Natural Bridge/lexington Koa Campground
Theres always something going on at the Natural Bridge/Lexington KOA. Weekend hayrides are an immediate draw , and their variety of sites appeals to those with big rigs and those without any wheels. Just check out their cabins and choose from a range of sizes, including minimalist one-roomers to a family-friendly lodge with a sleeping loft, bunk room, queen bed, bathroom, and partial kitchen.
Book Your Spot: Camping & Cabins at Natural Bridge/Lexington KOA >
Map of Locations
For all of your camping needs, Camping World of Roanoke is just off Interstate 81 in Hollins, or visit Walkabout Outfitter at Valley View Mall or in downtown Roanoke, as well as Outdoor Trails in Daleville, for outdoor gear and clothing.
A Memorable Blue Ridge Adventure
Unlike the Skyline Drive through Shenandoah National Park, Blue Ridge access is free. However, most campgrounds do charge for campsites, taking cash or check only. On average, the Parkway’s nine campgrounds offer a chance every 43 miles to set up a tent or park your RV. You’ll find 712 tent sites and 337 RV sites, all available on a first-come, first-served basis. Camping is permitted only in formal sites at designated campgrounds-and each campground has a handicapped-accessible site.
You can reserve campsites ahead of time at Boone area campgrounds and Linville falls. Each site has a fireplace and picnic table. The campgrounds have no showers or electrical hook-ups-but they’re otherwise comfortable and provide water, restrooms, firewood for sale, and trailer dumping stations.
Use of gas stoves and grills are permitted and encouraged. Fires are permitted in designated fireplaces, at campgrounds and at picnic areas. Major Parkway campgrounds can have camp stores with firewood and basic supplies for sale. While camping, remember basic camping etiquette. Remember to store all food items in a locked vehicle to avoid attracting animals to your campsite and properly dipose of all litter and food waste.
CAMP AT THESE BOONE AREA CAMPGROUNDS
Doughton Park Campground
There are 110 campsites west of the Parkway, 25 trailer sites to the east, restrooms, a 250-person campfire circle, and camp store.
Linville Falls Campground
Mount Mitchell Tent Campground
Top 10 Campgrounds And Rv Parksblue Ridge Mountains
The Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolinas iconic scenic byway through the Blue Ridge Mountains, is named one of the best RV road trips in North Carolina for a reason. In fact, its often voted as one of the most stunning drives in the entire country.
Stretching on for 469 miles through the Appalachian highlands of both North Carolina and Virginia, the Blue Ridge Parkway is named as such for the hues of its mountains. A haze over the mountain range colors it in various shades of blue when viewed from a distance. When contrasted against vibrant orange and red sunsets, the vistas are unforgettable.
There is plenty to do along the Blue Ridge Parkway. On either end youll find a national park, Shenandoah to the east and the Smoky Mountains to the west. In autumn, the parkway is lined with some of the nations most vibrantly painted fall leaves.
History lovers can enjoy landmarks related to both Native American and European history. The Cherokee Indians of North Carolina along with several other tribes were the original inhabitants of the Blue Ridge mountains, and youll pass through the Cherokee Indian Reservation along with a couple museums and an informational center.
As the third largest area owned by the National Park Service, there are ample hiking trails, viewpoints, and outdoor opportunities in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Rafting, kayaking, and mountain biking are also popular.
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Mama Gerties Hideaway Campground
Mountaintop sites are this campgrounds specialty. It also could not be more convenient. Just 5 miles from the beautiful Black Mountain and 15 miles from the trendy downtown Asheville, youve truly got the best of both worlds. Mama Gerties is right off of I-40 and close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Drive 2 miles to I-40, and youll find a plethora of amenities including dining and gas stations.
Biking The Blue Ridge Parkway
Cycling the Blue Ridge Parkway is a bucket list trip for any avid cyclist. However, its best left for experienced cyclists as its not your average road, and there is no bike lane. It presents the physical challenge of a massive ride in the mountains, and bikers must also contend with changing weather and road traffic.
Its best to only cycle during good visibility and reliable weather periods. Vehicles should watch out for cyclists, especially at blind spots.
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Julian Price Park Campground
is in Laurel Springs, North Carolina. Its the perfect haven for relaxing in one of the most beautiful locations for camping on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The campground features 68 RV campsites, though amenities arent plentiful. There are no hookups at the campground, but there are bathroom facilities and a dump station.
As long as you dont mind dry camping for a couple of days, the Julian Price Park Campground has plenty to offer. You can rent a boat to go out on the lake, check out the trails and nature walks, and visit one of the performances at the 300-seat amphitheater.
Tips For Driving The Blue Ridge Parkway
- Take care when driving the parkway, it is not a highway. Roads are narrow, winding, and speed limits are slower.
- Keep up with road conditions here before heading to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Especially if traveling in the winter.
- Drive speed limits. These are limits, not targets.
- There are bears along the parkway. Its best to carry bear spray while hiking. If you see one in your car while driving, give the bear space.
- Pets must be kept on a leash of no more than 6 ft.
- Remember to practice Leave No Trace Principles.
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The Orchard At Altapass
This stop feels like a step back in time. The orchard works to preserve tradition, land, and culture. You can tour the forest of apples, the self-proclaimed home of the best heirloom apples with the least chemicals. There are plenty of goods to purchase at the general store and educational, entertaining activities for all ages.
You can enjoy walking trails full of native birds and butterflies, music and dancing at the pavilion, and hayrides. The restaurant makes fare from fresh and local farm produce. Its over 100 years old and celebrates the people and heritage of the mountain area.
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Rutledge Lake Rv Park
Just down the road from the Asheville airport sits Rutledge Lake RV Park, a scenic luxury campground that offers immediate access to both downtown Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Youll find plenty of nearby amenities, including gas stations, shops, and dining. The campsites are right along Frady Lake and off of I-26. Youre minutes from the Blue Ridge Mountains as well as the North Carolina wine trail.
Getting Your Parkway Campsite
Season Length Blue Ridge Parkway campgrounds can open on a varying schedule beginning in early Map but typically all close at the end of October. Find exact opening dates on our Blue Ridge Parkway opening schedule page. Winter camping is occasionally available, weather permitting. Inquire in advance. During the winter, when no fee is charged, services are limited only chemical toilets and frost free faucets are provided.
Daily Campground Fee The per night fee for campsites is posted in each campground and available at . The daily permit is valid only at the campground where purchased and until noon the following day. Holders of the Inter-agency Senior, Access, Golden Age, or Golden Access passes are entitled to a 50% discount on campground fees. Passports can be obtained at any visitor center or campground along the Parkway and at most federally-operated recreation areas.
RVs and Trailers Parkway campgrounds have sites that will accommodate trailers of varying lengths, although larger sites are fewer. Dump stations are available at all campgrounds no water or electrical hookups are available. If you are traveling with a large recreational vehicle, click here for a list of Blue Ridge Parkway tunnel heights and lengths.
Group Camping Limited opportunities for group camping are available in some areas. Call the nearest district office for details: Ridge District , Plateau District , Highlands District , and Pisgah District
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Blue Ridge Parkway Camping Tips
The Blue Ridge Parkway is free to drive, and campsites have a fee of $20 per night. There are eight NPS campgrounds at various points along the parkway, and they’re open from May to late October . You can find tentative operating dates for the year on the NPS website. Reservations are available for these eight campgrounds during the main season, with only first-come, first-served availability in the last week. Julian Price Park Campground and Linville Falls Campground also have some first-come, first-served availability from April 2 through May 28. Since the parkway is so popular, we recommend making reservations online ahead of time at recreation.gov campsites can be booked up to six months in advance. All the parkway campgrounds have potable water, flush toilets, sinks, and dump stations, and the campsites include fire rings and picnic tables.
Primitive Camping On The Blue Ridge Parkway
A signed backcountry camping permit is required for all overnight use of the primitive camping areas on the Blue Ridge Parkway. By signing a permit, the signer agrees to abide by all park rules and regulations and is responsible for all members of the camping party.
In order to slow the spread of COVID-19 and provide for social distancing as called for by state and CDC guidance, the parkway will impose a 10-person maximum use permit at all backcountry camping locations. Additional details…
Backcountry camping permits are issued on a first-come, first-served basis and are available at applicable campgrounds from June through October. From November through May, permits are available at the corresponding District Office. Site inventory is limited, so advance reservations are encouraged. See chart below.
Permits are issued under the following conditions:
- no more than 6 people per campsite
- groups larger than 18 people are prohibited
- permits cannot be issued for more than 3 consecutive nights
- the approximate dates and location of entry and exit, number of overnight campers, and identification of any vehicles parked overnight are required for permit issuance
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Backcountry Use Regulations
1. A backcountry camping permit is required for all overnight use and must be in your possession at all times.
2. Camping outside of the designated sites is prohibited.
6. Natural resources are protected by federal law. Do not disturb or remove any animal or plant life.
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Setting Up Your Campsite
Designated Campsites Camping is permitted only at designated sites. Sites are for use by a single family or parties not exceeding six people.
Driving & Parking Campground speed limit is 15 mph. Park vehicles on the pavement of an assigned site or in designated parking areas. Two vehicles are allowed in each site . Bicycles, motorcycles, mopeds, all-terrain vehicles and other forms of motorized vehicles are not permitted on hiking trails. With the exception of mopeds less than 50 ccs, all motorized vehicles operated on public roads must be properly licensed in accordance with state laws.
Tent Pads When tent pads are provided, all tents must be on pads. Only one tent is allowed per site unless there is adequate space on a single tent pad.
Camp Fires & Wood Gathering Fires are permitted only in the fireplace provided. Gas grills and stoves are allowed. Extinguish all fires before leaving the campground or picnic area. Do not leave any fire unattended. Wood gathering for use as fuel in park facilities is limited to dead material on the ground lying no more than 100 yards from the camp or picnic site.
NOTE: Firewood from the states of Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Missouri, Ohio, Ontario, Pennsylvania, Quebec, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin should not be brought onto Parkway lands. The US Department of Agriculture has quarantined firewood from these states to prevent the spread of highly destructive insects that may be in the wood.
Rocky Knob Recreation Area
Just over the border in the rolling green hills of Virginia, youll find the Rocky Knob campground off of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Its in a rural, quiet, densely forested area that provides campers with stunning scenery. The campground is just down the road from the Rocky Knob visitors center and an hour and 20 minutes from Roanoke, Virginia.
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Best Time To Drive The Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is most spectacular in the fall when all the leaves start to turn shades of amber, red, orange, and yellow. However, this is the busiest time to drive the Parkway when all the leaders head this way. Come mid to late September and October and certainly wont be the only one on the road, but the scenery is mesmerizing enough that you wont care.
Parts of the Blue Ridge Parkway are closed during the winter months. So if you plan to drive the route in its entirety, youll need to plan accordingly. The National Park Service provides road updates here. Summer and spring are great times to visit, with spring being one of the quietest times to enjoy the drive.
13 Places to Enjoy a North Carolina Fall
Camping Near You Find A Free Campsite
Whether you just need to know where to camp nearby or you want to plan a free camping road trip, we’ve got you covered. You can simply use your smart phone’s GPS to find camping near you or even use our trip planner to plan your route from coast to coast.
Our community provides the best free camping information available. Free campgrounds can be hard to find. Freecampsites.net makes it easy. We give you a simple, map based search engine to find free and cheap camping areas. Community reviews and ratings provide you with up to date information and help you select the best camp site for your next camping trip.
This is a platform for sharing campgrounds and camp sites you have discovered. We are community driven, and while we will be adding many free camping spots, we hope that you will add some of your favorite camping places as well. By sharing camping information freely, we can all spend less time researching campgrounds, spend less money, and more time camping. If everyone contributes a few campsites, we’ll all have more places to go camping.
Please come back and let us know what you find!
We are not actively seeking Wal-Marts, truckstops or other parking lots and will not be adding very many of these. There are enough Wal-Mart and truck stop directories out there already. However, if a member of the community finds one of these locations to be useful for overnight RV parking and creates an entry, we may approve the listing.
Please come back and let us know what you find!
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Camping On The Blue Ridge Parkway
On average, the Parkways nine campgrounds offer a chance to set up a tent or park your RV every 43 miles. The 712 tent sites and 337 RV sites range from lowish elevations , to cool and lofty , to downright way up there .
Camping is one of the great national park adventures and it’s a not-to-be-missed part of a Blue Ridge Parkway vacation. Parkway campgrounds have no electrical hook-ups for RVsbut theyre otherwise comfortable and provide water, restrooms, firewood for sale, and trailer dumping stations. Each site has a fireplace and picnic table. Most campgrounds offer interpretive talks by rangers at campground amphitheaters and a camp store is available at Peaks of Otter, Doughton Park, Crabtree Meadows, and Mount Pisgah. Seven offer picnic areas, four have visitor centers. Each campground has a handicapped accessible site.
All sites are available on a first come, first served basisexcept at Doughton Park, Julian Price, Linville Falls, and Mount Pisgah, where you can reserve a site in advance on the Internet or by phone: 877-444 6777. Reserved sites are $19 versus the $16 usually charged .
Backcountry Camping: There is no backpacking on the Blue Ridge Parkway itselfexcept at two formal backcountry campgrounds and a single hike-in site at Julian Price Park, NC 828-963-5911). All backcountry sites require a permit, available at the auto-access campground. See the Hiking section for more.