31 campgrounds with availability next weekend
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Glendale Springs provides access to multiple camping areas ranging from developed state parks to primitive backcountry sites. The region includes established campgrounds like New River State Park's Wagoner Access and Stone Mountain State Park, both offering tent and RV camping with various hookup options. Several locations along the Blue Ridge Parkway, including Julian Price Park Campground and Doughton Park Campground, provide seasonal camping options with scenic mountain views. Mixed-use campgrounds like Blue Bear Mountain Camp accommodate diverse camping styles with tent sites, RV hookups, cabins, and glamping options.
Road conditions and camping access vary significantly by season throughout the area. The Blue Ridge Parkway campgrounds typically operate from April through October, with closures during winter months. "The Blue Ridge Parkway is an incredible drive, my favorite section is south of this campground in North Carolina," noted one visitor to Doughton Park. Many sites require advance reservations, especially during peak fall foliage season when the region's popularity surges. Weather conditions can change rapidly at higher elevations, with summer temperatures remaining pleasant while spring and fall bring considerable temperature variations. Cell service is limited or non-existent in many camping areas, particularly in more remote sections of national forest land, requiring advanced planning for navigation and emergencies.
Campers consistently highlight the waterfront locations and mountain views as standout features of the region's campgrounds. Sites along creeks and rivers receive particularly positive reviews, with many visitors appreciating the sound of running water at New River State Park and Blue Bear Mountain Camp. According to one camper, "The campground is very beautiful. You have to walk in but the park provides little carts and wheelbarrows. The sites and the bathhouse are very well maintained." While some developed campgrounds offer modern amenities including showers and electrical hookups, others maintain a more rustic atmosphere with basic facilities. Wildlife sightings are common throughout the area, with several reviewers mentioning encounters with deer. For those seeking true solitude, dispersed camping options exist on public lands farther from established campgrounds, though these areas require proper preparation and adherence to leave-no-trace principles.
"You have to walk in but the park provides little carts and wheelbarrows. The sites and the bathhouse are very well maintained. The park host, Tom Keller, was just fantastic."
"We were too far away from the water to walk, so we missed out on that, which we were looking forward to, but overall a really nice experience."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $27 - $72 / night
"But, ya know North Carolina summers."
"The site also had a huge area for the picnic table and the fire ring is far away from your camper. There was a huge grassy area behind our site with a creek, lots of space for our dog."
Available next weekend
from $17 - $72 / night
"Campground Review: There are two campgrounds in Grayson Highland SP which is located by The Mouth Of Wilson, VA, near the North Carolina border."
"With camping just a moderate day hike away from Mount Rogers, the highest point in Virginia, this campground is a hiker's paradise."
from $27 - $98 / night
"It offers RV, drive in and hike in tent sites and also teepee camping."
"There is a place to wash dishes outside as well. Fantastic walking trails - some parts quite steep but we got a good workout through the woods on the property."
from $25 - $136 / night
"On the Blue Ridge Parkway, nestled in the trees and mountains of North Carolina, this campground has been well maintained."
"The Doughton Park campground off of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a great place to spend the night without if you are driving along the Parkway and don't want to venture too far off course."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $30 - $45 / night
"Julian Price Park is a beautiful campground just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. We enjoy this campground on the weekends throughout the fall and spring as it is less occupied."
"This campground is on a beautiful lake. There is no swimming on the lake(its pretty shallow) but awesome for kayaking and paddleboarding."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $30 / night
"There’s plenty of swings throughout the campground for people to enjoy a long with basketball court, bourse shoes, fishing, frisbee golf, walking trails, a massive field that my daughter loved playing"
"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."
"Swimming, kayaking, boat launch, small hiking trail. Sites have a fire pit, picnic table (it’s really heavy!) and a grill. I loved how each site is fairly unique."
"My wife and I biked/ ran the trails nearby. Our dogs loved walking around the campground. Some nice wooded tent sites that a very large areas. Our spot was a two level site."
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $20 - $85 / night
"Twin rivers campground is located in Crumpler NC on the river. It is a primitive campground with both RV and tent sites. "
"It seems a little bit of a sketchy drive into the primitive sites, but no one had any problems as far as I know—we certainly didn’t!"
"I enjoyed the drive out to this site, it is far enough off of the beaten path but still close to town. The site is a very easy drive to Boone and Tweetsie Railroad."
"The only down side is that the tent sites are road side…so when the campers pull in and out you hear them hitting the gas."
GuideNeed an overnight stay on 81/77 this is the place. Booked is call them complete the reservation via Campspot app which they use so I had to download it. Place had plenty of sites pull through which I didnt need but they were so accommodating. I had a perfect view of mountains and cow pasture Relaxation and sleep close to bathhouse and office. They also have propane fill for your camper
ScoutNobody was here on Sat. Had gard time finding site. Site reserved did not have 30 amp and could not reach staff. Moved to other site hoping it would not be a problem. We were able to finally reach staff on Mon. Also no pcknick tables or fire rings.
ScoutGreat camping spot! Road isn’t horrible going up but there are some rougher areas toward the end of the road. Gorgeous sunset and sunrise spot! Fire rings seemed fairly abundant at the pull offs.
ScoutLet me first start by saying that this campground is absolutely beautiful. I have lived in this area my entire life and the Doe is one of my favorites. I am a avid camper and have camped all over this area. I decided to give this place a try, I own a small pop-up camper and knew it was going to get cold 10/20/2026-10/22/2026, so me and my sister rented the RV at Doe River. #1 check in is not until 3pm, I always order a load of wood from a local guy who delivers to camp sites, I do all my cooking in a Dutch oven over the fire or burgers and dogs in the fire, what is a camping trip without a nice warm fire. The owner came over to my campsite and asked if I had ordered this wood and I replied yes, she then asked what I was going to do with it all, I replied I am going to burn it. So, I told Carl (the wood guy) where to stack it, the owner then said that I need to leave it in my truck bc if I didn't use it all I would have to put it back on my truck and take it home with me, I said really? It's just a unspoken rule that if you don't use all your wood that you pay it forward and leave it for the next camper?? She said absolutely not, So we moved the wood from his truck and into mine. She then asked again why I needed so much wood and that most ppl just buy small bundles from her. And just like that I understood! Carl the wood man and his wife also made a comment about how rude she was about the wood. It does not end there, Not only does she have camaras on some of the out blds which I get, but I don't get why they are pointing directly at camp sites, We felt like we were in a fish bowl the entire time. Every single time we went to the bathroom she showed up abt 5 mins later, There is a camara right above the bathroom door, One on the pavilion, and one on each side of the bathhouse, at the entrances and who know where else. So much for privacy in the great outdoors. I didn't even feel comfortable hiking, we felt like we were being watched constantly. She was constantly there, walking her dog which was not friendly and so big she could hardly control him on the leash which was really scary, she also was driving through several times throughout the day. Then came the kicker, about 1 o'clock in the morning we were freezing, I had turned the heat on in the camper before going to bed and heard it come on, Well the propane ran out between 11pm and 1am, I called her at least 10 times we had every blanket and was still freezing, We decided we would go to the bath house bc it had a mini split hanging on the wall, Out of luck there, it was set on air conditioning with no way to change it, so we found a blow dryer trying to get warm, still the entire time trying to call the owners, We finally ended up in our car until the husband arrived. He acted so annoyed at us and said all u have to do is fip the switch on the propane tanks outside! We had never stayed in a travel trailer before and according to them all we had to do was show up and start glamping!! So, I was supposed to know to go outside at 1 am and switch over propane tanks?? No, It should have been FULL when I got there!!! With attitude he said,"Its Basic Camping" No sir it's not, what I do is basic camping, I was told on the phone that I was glamping, She, the owner also said we should have called 911 when we could not get hold of them so that Carter County police officers could come and wake them up!!! Not sure if that is putting our tax dollars to good use?? Like I said it is truly a beautiful place and has great potential, we left that second night at 11pm because again the heat was not working, we have not asked for any refund we just took the loss. it would be to much of a hassle. We just know better next time. With owners like that they can keep it. Windy Wells/Debra Price
Traveler3 stars only because it says water hookups but they are far and few between communal. No spigot at individual sites. Need long hose(s)to reach the connection. Good T-Mobile 5G but too wooded for StarLink. Quiet, shady, somewhat level sites were available. $20/night.
TravelerThe road was very bumpy but I got up on my 2WD Honda Odyssey. A couple people came during the day to take photos, but the night was peaceful. A couple campsites on the drive up, less secluded though. View was gorgeous and the sunset was amazing. Amazing spot for stargazing.
ScoutMy husband and I arrived at Doe River Landing for 3 nights and enjoyed everything the resort offered. While there we read the 2 reviews posted by Kylie T, and by Andrew W, who gave the resort a 1 star rating. Not knowing the facts that caused the rating by them, and occurred prior to us, we approach the owner and asked.
The owner showed us videos from their security cameras. These adults has stated in Kylie T review and confirm by Andrew W review that they were a group of 20 adults and "every single one of us is over 21 and family". So why are these adults playing "hide and seek" under the pavilion as they stated? Andrew W stated, "It was not blocked off", yet they had to crawl on the ground and around bushes to get under the pavilion. When the owner yelled at them approximately 10 adults that were under the pavilion crawled out which was captured on the security cameras. Andrew W stated in his review the owner called them hooligans, which is rowdy, destructive persons and from the security cameras, that description is correct. There was no mention of damages in their reviews such as the Adirondack chair they broke or possible damage to the water pipes and electric wires under the pavilion, which the owner was currently checking.
Once we read these two reviews by Kylie T and Andrew W and saw the owners security videos, we felt future customers deserved to know another opinion based on our findings.
These entitled adults justified their review of a 1 star by stating they paid money to use the campground.
I would ask these adults "why do you think it is OK to treat someone else's property in this destructive way?"
GuideSeems to be a well established campground in an off the beaten path location. Roads alternately paved and gravel. The campsite is gravel in a wooded setting. Fair amount of space between sites. The bathhouse is clean but dated.
ScoutWe brought our whole family out and rented almost every cabin on the property, plus the event center, for the weekend— we gave this place a lot of business. And honestly, the stay itself was great— nice place, no complaints about the cabins. The owner is the problem. He came flying in in his blue F-150 doing 20–30 mph where the posted speed limit is 5, and started screaming at us over something that could've been handled with a simple conversation. His exact words:"Where are your parents? This is a family establishment. I will not have hooligans running around here." Every single one of us is over 21 and family. All we were doing was playing hide and seek— which isn't against any of the property's rules— and there were no other guests to disturb, since we had the entire area rented. He still threatened to call the police, even though it wasn't even quiet hours. Before anyone could get a word in, he peeled out so fast the gravel sprayed up at us and our cars. Then on his way out he drove the wrong way down the property's one-way road, so apparently the rules only apply to guests. It's sad, because the property itself is great, and we were never anything but nice to the owners the whole weekend. To be treated in such an unprofessional manner— screamed at, threatened, and never given so much as an apology afterward— put a real dent in the weekend. We won't be back
Camping opportunities near Glendale Springs vary from small backcountry sites to larger established campgrounds, with elevations ranging from 1,200 to 3,800 feet throughout the area. The region sits at the intersection of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the New River watershed, creating distinct microclimates between valley and ridge camping locations. Temperature differentials between ridge and valley campsites can reach 15°F during summer months.
Trail access from camps: Hickory Ridge Campground provides immediate access to multiple hiking paths. "Great hikes and area for the family. Beautiful scenery and some great swimming holes," notes a Stone Mountain visitor. Many trails are accessible directly from campsites, eliminating driving to trailheads.
Fishing opportunities: Campers at waterfront sites often fish directly from their campsites. "We caught a trout in the pond right away," reports a visitor to Blue Bear Mountain Camp. Access to stocked waters is available year-round at some locations, though seasonal regulations apply.
Stargazing conditions: The higher elevation campgrounds offer excellent night sky viewing with minimal light pollution. "I was very much hoping to take photos of the night sky, but there was a storm with wild winds and cold," explains one camper at Hickory Ridge. The best viewing conditions typically occur September through November when humidity levels drop.
Campsite privacy: Stone Mountain State Park Campground offers sites with natural screening. "We camped at RV site 40 and I think it's the best. There's a roaring large creek that flows behind the site and a grassy field full of deer beside it," one visitor shares. Distance between sites varies significantly across the region.
Water features: Many campers specifically choose sites with water access. At Twin Rivers Family Campground, "Our site (#3) was right on the New River. There are some permanent sites, tent sites, RV sites, and several primitive sites." Water proximity provides both recreational opportunities and natural white noise.
Cooler temperatures: The region's higher elevations provide relief during summer months. "The elevation is high so weather is nice for those trying to escape the summer heat," notes a visitor to Blue Bear Mountain Camp. Another camper adds, "70-80 in July!" Temperature advantages are most noticeable June through August.
Access considerations: Several campgrounds have challenging entry roads. A Blue Bear Mountain Camp visitor warns, "The state maintained gravel road used to access campground was narrow and would be difficult to get a large camper up there, although there were lots of large ones there." Road conditions worsen after heavy rainfall.
Seasonal availability: Fort Hamby Park operates seasonally like many area campgrounds. "We camped there toward the end of October 2018. Campsites are level and plenty long enough. Bathhouse was extremely clean," reports one visitor. Most primitive sites close by early November, while some developed campgrounds remain open year-round.
Wildlife management: Bears are active in the region. At Doughton Park, "We were told by a ranger we talked with earlier in the day that this campground might be closed for the season but the gates were open." Another camper mentions, "This was the only place we saw bears but not in our campsite just wandering in another loop." Proper food storage is mandatory.
Kid-friendly campgrounds: Raccoon Holler Campground offers extensive family activities. "Family-friendly campground with plenty of fun activities for kids. Playground, fishing pond, disc golf, recreation and game area, and ice cream trailer," notes one visitor. Most family-oriented sites require reservations 2-3 months in advance during peak season.
Swimming options: Several campgrounds feature water access for swimming. A Fort Hamby visitor shares, "It was quite hot, so we spent some time at the nice lake beach that is part of the park. A good spot to cool off!" Swimming areas are typically unguarded, and some require short hikes from campsites.
Interactive nature programs: Some parks offer ranger-led activities for children. At Hickory Ridge, "Plenty to keep kids and adults alike entertained, whether it's exploring the homestead area, looking for ponies, taking short hikes, geocaching, or playing games on the open field area." Program schedules vary seasonally and by day of week.
Hookup variations: Wagoner — New River State Park offers diverse hookup options. "Small campground with a handful of FHU sites. Some sites have patio area on 'wrong' (street) side instead of curb side, so take a look at Google satellite map when booking. Sites 3, 7, 10 are among the best," advises one RVer. Site orientation affects awning deployment and outdoor living space.
Leveling challenges: Terrain throughout the region creates leveling issues. At Raccoon Holler, a camper notes, "The site is not very level and very tight for my 32 foot RV." Another explains, "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." Carrying extra leveling blocks is recommended.
Dump station access: Several campgrounds offer dump stations with varying availability. "Nice looking camp in a beautiful area. Didn't stay but did use the dump station for $17, so wanted to update info," mentions a visitor to New River State Park. Year-round dump stations are limited, especially during winter months when water systems may be winterized.
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Glendale Springs, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, Glendale Springs, NC offers a wide range of camping options, with 267 campgrounds and RV parks near Glendale Springs, NC and 17 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Glendale Springs, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Glendale Springs, NC is Wagoner — New River State Park with a 4.4-star rating from 17 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Glendale Springs, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 17 free dispersed camping spots near Glendale Springs, NC.
What parks are near Glendale Springs, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 25 parks near Glendale Springs, NC that allow camping, notably Blue Ridge Parkway and W. Kerr Scott Dam & Reservoir.
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