Established Camping
Ray Fisher Campground— CLOSED
About
State Park
Gorges State Park offers primitive backcountry camping in a spectacular natural environment. A favorite park for backpackers who are looking to get away from the beaten trail, campers will find solitude after the strenuous hike.
Please note that as of July 19, 2021, the Raymond Fisher campground is permanently closed. The park will be opening a new campground in late 2021.
Reservation Info
Park gates are closed and locked at posted closing times for your protection. There will be no exiting or entering the gates after the closing time. All visitors who are not spending the night need to be out by closing time. If you leave the park and do not return before closing time, you will not be able to re-enter. Check with the park office during office hours for the after-hours emergency phone number.
Access
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
- Hike-InBackcountry sites.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonUnknown
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileUnknown
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- Group
- Cabins
Features
For Campers
- Market
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- Alcohol
- Pets
- Fires
Beautiful little campsite
My wife and I camped up here about two weeks ago. It was still perfect out. 75-80 during the day hi to mid 50s at night. The campsites about 3/4 of mile walk downhill to one of six campsites around a little pond and a creek that the pond drains into. Spots five and one are probably the most secluded but six has a good Creekside view.
It’s about a mile and a half walk from the campsite to rainbow Falls. There’s Turtleback falls be on Rainbow Falls. My wife and I decided not to go all the way up there. It’s pretty dangerous so just be careful especially if you have a pet.
We also went and explored Brevard which is about a 30 minute drive from the state park. We even went and saw the white squirrels that are the local legends they look like white tree rats to me but whatever. It’s a cute little mountain town I recommend going to it just explore on a day trip. I’ll definitely back to explore that further trails that we didn’t get to check out on this trip. Also the visitor center is incredibly awesome and the people that work there were the most friendly staff that I’ve ever encountered in any state park I’ve ever been camping. They made recommendations on everything we could do, and even gave us cutlery when we forgot ours when we ate breakfast up there to watch the sunrise.
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Beautiful Trails and Falls, Barebones Campgrounds
My girlfriend and I camped at Gorges State Park for a few days in October of 2017. The trails are excellent and they were in great condition when we visited. The waterfalls are beautiful and it isn't a very strenuous hike to Rainbow Falls.
Camping seems to be hit or miss. The campsites aren't bad, but during our stay the privy pit was nearly unusable, so we dug our own. The access road to the campsite trail was closed as well, so the hike to the campsite from the parking lot felt closer to 3 miles. Given the lack of amenities and the distance to the Raymond Fisher campgrounds, I'd advise that you snag one of the primitive backcountry sites instead. They are situated along the main trail to Rainbow Falls, and almost every backcountry site was in a nice spot with easy access to the stream. Be aware that many of these backcountry sites are directly adjacent to the trail, and hikers will probably pass by your campsite.
If you are camping, expect bears. I don't know if this is still an issue, but we had a bear messing with our stuff every night. It didn't exactly bother us, but we did have to hang our trash and food far from the campsite while we slept. It made us a little nervous because we were the only campers there and you are miles from your car, but it didn't come close enough to our tent to really frighten us.
That being said, we had an incredible time and would definitely return. Despite being in a state park campground it still felt very secluded, and we felt that all the set backs made it more of an adventure.
So Diverse
This place is so beautiful and offers a variety of things to do. My family and I come here all the time to fish in the rivers. They also have a lot of nearby hiking/biking trails for all skill levels. I would give it 10 stars if I could!
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Location
Ray Fisher Campground— CLOSED is located in North Carolina
Coordinates
35.11330092 N
82.9563 W