Mount Mitchell is perfect, despite its imperfections.

Book early. Like next year. If you think you want to go in six months, get in line. The rest of us want to go, too, and we’ll fight you for it. Going midweek and being flexible solves a lot of the limited availability issues. The autumn is a rough time to get in, but worth the extra planning. 

You have to hump your gear up to the sites, yes, so pack light. Or use it for a backpacking gear shakedown. Or pull a Nike. You know? However you decide to embrace or minimize the suck, it’s WORTH IT.

Site 8 is the top site on the right, and one of the two farthest from the parking lot, making it the humpiest of humpy campsites. The view is worth it with a vantage of both sunrise and sunset, plus you can see the cold sink empty in the morning and watch the clouds rise up the mountainsides. 

The bathrooms are surprisingly nice, compared to what I was expecting. (Pit privy. I was expecting a pit privy.) Cold water only, which can be a bit of a bummer when it’s chilly, but hey.

Speaking of cold… Take note that it gets c-c-c-cold up on Mt. Mitchell. Surprisingly so, at times. Bring a hat and an extra layer. If you’re wondering which sleeping bag to bring, bring the lower temp one. Cooking things can be a pain because of the elevation and how much isobutane hates both that and the cold. Bring propane or your patience pants. Expect wind. Like…WIND. This is no place for a bargain tent, sh!tty pegs, or a bad pitch. Given the wrong night, the gusts will blow your gear right off the mountain. Use all your points and guy everything out, and you’ll be fine.

Be bear aware and use the boxes available on each site. There have been times when the grounds have had to be closed completely because of careless campers habituating bears.

The viewing tower on Mt. Mitchell proper can be seen from the upper sites of the campground, and vice versa which is kinda cool. Check out one of my pics to see that our tent—affectionately known as The Pumpkin—is fully visible from the overlook. 

The trail that continues past the top of the campground passes through Middle Earth and eventually tops out on the peak. If you hike nothing else, hike this. The MST crosses this little trail to the top, if you’re into bagging some miles on that, or there are plenty of other nearby trails to play on, some wonderfully technical and adventurous.

The drive is scenic and the cell reception is slim.

Can’t go wrong with Mistletoe for water fun. More sites than not are on the water. Beautiful place to kayak, and you can rent one for 24 hours for $30 (as of June 2023) and keep it at your site.

Sites are wide and spacious with well-drained pads and parking. Bathrooms are a bit of a walk from 29, but there’s a playground up there, too. Bonus. Around the rest of the park are a myriad of other site types. Some wooded, others exposed. Waterfront or platforms. Three different loops. Great staff and visitors center.

Elijah Clark is a great place. Easy to get to, and you still have cell service. Great playgrounds for kids, plus mini golf and kayak rentals. Many sites are waterfront.

I highly, highly, highly recommend the walk-ins. Suitable for car campers who don’t mind making a couple trips to the car. The sites are very close to the parking spots. 

Site 8 has a great view of the lake, but isn’t directly on the water. Just downhill of the site is a boat slip for a kayak or canoe. If renting a kayak form the park, it’s not too far to paddle from the boat ramp where the kayaks are kept to the slip by the site.

Bathrooms for the walk-ins are below-average, aged, but more or less clean, as long as you don’t mind a few bugs.

Hiking is limited, but the little historical to-dos are fun. Check their calendar before going; they often have fun things going on over the weekend.

Cataloochee is hit or miss. This year’s trip was awesome. Last year, we were run out of our site by pushy elk that had been emboldened by the Memorial Weekend campers of the previous weekend. It’s a crap shoot, but you can improve your chances of a nice experience by booking midweek and not within a few weeks following the holiday weekend. 

The drive up to the campground is super fun with its twisty, turny, dirt roads and pretty views that peek through the leaves. I can be a bit rutted and washboarded at times, but this year it was in decent shape. 

Sites are level, spacious, and easy to drive onto. Tent pads are well-maintained. Water is available throughout the grounds, as are trash bins and grey water dumps for dish water.

Bathrooms (women’s) were pretty nasty this time, and I don’t expect much. Smelled of urine. Floors were wet even though it was neither humid nor raining. Not pleasant. 

Fellow campers were chill and respectful.

The river that flows near several of the sites is a highlight. It’s beautiful, frigid, and crystal clear. Takes a bit of a scramble to get down to the shore, in some places, but it’s worth it.

Plenty of great little trails within a stones throw. Lots of mildly technical things that ambitious young (mine are 9 and 11) hikers will enjoy. Creek crossings and little scrambles and whatnot.

Jacob Branch: Three sites arranged around a clearing. Two pit privies and a BEAR BOX! Woot!! The sites are a bit difficult to pitch on, due to the abundance of roots, hardpan earth, and slope, but you’ll find a spot. I didn’t hang, but there are certainly spots that would be suitable. Water is just down the hill. It’s ample and clear, as of May 2023. There are several ways to hike in, as many of the South Mountains SP trails intersect and wander around a bunch giving a bunch of options for how to get in and out. The variety makes for a nice loop instead of just an in-and-out. Get inventive. Trails are broad and veeeeeery hilly in places. If your knees complain, bring the trekking poles. You’ll thank me.

Shinny Creek: Perfect trip if you have kids…or just want something close by. It’s only a bit over a mile to these four sites (see video tour) nestled by a stream. Clear, flat sites. Bear box. Critter-proof trash bin. Pit privy. Water access from every site within ten paces, so water and entertainment are always available. The trail here is easy peasy rolling hills that follows the river past Bear Falls all the way up to the sites.