Davidson River Campground

Spent a very rainy night here before backpacking the Art Loeb trail, it's pretty basic but a nice facility - bathrooms could have been cleaner but were ultimately fine. It's a good option in a beautiful area.

I’ve been here a few times but just now writing a review. Every time I go, it’s always clean and quiet. Great place to just relax and have base camp to many hikes in the area. It is also within 5 minutes to Brevard and breweries in the area.

Davidson River Campground is perfectly situated for outdoor activities, plenty of hiking (Art Loeb Trail), good fishing, mountain biking and climbing available all within a stone's throw from camp. Sites by the river can get a little crowded, more secluded sites are in the outer loops. There is a nice swimming hole at camp and the bathhouses are well kept.

The campsites were a good size! My group was very impressed because the bathrooms were cleaned daily!

We had a fabulous Memorial Day weekend at Davidson River Campground.  We were #38 on the Appletree loop.  I got the last available site when I booked it a few months out and assumed that it would not be the best on in campground and/or loop. Someone must have canceled because it was a great spot.  We weren't on the river, but there was plenty of privacy and room.   I liked our loop, some of the others (especially on the other side of the main road) were much closer together without as much vegetation between spots.  After riding bikes through the entire campground, I'd say Laurel loop is the best. 

We braced for a packed holiday campground but the weather kept it slower than I think it would have been otherwise.  There was no issue with noise from kids or rowdy adults. The temperature dropped significantly the day we came (and rose the day we left), so the kids did not do much swimming.  But there is a nice swimming hole where we waded in the water.  A lot of people were fishing.  The exercise loop by the river was nice for short hikes and the art loeb trailhead was nice for longer ones.  The kids rode their bikes a good bit, too. 

The location can't be beat.  It is so close to hiking, biking, tubing, rafting, and fishing.  Sliding Rock is right down the road. Brevard is a quick drive if forget anything or want to explore the town or breweries.  

We have Version and could typically send a text message or two, but not much internet searching.

The campground is in a wonderful location for hiking the area’s numerous waterfalls and exploring Brevard. The campground was well maintained. As stated in prior reviews choose your site carefully as some loops would be very tight for large RVs to navigate and have overhanding tree branches. We stayed in the Sycamore loop which appeared to accommodate bigger RVs. Also not all sites have electricity and none have water, each loop has a water hydrant. I would have given the campground a higher rating except the dump station did not have water to flush our tanks. Upon checking out we were told the water was turned off at the dump station and we would need to go to the Sycamore loop to get water to flush our tank then drive back to the dump site. There was nothing posted to instruct campers this would be necessary.

Lots of good places to eat in downtown Brevard- Square Root & Morning Social, several good breweries, Ingles is the best place for groceries. Cellar service for Verizon and ATT was one bar at best during our stay at the campground.

General: 159 site campground in eight loops along the (duh) Davidson River. There are a variety of sites: some have electric hookups, some are double sites, some are reservable and some are first come, first available and, in the Poplar Loop, generators are prohibited. Most are back-in but there are some pull-thru sites. Upon check-in, we were instructed that we had to back into our site unless we had a pull-thru. While the sites along the river might be more desirable, they are also closer to the road so you will hear road noise. 

Site Quality: We camped in the Poplar Loop and most of the sites appeared level. Each had a tent pad, and the drive was paved. Lots of trees created a sense of separation and privacy between sites. We didn’t know when we reserved that this loop did not allow generators but was thrilled when we discovered this! 

Bathhouse: Basic (in the Poplar Loop, two stalls, one sink, and one shower) but clean enough. Some of the bathrooms in other loops (Hemlock) appeared newer but I didn’t check out the inside. 

Activities/Amenities: Mountain biking, fishing, and a small swimming beach. A couple of hiking trails from the campground and others nearby plus many others in the area. The English Chapel (a United Methodist Church) is accessed from the Hemlock Loop or a pedestrian bridge on US 276. Services are held Sunday mornings at 9 am. Firewood and ice are available 8 am – 8 pm and the Ranger Station across the street is open 9 am– 5 pm seven days a week. Since cell service was extremely limited (to non-existent), it was helpful to chat with the rangers for recommendations on hikes. It was appreciated that there were aluminum and plastic recycling bins 

While we would have liked to have stayed here two nights, we were lucky to secure a one-night reservation here on a Friday in late October, especially since there was a big mountain biking race nearby.

Gravel campsite with paved entrances, 30/50 electric, and picnic table. Situated on the edge of the beautiful Pisgah National Forest. Ranger station nearby. Brevard just outside gate. Waterfalls abound. Sites situated close to bathhouses with warm showers, sinks. This is black bear country. Hiking trails.

We were only passing through… it was a overnight stop on our trip. Great location very wooded and spacious. Had Wi-Fi in the public parking. For us no signals for cellular. Our site was very level didn’t need the do much leveling the rig. In the short time there, we explore DuPont state park-Trek some short trail to the Falls. Our children love it … one of them is a big (hunger games fan) All in all it is a great place we will have to get back to explore more!

This was my second time to this campground.

I have loved staying here both times.

The fishing is excellent, but near the campground is fished pretty hard.  

Right down the road is some nice ice cream shop and food.  It's sort of a perfect spot.  

The sites are far enough apart, and the campground is mostly flat and huge.  

It's great for riding a bike.  

Some sites are really shaded and some sites are more wide open.  

If it's warm , you can go down near the back of the campground and there is a great swimming hole.  There were a lot of people skipping rocks, and playing in the water down there.   

It's a great campground!

Very awesome campground! It’s secluded, quiet, and sits right off the river. It’s also very close to town in case you need anything.

Great campground, clean facilities, private shower stalls/rooms. Potable water and dumpster access close to sites. Peaceful stay, no issues. Firewood for sale at gate.

Beautiful campground and good RV pads with electrical hookup. Highway road noise from across river can be distracting but the trails along stream bank make it a unique place to camp. Very close to Parkway access, museums and fishing.

Pretty cool place to camp. A little pricey in my opinion. Couldn’t do anything at the box, such as pay because of COVID precautions. Had to leave the property to buy the campsite because they wouldn’t allow us to purchase a camp spot there and there was no service. Tons of places to camp; one of those packed ones. It was fairly empty when we went. Quiet. They have a raccoon problem. So what. We met one of the camp daddies. He was so so so cool. His name was Bruce. His wife was also from OH. we bonded over OH and white water rafting in WV. The trails nearby are very nice.

A very quiet mid-week camping break along the river near the English Church in Pisgah Forrest. It was very quiet with little noise from the main road at night. Not many campers while we were there but we ended up parking next to a host site. Bathroom was warm but could have used a good clean. We had a lot of rain and closed up the site in between rain storms so this wasn't an excellent break but not something that will stop us from returning. We hiked along the river and found a swimming area that would be perfect in the hot summer months when the sun is out and the days are long.

Quiet and gorgeous along the Davidson River. Nestled in the Pisgah National Forest. The camp hosts are the best. You can hike, mountain bike, fish and tube. Sliding rock is just up the highway and so is the Blue Ridge Parkway. Watch for bears and raccoons. Sites are huge and most of the loops are wooded.

There's so much to do and see in this area. The camp is on a river and has access to nice trails. I believe the camp even has its own Sunday chapel. There's 100s of waterfalls and trails to hike. Near the blue ridge parkway.

Beautiful setting an each campsite is secluded enough from your neighbor. Lots of trails for hiking and waterfalls to visit

Davidson River campground is huge, yet you feel like you are in your own private nook in Pisgah N.F. the layout and forrest work to make your site very private from your neighboring site. Best part about this campbis it's proximity to Sliding Rock, a natural waterslide over a 60 ft boulder in the river that is as fun as it is amazing. And the many other hiking trails that lead to other beautiful waterfalls. Looking glass falls is a site to see and play in the water. Whole family had fun on this trip and it was our second time at Davidson River Campground. Day trips into Asheville and to Biltmore Estate are easy as well. My favorite part is this campground is only a mile or two from the ranger station with educational stuff and a good souvenir shop in one direction and town in the other with restraunts, grocery store, Wal-Mart, fishing outfitters, and bicycle shops.

We have stayed here a few times, and it makes a big difference where you camp.

Apple tree and dogwood loops are congested & poorly vegetated, thus not feeling private at all.

Poplar (the only generator-free loop!) is wooded and spaced nicely. Our large van fit very comfortably. Highly recommended. The roadside campsites are also wooded and less crowded, and closer to the river trail and swimming hole.

Overall this was a great campsite. We stayed a week with our young children and camped on the Poplar loop in a tent. The location is absolutely fantastic and the staff were welcoming. Sites definitely vary in access, size, and overall quality. It's worth doing research in that area. Restrooms and showers weren't really filthy but they weren't inviting either. However- it's camping! My only real complaint is that the quiet hours are definitely not observed. On multiple nights we were still listening to loud groups well past 11pm. It's not like people were obnoxious but just that they were noisy well past designated quiet hours. This happened ever night and from multiple groups. We love quiet evenings so this wasn't ideal, but for others it may not matter. Still, it was a fantastic trip to a campsite right in the thick of it.

Been here many times, always enjoy are time here, we've never had an issue at this campground.

3 1/2 hours north of Atlanta in Brevard, NC, the campsites are located along Davidson River, a beautiful trout river.

This is a great campground in a fantastic location near Brevard, NC.  The sites have plenty of space and when I visited in mid-April, the campground was not full, including sites near the Creek.  Restrooms were clean and the campground as a whole is well maintained.  One of the best parts of this campground is the location.  It is very close to many must-see/do hikes in the Brevard area, including Looking Glass Rock and the Art Loeb trail (trailhead located at the campground!).  There are also other trails that can be directly accessed from the campground.  There is a gate at the entrance of the campground with a person in the booth until 8 p.m. each day.  You must have a pass to enter the campground.   One note is there is no cell service in the campground, although as others have noted, you can get service just about a mile up the road toward Brevard.

I love the mountains and the Brevard/Asheville area is where I normally go during the summer. This is a wonderful campground at the entrance to the Pisgah National Forest. The campground is big and offers sites in the woods and by the Davidson river.

Only a few sites have electric hook-up, but most have no electricity. The surrounding forest offers great hiking trails. There is a swimming hole and lots of people fly fish in the river. This trip we took in early June 2020 and a cold front had just gone through so it was very chilly at night.

As the other reviews have said, this is a great basecamp for both hiking and mountain biking for many levels. Hiking easy to difficult / extreme (Art Lobe Trail) and mountain biking from mellow on the flat trails to expert up and around Thrift Cove to Black Mountain.  

Spots are well spaced out for an organized campground with plenty of trees.

The campground is primitive, but very well cared for. Bathhouses only have one shower, and there's only one per "loop" of campsites, which is about 20-30 pending on the loop. So, if it's busy you may be waiting. Other than that, we felt very Covid Safe.

We stayed in a pull through spot #43, right next to a bathhouse, and only about 50 yards from the river. Site was crazy level, and did not even need to pull out leveling blocks.

While there is a dump station with potable water you can fill up, there are no hookups at most of the sites. A few, which are usually reserved for campground hosts, have electric and sewer.

NOTE that if even if you have good solar, you are in a valley with lots of tree canopy. We got maybe 2-3 hours of light hitting our panels a day. Not enough to fully charge the batteries.

There is NO wi-fi.

We are digital nomads, so connectivity is key. While we could make phone calls on Verizon, anything data related was not happening. But all you have to do is jump in the car, drive 2 minutes towards Brevard and pull off into the day use area. 4-5 bars consistently.  

Drive another mile and you have a Wal-Mart parking lot with a cell tower across the street. Plus, a fantastic MTB shop with a bar... and breweries across the street.

Davidson River is overall an epic spot to really get out and enjoy what the Pisgah National Forest has to offer. Secluded, but 5 minutes from civilization.

We wanted a last minute, quick drive from Asheville and got lucky with a spot! It was a double which we didn’t need but could see really enjoying with some friends and family. Girls loved being near the water. It was fairly quiet and think would be fun for kids to play post covid. Quick ride to some great hiking! I would have liked a little more foliage around our spot especially as it was at the turn for the loop (56). We will be back!

We had a quick nights stay in Davidson River Campground after picking up our new SylvanSport GO tent trailer in nearby Brevard, North Carolina. Our campsite was pretty big, clean, level, and close to the restrooms. This camp was really nice and we would definitely come back again. We didn’t have much time to explore as we were busy setting up our new toy. Had one set of noisy campers (though their guitar, fiddle and singing were actually not too bad) they did party past quite hours but someone from the park came and asked them to quiet things down...which they did. Had several nice visits with other campers. Don’t pass this campground by!

This was beyond expectations. I thought it would have a little more foliage between sites but that didn't really seem to be an issue. The sites are clean, bathrooms are easily accessible no matter where you were in the loop and we were so close to the river. There were also stairs built to get direct access to the shore and into the water. The fire pit also has a grill top. We did have a bear run in but that just adds to the experience.

This campground has a lot to offer and so much more within the area. The campsites themselves don’t offer a lot of privacy and bears were definitely an issue. So much to see and do in the area. We camped with friends and booked a double site. Tent pads were right next to the driveway.