## Overview

 Located along the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway in the lush green expanses of North Carolina, Julian Price Campground is a top destination for boating, hiking, fishing and more. Whether it\'s for a family camping excursion or a peaceful getaway, this campground has something for everyone. 
## Recreation

 Canoe rentals are available at Price Lake, and other types of non-motorized boats are permitted. Fishing is also available at the lake, with a dock provided.Price Lake Trail offers a refreshing hike around the edge of the water, and the Boone Fork, Green Knob and Tanawha Trails are just a few of the trails that are conveniently accessed through the campground. Hebron Falls: A small waterfall accessed from the Boone Fork Trail. The Cascades: A beautiful waterfall accessed by the easy 1-mile loop Cascades Trail. A great hike for children. Moses Cone Flat Top Manor: A historic estate house (currently undergoing restoration) once owned by the Cone family. The grounds offer 25 miles of carriage roads to hike. Tours of the home are available. Currently houses the Southern Highland Craft Guild. Wildlife viewing is also popular as campers have a good chance of spotting bears, grouse, turkeys, owls, hawks and more. 
## Facilities

 Julian Price Campground combines the traditional great outdoors experience with the modern conveniences of flush toilets, dump station, and drinking water. Both RV and tent sites are available, and are equipped with grills, picnic tables, and lantern poles.In addition to the 75 sites available for advance reservations, 115 sites are available on a first come, first served basis.\_\_ Availability for first come, first served sites cannot be tracked through Recreation.gov. These sites must be booked in person at the campground kiosk. Primitive Backcountry Camping is available at Johns River Road. Obtain a free permit from the Julian Price Campground office (May-October) or the Sandy Flats Ranger Station when campground is closed. (828-348-3490). 
## Natural Features

 Julian Price Campground is adjacent to Price Lake, a pristine body of water that sparkles against the backdrop of rolling Carolina hills. The surrounding forest offers hemlock, white pine, oak, hickory and birch trees, along with a colorful assortment of wildflowers in the spring and an array of vivid orange and red foliage displays in autumn. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic byway that follows the high crests of the central and southern Appalachians for 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The beautiful town of Blowing Rock, located just 20 minutes away on the Blue Ridge Parkway, offers fine dining, shopping and more.

Julian Price Park Campground — Blue Ridge Parkway

Julian Price Campground is part of the Julian Price Memorial Park, which is along the Blue Ridge Parkway in the northern part of North Carolina. I have heard about this park for many years, so I wanted to finally camp there. It is an older park, and it shows. We stayed at site A4, and I chose this site for a few reasons. It was close to the lake, but unfortunately, we couldn’t see the lake from the site. Many of the sites in the A loop are reservable, and they have been reserved for several weeks(maybe months) in advance. They are the best sites as far as seeing the lake and sometimes because they are larger. The worst part I discovered about sites in the A loop is that you can hear traffic from the Blue Ridge Parkway all day long except for two to three hours in the middle of the night(about 1:30 to 4:30). On average, you can count on about twenty-five vehicles every five minutes(I know because I counted). It doesn’t help that the parkway is under construction and the road is gravel, which makes the sounds of vehicles even louder. The restrooms in A loop are old and need updating. There are no showers in A loop. The only showers are between B and D loops, which are on the other side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. On the positive side, the showers in a new bath house, and they are private shower/restroom units. We rode through all of the loops to see what the other sites were like, and some of the sites are seldom used if the picnic tables and surrounding vegetation is any indication. Some of the picnic tables are covered in moss. Those were mostly in the sites that were small or sloped. For that reason, it is a good idea to look at the photos on the website for each site before reserving. Many of the sites are walk-in sites and you can set up before the 3:00 time for reservable sites. As far as activities, there is no swimming, but fishing is allowed. There is also a boat ramp, and you can rent canoes, kayaks, and SUPs. The lake is hatchery supported, and I did witness someone catching a fish as we walked along the lake trail. While we were in this area, we saw several small deer, including one that came through our campsite. Our campsite was spacious, and it had a concrete picnic table, a fire ring, a lantern pole, and a tent pad. The tent pad needed some maintenance since the dirt had washed onto it and made it slightly sloped. Not until later did I discover that there was a tall dead tree next to our tent. Only the top part was dead, but it could be a potential danger. The site next to ours was sectioned off because of a dead tree. If you are staying in A loop, I give it two stars, especially since the sites and bath house need maintenance, and because of the road noise. If you are staying in B or D loop, I would give it three or four stars. The sites in E loop are mainly for RVs and have less shade. One section in the A loop also is an open field and has limited shade. Overall, it’s not a bad choice for a campground, but it needs updating. What it has going for it is location. It is along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Cone Memorial Park is down the road, which is a great destination in itself. There are lots of hiking trails and the beauty of the mountains is spectacular.

Older Campground with Great Location

If you are looking for a rustic, quiet and isolated camping in Blue Ridge country, with a beautiful lake in the background, no need to look further. We spent a night there back in 2011, and we definitely had a wonderful experience. The sites (I believe there are about a 100 campsites) are scattered around, some close to the lake, and some higher in the woods, some larger, and some smaller. We camp in a tent (do not remember the site number), so we had no problem setting it up on a pad. Tents are only allowed on the pads only. Some of the sites had lower hanging tree branches, so it might be a problem for RV's. No showers, no hot water, ok restrooms (for primitive camping), but bring your own toilet paper and soap. I believe there was no light in the restrooms, so take your headlight with. Canoe and paddle boat rentals for an afternoon on the lake. And a beautiful hike to the Grandfather Mountain, with amazing vistas of the Appalachians. Plus many more trails. Friendly staff. This is just a step up from camping in a backcountry. 

Wonderful Rustic Camping in Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

Nice campground with some decent spots. Can be super busy during summer months on weekend from campers, canoe/kayakers, and fishing. You can get a few nice spots right on lake you can put kayaks right in at campsite.

Nice, but busy

It is small, but well-kept and well-run. The office staff are very helpful. It is a very short drive to nice restaurants, etc. The best part of this campground is the gorgeous hike you can take right off the camp ground. You walk through all sorts of micro-biomes and enjoy a truly beautiful river throughout. Some folks hike/run it fast for a good work out, but I prefer taking my time and packing a picnic. Lots of change in elevation, so wear good shoes and bring water.

close to everything, beautiful trails. 

This is a National Park with fishing, boating, hiking, and wildlife. It is near the Moses Cone home which offers handmade items and a tour of the mansion. Within 5 miles of shopping at Blowing Rock. Tweetsie Railroad is a nearby attraction.

Quiet Getaway

This is a great place to camp and chill by the lake. Rent canoes and kayaks on site, the showers are good although you have to drive to a different loop to access them. Flat spots with regulations on where to put your tent but a gorgeous spot to enjoy on the parkway. No swimmig in the lake but lots of people were jumping off of their boats to cool off.

Lake sites are the best

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. Reservations can be made on-line or walk up to the small building in the front of the loop. The campsites are separated into several loops. One loop is closer to the lake, the other loop has more availability and quite a range of campsites.

Bathrooms are available here (upgrades coming soon!) as well as drinking water.

Wooded, shady campground near a lake!  

Julian Price Campground is managed by the U.S. National Park Service at milepost 297\. This 197-site campground has a brand new bathroom/shower building with electricity and dish washing station next to site D24 (this may be the only one with electricity). There are several sites on the D loop that are somewhat private being surrounded by rhododendron.

The moderately difficult 5 mile Boone Fork Trail goes between sites B29 &amp; B30 and makes for a wonderful 3 hour hike next to many creeks. This trail shares the Mountain To Sea trail part of the way.

There are other loops to camp on including the A loop next to Price Lake where you can rent canoes and kayaks and purchase firewood. There is also an easy 2.5 mile trail around the lake.

The roads are a bit worse for wear, having pot holes, etc. They could use either a new repaving or just make it all dirt roads.

The Campground host/park ranger was really great and helped us change sites (to be closer to the new bathhouse).

Just down the road is the Moses Cone mansion, aka Flat Top Manor with signage on the Blue Ridge Parkway as the Craft Center. Blowing Rock is nearby and Boone is a short distance away.

Scenic and close to everything

This park is right on a gorgeous lake. There is a spot within the park to rent kayaks which was great. There is a hiking trail that goes around the lake. There's also a trail that you can access from the park that leads to Hebron Rock Colony which is an incredible hiking trail. The trail follows a river with lots of great swimming holes and the rock colony is incredible. Awesome place to camp! Some sites you can reserve, but others are first come first served.

Beautiful Park on the Lake with Access to Amazing Hiking

I'd suggest buying wood in town.

The poles sticking out of the ground were there to hang up old-school latterns back in the day.

It gets COLD at night in October even if it's warm during the day.

Well taken care of, get a campsite by the water.

The campground has everything one needs to enjoy camping. The tent sites are level and great for people with difficulty walking any distance. They have clean and updated restrooms along with a huge outdoor steel sink to your dishes. You are off the Blue Ridge Pkwy but don’t hear the traffic. You are not far from several walking trails, not including the ones in the park, and other attractions. There are stores within a half hour drive for those items you have forgotten. We were able to completely relax while we were there.

A perfect place to be one with nature!

You can’t beat the location of this campground, located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stayed in Loop D which has a brand new bath/shower house with six individual stalls with a bath/shower combo. The only thing missing was soap dispensers (I had to remember to bring soap every time I used the bathroom). Very nice and large dishwashing sink. Loop D is for tents so the driveways were small. We were able to fit our 17’ camper van but anything larger might not fit. Park personnel were very friendly and helpful. Wish firewood was available to purchase at the park as we didn’t buy any ahead of time. (You are permitted to pick up downed branches which was new to us). No electric sites and spotty internet but great hiking trails. Recommend the Boone Fork Trail but be prepared for many stream crossings!

Great park along the Blue Ridge Parkway 

Julian Price is one of those hidden gems. There are 6 loops with about 50% being reservable. What this means is that if you get there you will normally be able to find a campsite. Now if you happen to be a truck camper that doesn’t mind off level and out of the way (yeah, like that’s the go to norm for most TC’ers we know.) there is a dump and water fill at the entrance and you can use generators till 10 for those that need to. They have put showers into loop B but I’ve never used them so I can not speak about them. The roads in the campground have been repairs and are all in much better shape than past years. 

A hidden gem!

There are a LOT of sites at this campground. First come first served sites are available on the lake and thought the campground. Many sites are reservible as well. There is hiking and fishing within the campground. Additionally, it is convenient to the towns of Blowing Rock and Boon as well as Moses H. Cone Memorial Park. The sites on the lake are small but fairly private. Many of the sites a cross the street from the lake are larger and some are fairly private as well. Showers and restrooms can be a bit dirty at times, but showers are hot

Great spot to relax or explore

My wife is new to camping, so I took her tent camping here to see how well she would adapt to being outside and away from her blow dryer. She did amazing and this trip kicked off our adventure of moving on to a tear drop trailer and then to a class c motorhome. As I do, she loves camping and we are having the time of our lives. Thank you to this great campground, the trails, kayaking, and the waterfalls. Wonderful campground. I highly recommend you give it a try. 


https://vimeo.com/280421297

Great Area to Camp

My husband and I have camped at Julian Price three times, most recently in July. Obviously we like it. We’ve always been in the RV section in our camper van so I can’t comment on the tent section other than to say it’s well away from the RVs and looks quite nice. The campground is right on the Blue Ridge Parkway just five miles from Blowing Rock. Lots of hikes nearby including a loop from the campground. Bathrooms are fine. Showers are located in the tent section—private, nice. Sites are nice sized and most are private. One negative is all the moss growth on picnic tables. Most RV sites are heavily shaded plus the campground just reopened so I realize lack of humans resulted in the moss flourishing. ;) 

Right on the Blue Ridge Parkway

What a treat. This park is at milepost 297.1 of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Our campsite E02 was on one side of the parkway, the Julian Price Lake was on the other side. This was not a problem, easy to cross. Probably one of my all time favorite hikes- Boone Fork Trail. We have a dog that could have gone w us, but the hike would have been tough on her (10 years old) we were glad she wasn't with us. Rocks to climb over, ladders, etc.  The canoe rental on the lake was great! We fished for brim, had a ball. There is Wifi at the lake/boat rental. Connectivity was null otherwise! We loved this campground, picturesque, friendly, space between sites was generous. Our site was the entry site for all of E loop and F loop= lots of traffic, but we booked late and was glad to have it. No hookups, so you must be self contained. Dump and potable water is available at the entrance. Firewood to buy from the boat rental at the lake. All was spectacular!

A must do! We will be back!

Nice camp area with the traditional amenities. Lake access. Close to excellent hiking for spectacular views. Come prepared with your cold weather heat if you’re camping in the fall! Brr!!

Perfect for fall foliage viewing

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. 

Easy Camping for Families

Had a great time at Julian Price Campground! ⛺️ 🌲 

We had 2 groups and reserved sites B29 &amp; B30 because they seemed more remote with water, restrooms, and trail access nearby. I could not have been happier about our sites!

LOVELY trees, shade, and close to everything we needed. This is a BIG campground and some sections have sites all smooshed together – we had plenty of room to ourselves at the edge of the woods by the start of the Boone Fork Trail. This trail connects to several others and is an awesome spot for wanderers to go for a walk or pick up some fallen branches to process while you mess around at camp or cook dinner.

We had a fantastic time and would love to go again! 

Notes: 

*   We went August 2021, so it was really busy. People getting in a bit of camping before school starts… and maybe also looking to escape being cooped up during the pandemic. 
    
*   Weather was low 80's daytime, 60's nighttime. Rained a couple of hours one evening, but clear otherwise. 
    
*   Very peaceful &amp; beautiful woods. Great trails! Lots of trees to hang a rain cover or hammocks. Plenty of down branches up the trail to use for extra wood. Stumps at the site for sitting or chopping up some kindling. Saw deer and rabbits about! 
    
*   Some of the tent sites looked small and hilly, but B29 &amp; 30 were big &amp; pretty level.
    
*   Sites had big fire rings with grills that come down over them. Ours was not exactly level, but got the job done. Stone picnic table with wood-top benches seat 4-6. Lots of space for extra chairs, etc around the campfire. 
    
*   These sites were really great, but got a bit of traffic because of the water access, restrooms, and trail that ran between the sites. People were walking and driving by often – which wasn't a problem, but it might be good to know beforehand. 
    
*   SOUND CARRIES here! It was a bit noisy some nights. 
    
*   Tent pad is dirt &amp; rocks – we picked out any big ones before setting up and had yoga mats under our sleeping bags, but the ground was still hard. Definitely think about bringing a thicker pad or something inflatable if you prefer that. 
    
*   The lake is nearby and fun for canoes &amp; kayaking! People fishing, too. The boathouse sells snacks, drinks, firewood, and bait. 
    
*   The campground is well maintained and the hosts were around often to clean the bathrooms, check on campers, etc. Very friendly! 
    
*   Hard to tell from the map, but the bathroom by B29 &amp; B30 is NOT the one with showers. Showers are located at the larger facility in the middle of loop D, but there is a short path that runs from the back of this restroom to that area. The folks in our group that used them said they were wonderful. 
    
*   Loop B's bathroom does not have lights, so bring a lantern
    
*   EASY drive in &amp; out, right on the blue ridge parkway. A short drive (20 min?) from Grandfather mountain which was AWESOME!! 
    
*   AT&amp;T had really spotty connection – OK for intermittent texting &amp; I got sporadic emails… but on-demand internet usage was basically nonexistent. The boathouse has wifi, though!
    
*   Check in@ 3pm, Check out@ 12pm.

Large Wooded Campsites + Tons of Trails & Beautiful Lake! 

We stayed at Site E14 during a weekend in July. The campground is in an excellent location, just 5-10 minutes away from downtown Blowing Rock and of course it’s right on the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway! Our site was peaceful and shaded, easily fit our 14 foot teardrop with screen room and our truck. After walking through the other loops, I preferred ours as it was not as crowded and quieter. Great access to trails,  Price Lake trail and Boone Fork trail access is within minutes. Our site was very shaded. The picnic table seating is extremely low to the ground so if you have mobility issues that could be an issue. The bathrooms were old but clean and served the purpose. Overall, I recommend this campground it is so peaceful and perfect location. We can’t wait to come back!!



Peaceful campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway

While there's a few dozen great places to stay in and around the Blue Ridge Mountain Parkway, there are few campgrounds as prized as Julian Price, which has plenty to explore just steps from your tent's front door (er, flap!). 

  

After a 3+ hour drive from nearby Raleigh, my very great friend Gary (or'Gariatica' for short) and I landed at the D Loop, which is one of four campgrounds you'll find here. What's important to know about the'Big Letter D Barrio' as the locals refer to it as, is that the campground perches up almost immediately after entering it, so you'll be first met with a few of the lower campsites (which must receive a decent amount of noise from the passing traffic that is only 30-40 feet away from them) before coming to the ground's bathhouses (while just mediocre and not the cleanest, there are bonus points here for providing 'no coin required' individual, private stalls (8 in all), so no group showers, which will be disappointing for some, I suspect). 

  

After passing the communal bathing facilities, you will circumnavigate the D Loop in counter-clockwise fashion (although many tried to swim upstream and go in the opposite direction, which I don't recommend, as apart from being hit from oncoming traffic, even if there was none, you would need to conduct a 17-point turn-around to park your car in the provided parking spot) to tour the 40 or so campsites. 

  

While there were only a few free slots to chose from at the time of our booking (about 3-4 weeks in advance, so book early if you can!), we did get relatively lucky with our campsite, good 'ol D20, which had plenty of space for our behemoth 24 person tent cabin (OK, so you can't really sleep 24 in this sucker, but it sure would be fun trying!). 

  

I would actually recommend the sites that were located directly across from ours - while ours slanted upwards(revealing our entire site), those on the other side of the road sloped downwards so had a solid amount of privacy. Basic amenities were had at most sites we saw- solid (yet aging) picnic tables, fire rings (with pull down grill) and wooden-encased tent platforms. Warning: no nearby running water (to clean dishes, you'll have to load them up in a bucket and trudge back and forth to the bathhouse (donning a towel is optional). 

  

Also, I would suggest if you are looking at campsites here or in the other areas of this campground, do look at whether or not a trail cuts through or by your campsite. I don't know how you feel about 100's (this is a popular campground with loads of people hiking trails when we were there, so I'm not overestimating here) of strangers passing by your front door (dang it, I meant'flap' again!), but you might want to avoid the heavy foot fall traffic. 

  

Also, unlike any other campground I've ever visited (I lost count after the first 100), I've never stayed at a campground where it was so easy for anyone to simply drive up and around the campground (usually, you have to persuade someone at the front gate that you belong there, right?) as this location has an EZ access point that avoids the ranger at the gate(who left promptly at 5pm anyway), which made me a bit uneasy, although we had no problems to speak of. 

  

Last tip? My buddy who knows the area fairly well took me to Gamekeeper's Inn \[https://gamekeeper-nc.com\\\\\\\] for one of the best meals of my life. This oversized log cabin chalet has an outstanding bar, simply fantastic staff, upscale smarts and feature exotic meats and rare game, so while I would have preferred hot dogs and beans fireside, followed by endless amounts of s'mores, I was instead dining on grass-\[hand\]-fed Bison and dungeon-free Emu, the likes of which I had never savored before. Quite delish, washed down by very fine Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough in the land of kiwis and finished off by, what else? You guessed it, a fantastic creme brûlée. Very nice and quite expensive, but hey, you only live once, right?!. 

  

Happy Camping!

Delightful Respite in Julian Price Campground

I camped here with a friend and our dogs. Our campsite was in the A loop. 

I'm not really sure how to rate the campground. It was on my list for a while but I think my expectations were too high. 

The area is very very pretty. It is right off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The campground has several loops. The A loop is right by the lake but not all sites have a view or access to it. Some of the sites are also very close together and share one parking spot, which can be a problem if you either have a bigger vehicle or more than one car per campsite. You find a big tent pad, a lantern pole, firepit, and a picnic table in each site. The restroom is older and has no showers. It also seemed to be used by a lot of people that weren't campers. 

The area was very crowded. When we drove back from Blowing Rock around lunch time we saw a really long line of cars try to get into the town. There are also a lot of very nice trails and waterfalls nearby. We walked around the lake (the trail starts in the campground) and it was absolutely beautiful. 

 I don't think I would camp here again. Like I said the area is very pretty and so was the campground, but it is just a little bit too crowded for our taste.

Nice campground in a beautiful area 

Classic simple state run campground.  Large comfortable campsites all with picnic tables, fire rings,and gravel tent pads. Some are right in the lake but they fill up fast. We got one that we where able to park our boats right at camp. The lake is stocked with trout by the state and your can also catch bass and tons of sunfish. The lake is not swimming and no motor boats. But you can paddle up the creek and take a dip. And the absence vof motor boats make for a lovely time on the lake.

Best lake camping in the parkway

Stayed on the C loop. Very private sites other than the path that goes by for the bathroom. No road noise. C loop does not allow generators so no hum. Has bathrooms near by. Showers on another loop. Tent pads are good size, flat and free of large rocks. Mine was half covered in moss. Overall really happy with the site. 

Quiet and secluded

Quiet campground despite the number of sites. We enjoyed our stay, and even had deer wander near our site a few times. Our tent site was in Loop B but near the bathroom/showers in Loop D.  Really liked how the toilet and shower were together in the same individual bathrooms.

Campground is conveniently located near Blowing Rock and other sights on the Parkway, like Cone Manor and Linn Cove Viaduct. Nice area.

Quiet & Secluded

Spent a weekend car camping at Julian Price which served as a great Basecamp for exploring the Blue Ridge and surrounding area. The site has a nice tent pad, fire pit and picnic table. It would be amazing in the spring because it's loaded with rhododendron. The site is near a bathroom and there is quite a bit of traffic throughout the camp. And of course you hear the Parkway but if you go into it knowing you are staying at a campground that is highly trafficked with somewhat close and loud neighbors...then you've picked a great campsite to car camp.

Great site on water 

We got a quiet spot with no one around us. There are spots right on the lake but we didn’t book far enough in advance.