase fire flies and meet new friends!  

The campground was located on the river, but the slope was challenging from several sites.  With kiddos, I may prefer a site closer to the road because it was nearly a flat walk out to the river.  We will surely be back!

Great campground! We are tent campers and loved our time here! There are A LOT of spots in a small area. That would be my only complaint if you want to call it that. The campgrounds clean and the owners are super nice and helpful. We have a dog and love the dog park! The bathrooms are very clean and nice! I would definitely recommend this campground!

We stayed here for vacation last year. There’s a nice dog park, and the facilities are clean. My only negative was that they had us camp up on the top of the hill and it was difficult to navigate back down, with some very sharp turns for our fifth wheel. They seemed to have some nice amenities, and the staff was very friendly.

I’m not even sure you can call this a campground! A majority of those staying here were in top of the line campers. It truly felt like a community. There are two bath houses, a dog park, an activity center, and a river flowing behind the sites. It was beautiful and had a cheery atmosphere. They even had WiFi! I was definitely spoiled here.

This is our local park so we're a bit spoiled. It was perfect for our first outing in our new 34' travel trailer. Plenty of shade in the campground which unfortunately makes backing a challenge in some sides dodging the trees. The park has great mountain biking, walking/hiking trails, horseback riding, gold, swimming, playgrounds and a great dog park. It's the place we go on the weekend as locals and a great place to visit for campers. Hosts were extremely friendly and do a fantastic job keeping the sides clean and cleared of even the smallest twigs and branches from the tree.

I typically steer clear of KOA's because most of the sites are super close together. This KOA is different! There is a row towards the front that are pretty close together, but I think they use those for one-nighters. We were in a tent and loved our spot. The staff was UNBELIEVABLY awesome and nice. They have a pool, a pond, a playground, a dog park, and a great camp store. The bathrooms and laundry room are exceptionally clean. If you order ice or firewood, they bring it to your site. They also have food you can order and they will bring it to your site. I am sure there are many things I am forgetting, but this is a must stay and we will be back.

This campground is beautiful! Plenty to do from petting zoo, fishing, live music, etc.. Staff was amazing and made our family feel welcomed from the start DEFINITELY booking again soon

This was a heart site! Very well kept and clean! The owners were very friendly. Has a Dollar general for any last minute needs less than 1 mile away. Pet friendly!

The pool was closed and so was the game room and kitchen. The bathroom and store was a long walk from our tent and so was the pet are. The road noise was bad. And the store had no suplise. The staff was not kind

Our site and bathhouse was clean. I just wish we had camped closer to the river. However it was rice to have a fire and just sit under the stars. Also they have a pole there to hold your pets while setting up. I think we will go back.

We were traveling form ma to SC. I needed a place to rest for the night and we went here. Unfortunately during the night or cat got out and we didn't realize it until morning. The staff there went out of there way to look for our cat unfortunately we didn't find him. We are grateful for all they did including a couple of free nights so we could continue to look for our cat

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!

This is a park well worth a visit! Lots of hiking opportunities. Great views! The ponies are extra cute. Please respect the distance advice and don't feed them. We witnessed a lady attempting to pet the stallion of the herd, not respecting his signs to make her back off. Eventually HE will get into trouble for being protective of his herd, because of some disrespectful visitors. That is just dangerous and sad. As a general information: my photos of the ponies were all taken with a telephoto lens.

Fancy Gap CC is a great small campground with a rustic hotel, cabins, tent camping, and RV/Trailer hook ups. I've stayed here before tent camping, which was nice. This time I was caught in traffic and they had a cabin available, better than pitching a tent in the dark and rain. The cabins are sturdy, very clean, pet friendly, and complete with a refrigerator/microwave and coffee maker. The bath house is relatively new and kept very clean. The whole campground is tidy. You can tell tell the owners love the place. If Fancy Gap is relatively close to your travel plans, I highly suggest you visit for yourself.

I was looking for a campground in the latter half of April and so many of the NF and NP campgrounds were not yet open. My plans had been up in the air, so I hadn’t made reservations anywhere. Jumped on The Dyrt and located this KOA just off the Blue Ridge Parkway that was ideally located for my exploration of the area AND I was able to make a late reservation on a weekday night. The campground was much busier when I departed on a Friday morning. 

Like many KOAs, this has a combination of tent sites and well-equipped RV sites, ranging from back-in to pull-through as well as cabins. I’ve stayed at a few, but not many KOAs and this one had some amenities that I think are worth calling out. In addition to a pet play area, there are a few sites(51, 43& 45) with pet backyards, fenced in areas for your pet to roam and play. For the tent sites there are a couple (T84& T86) with a shared covered kitchen area plus sail-style awnings. There’s also a separate kitchen pavilion for the all campers near site 83. I didn’t explore the seasonal sites, but they are available and somewhat separate from the short-term campers. 

There’s a small camp store, laundry room, clean bathrooms with showers. Firewood can be delivered to your site. They’ll lead you to your site and help you get situated if necessary. I was in site 10, a back-up site with a slight incline. It was quiet apart from the creaking trees during a windstorm😊. 

In peak season, there’s a pool, a small pond (catch& release unless you want to pay), ping pong, rock mining, etc. They have great wifi (they sent a text to campers to let them know they were working to get the cable restored, but in the meantime people could use the wifi to stream movies if needed). I didn’t have a need to use it as I was able to get what I needed on my phone(Verizon). 

If you’re traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway, you may want to make this an overnight stop or use it as a base to explore in different directions. I went online and discovered that Mt Airy(of Andy Griffith fame), was nearby, so I wandered into NC to explore that. I also drove along the Parkway and enjoyed Mabry’s Mill(a lot of activities were closed due to COVID, but I expect they’ll start returning to former levels as restrictions ease). On an early trip, I recall learning about making moonshine as well as the functions of the scenic mill.