See title. I did this wrong but all the info is there. Camp on!
We abandoned plans to stay at place in Old Fort (see listing for Catawba Falls) and ended up here as a last chance before having to hit a hotel to turn back around to CLT. Boy, were we happy with our choice. Nice bathhouse w/ heated showers, super nice semi-primitive sites, half of them alongside a creek, the others are mere steps away. Lovely homes line the drive up and you are on land owned by Montreat College, a private Presbyterian-affiliated liberal arts college you hope your grandkids are smart enough to get into. Stately buildings, a lake, hiking and walking paths galore. Just the right amount of civilization - wood to purchase, flush toilets. Spotty cell service - if you have T Mobile forget it, if you have Verizon you're golden. I saw trailers in several spaces but it looks like a TIGHT squeeze in many sites. Tent sites are plentiful and lovely. Check in down the hill at the stately Assembly Inn hotel. Like the campground and the surrounding area - the people are total class and you cannot get a better price and location this close to Asheville.
Let's be honest. There's campgrounds and there's places that wish they are something other than what they are. This place reeks of old school charm - if you can look past the lines of semi-permanent RVs, the millimeter wide spacing between the tent sites and the express lack of parking on site. We paid for our site, arrived, looked at the disaster that awaited us, and wisely moved up the road to a real campground - Montreat Campground. Avoid this place unless it is your only option.
Outstanding place for all of the following 1. Car Camping, 2. Jumping off point for the Mt. Mitchell trail, 3. Trail terminus location for a descent from Mt. Mitchell's summit. I agree with everything that everyone else has said about this magical place. Some tips…there ARE killer showers here (individual rooms that are kept spotlessly clean by the Camp Hosts). Treat the Camp Hosts with the high level of respect they deserve - they work miracles in this place keeping it friendly, inviting and most of all - CLEAN! Flush toilets. A river right beside it. Tall majestic trees. All of the following are available during normal daylight business hours at the camp office - kindling (2.50), bundled firewood (5.00), fire starters (1.00), Pepsi/Diet Pepsi/Mt Dew (12oz cans - 1.00), various ice cream treats including Klondike bars (1.00). There are no bad campsites, but if you wish to 'feel' the camp, get one on the river. Oh, hoping to catch up with he kids or listen in on that conference call while you are at BMC? Forget about it! There is no cell service on T-Mobile or Verizon inside the camp (small victory for nature). BUT, let's say you have a Verizon phone, and you really really need to talk to someone - well, here's the hint of the day. Walk down the main access road toward the junction with your phone on. Pass up all three of the private residences on the right, and you'll finally come to a stand of three trees growing together ta-dah…I don't know how, but you get two bars of Verizon in this exact spot. Like everywhere in Pisgah, when it rains, it pours, so bring a tarp if you can. Great swimming holes in the river too and if you fish, bring your fly rod - dozens of deep pools to cast into up and down the river.