Grandfather Campground

We called and reserved a site last minute, in October! This little park is a hidden gem if you like small and quiet. The positives: Location: very close to Grandfather Mountain entrance and BRP. There are plenty of stores, restaurants, antiques nearby too. Cabins and tent sites: There are several cute cabins and lots of tent sites available, which would make this a great place for a group of campers with different levels of camping tastes. Grandfather Vineyard: We spent a fantastic afternoon 5 minutes away at Grandfather Vineyard, wine tasting, food truck, and live music. Don’t miss trying the flights! We came home with 2 excellent bottles of wine, at a great price! Pretty views: The campground is tucked into a hillside near a creek with lovely Mountain Views all around. Hookups: many sites have full hookups. Price: only $40 per night during a very busy season in the mountains.

The negatives: The site: The site was quite un-level side to side, and we couldn’t get our trailer completely level side to side. The site was a bit tough to maneuver into (doable, though!) Full time residents: This truly Did not bother us, but some residents did have lots of “stuff” outside their units making it look well lived in. We never saw or heard the folks we were next to, though and it is a quiet place. Bath house: We read several reviews that describe the restrooms as “disgusting” but we did not have that experience. We usually camp at State parks where the bathrooms really can be disgusting- The disgusting part is the campers. People use TP as a seat cover, then leave it on the floor, throw away trash in the restroom that should go in the dumpster (which is completely accessible), and are very non-courteous, and take zero responsibility for cleaning up after themselves. In my opinion the messiness of the restrooms falls squarely on the campers. The restrooms are heated, have 3 nice showers with good water pressure, 4 stalls, and 2 sinks. Fully stocked with TP and paper towels. We’re there a couple of dead bugs in there? Yes….You’re CAMPING people. Quit being spoiled brats!

The campground is in a good area with restaurants, grocery stores and anything you might need close by. We camped in the tent area with no water or electricity which was fine with us. The tent sites are away from the RVS and set into beautiful wooded areas. However, because the terrain is hilly, the sites are not level, either because of grade or because of roots and big rocks under the ground. Therefore your tent will not be level and you will sleep best off the ground where roots or big rocks are not protruding into the tent floor. Our second night we decided to sleep in our SUV where we thought we’d be more comfortable. We picked the most level site and tried moving our SUV to many different positions and could not make it level enough to get a good sleep. This was our only complaint but a big one since no sleep will make you very grouchy in the morning! Also because a busy highway is close by, there is lots of traffic noise although after 11 pm it quiets down. We loved this campground if they could offer more level sites for tent or car camping. We reserved three nights but because of the sleep problem we stayed only two. The bathhouse did not seem to be cleaned too often as large amounts of trash were still in the waste bin through our stay.

Grandfather Campground is located about 15 minutes south of Boone NC and less than 10 minutes from the trailhead to Grandfather Mountain.  

There is a new sign for the Grandfather Campground directly off HWY 105.  Pulling in, you drive over a bridge with a beautiful view of the creek and immediately see an office to your right and a large grassy area and private gazebo to your left (I do not think the campground owns this gazebo).  

RV's and tents occupy the first loop past the office.  On the left side of the road are several tent sites (too close for our preference - but in a pinch - it works!) On the right side of the road are RV sites that back up to the creek.  A bathhouse is centrally located for this loop.  As you continue on, you pass several simple camping cabins and then a variety of different sleeping arrangements depending on the size of your group.  There is  fishing and a playground but to us, the most valuable amenity of this site is the proximity to Grandfather Mountain.  We can be at the trailhead within 10 minutes for a great hike to the top of Grandfather Mountain!

I loved the area we stayed at in Grandfather Mountain Campground. I've been multiple times throughout the summers and have always enjoyed staying at one of the campsites right by the river. The campsite is always clean and friendly staff are there ready to answer questions on where to hike, eat and about the wildlife that's in this area of Western North Carolina. If you're lucky enough to catch one of the beautiful sunsets, I would recommend sitting in the grassy field (also on option to camp there) and take in the mountains laced with purples and pinks as the sun sets. And of course you'll have to hike grandfather mountain and walk across the swinging bridge. I finally went this last trip and was not disappointed! There is an intense hike that included climbing up latters and leads to beautiful views!

This campground is also close to Boone, NC. It is a cute little town that has a sweet downtown area to walk around in and grab a beer. If you like breakfast food I would highly recommend trying Melanie's. There food is to die for, and also very earth conscious.

We stayed here during ski season and it was great! Not very busy, which was fine and only 15 mins to the ski slopes. That trip we had a great experience.

On another occasion, over Labor Day weekend, we tried to get a spot but they were ful. So we decided to rent one of their cabins. Upon arriving, we found out that they had switched our cabin to a different one then the one we had originally booked, and it was so small (which would have been okay, but we had a young baby who needed to sleep in a port-a-crib, which did not fit anywhere in the cabin) but the real issue was that there was mold on the ceiling and coming down some of the walls. We immediately went down to the office, at first we were told there was nothing they could do. After I went momma-bear on them and let them know I would not be staying in a moldy cabin with a baby and demanded my money back, they finally agreed and gave us a refund. Luckily I was able to find a hotel that still had a room available.

So long story short: great for camping, beware of cabins.

We stayed here 10 days in our 34-foot travel trailer and were very happy with our stay. The campground is located on Hwy 105 heading down from Boone towards Linville. There are two grocery stores within a 5-minute drive (towards Banner Elk) and several restaurants close by as well. When you turn into the campground, you will cross a narrow 1-lane bridge across Watagua Creek. The office is located around a circle and there are several sites backed up against the creek. We stayed up the hill, where there are three lanes of diagonal pull thru sites sloping up the hill. The sites are fairly level, long but a little narrow. Because of the slope, there isn't much 'yard' space, just a platform with a picnic table. However, there is a large field to the east of the rows that is great for play (even has a decent playground) with a fantastic view of the mountains. There's a decent mix of people here for the weekend vs staying longer term. Up in the trees there looks to be campers that haven't moved in years. The store is decently stocked with camping odds and ends though no groceries. The bathrooms I didn't have much occasion to use, but I heard several people complain about them during the busy weekends (dirty and low on supplies). The laundry facilities are pretty icky, but they did the job. The wifi is decent when there aren't a lot of campers. Over the weekends, forget about it. Overall, I would stay here again and recommend to others.