Asheville is beloved for its progressive vibe, anchored in a love of culture and arts, an array of lip-smacking restaurants, and surrounded by some of the most beautiful nature in the country.
Camping near Asheville, North Carolina is as big of a draw as the city itself.
Within an hour’s drive of downtown Asheville, it’s possible to visit two national parks, two national forests, and numerous state parks.
Beyond the city’s pedestrian streets, trendy cafés, and world-class breweries, the Appalachian Mountains spill in all directions, into the Great Smokies, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Great Balsams, the “Craggies,” and more.
In all that space– over 1 million acres of protected wilderness– there are plenty of high-quality Asheville, North Carolina campgrounds, offering some of the best camping opportunities you’ll find in the NC mountains.
No matter which part of this growing Blue Ridge mountain town you choose to visit, there will be ample Asheville campsites to choose from.
Read on for our guide to 15 of our favorite places for camping in Asheville NC!
READ MORE: The 30 Best Things to Do in Asheville NC
Camping in Asheville NC Guide
- Lake Powhatan Campground
- Campfire Lodgings
- Wilson’s Riverfront RV Park
- Asheville Bear Creek RV Park and Campground
- Asheville Glamping
- Mount Pisgah Campground
- Crabtree Falls Campground
- Davidson River Campground
- Mt. Mitchell Campground
- Cataloochee Campground
- Black Mountain Campground
- Catawba Falls Campground
- Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Campground
- Asheville East KOA Campground
- Asheville West KOA Campground
READ MORE: 15 Festive Ways to Celebrate an Asheville NC Christmas
Campgrounds in Asheville, North Carolina
1. Lake Powhatan Campground
Pisgah National Forest • 375 Wesley Branch Rd, Asheville NC • 877-444-6777
The Lake Powhatan Campground is located in a special area of the Pisgah National Forest in southern Asheville, near the NC Arboretum, Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Biltmore Estate.
The campsites are all within walking distance of the lake, with easy access to the Hardtimes Loop Trail for great hiking, and Bent Creek Experimental Forest.
The campground has hot showers, flush toilets, and a few spots with full RV hookups. The campsites all have picnic tables, tent pads, fire rings with grills, and lantern posts.
Pisgah Glamping is also available for those looking for a touch more comfort, but still wanting the outdoor experience.
Recreational opportunities here include swimming, hiking, mountain biking, and trout fishing. The surrounding area is also full of North Carolina waterfalls, high mountain peaks, and dense forests.
READ MORE: The 20 Best Pisgah National Forest Hiking Trails in North Carolina
2. Campfire Lodgings
116 Appalachian Village Rd, Asheville NC • 828-658-8012
Campfire Lodgings is a private campground located on Goldview Knob, surrounded by 100 acres of hiking trail-laden woods in northern Asheville.
This campground keeps to nature, avoiding game rooms and resort-like quirks and instead concentrating on killer views and colorful North Carolina wildflowers.
Its mountaintop campground area features tent sites as well as premium and deluxe RV sites. Furnished yurts and charming cabins in Asheville are also available here.
This campground is located near many great restaurants and offers easy access to supermarkets and supplies. It also has a shower block, restroom, and laundry facility.
READ MORE: The Best Hiking in Asheville NC Bucket List (Top 25 Hiking Trails)
3. Wilson’s Riverfront RV Park
225 Amboy Rd, Asheville NC • 828-254-4676
Wilson’s Riverfront RV Park is ideal for those wanting to explore Asheville.
It’s located just minutes from Downtown Asheville and right on the French Broad River and the river greenway.
The campground can accommodate tent campers and has sites with full hookups for RVs. There are also full bathroom and shower facilities.
Wilson’s is more of a great place to stay in town than a deep dive into the wilderness around Asheville. But it is close to I-40, I-240, and I-26 for exploring further afield.
Carrier Park is only a quarter-mile away, and it has walking/biking paths, sports fields, and picnic shelters.
READ MORE: The 20 Best Places for Horseback Riding In/Near Asheville NC
4. Asheville Bear Creek RV Park and Campground
81 South Bear Creek Rd, Asheville NC • 828-253-0798
Asheville Bear Creek RV Park and Campground is a monster spot with two laundry buildings, three bathhouses, an outdoor swimming pool, and a large playground.
Set up for longer stays and even offering monthly rates/sites, the ABC RV Park provides guests with free WiFi access and cable. There are 120 sites in the campground with full hookups.
The grounds are located on the western side of Asheville, with quick access to both I-40 and I-26.
Popular attractions like the NC Arboretum, the Biltmore, and Carrier Park are all just a few minutes away.
This is a great spot for those looking to explore Pisgah National Forest, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the Nantahala National Forest.
READ MORE: The Best Places to Celebrate Christmas in North Carolina
5. Asheville Glamping
Asheville NC • 828-577-7278
Asheville Glamping is where the notion of “roughing it” really is more or less left behind.
The spacious geodesic domes here offer serious comfort, including beds, kitchens, lofts, hot tubs, and even indoor slides!
Nevertheless, the campgrounds’ set-up is the spot for Asheville NC glamping at its most luxurious.
It offers short routes into the city for all of the Asheville attractions, and it has all the info necessary for exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway, French Broad River, and hundreds of excellent hiking trails.
The glamping domes will sleep anywhere from 2 to 8 people. Each has lots of private amenities—fridge, fire rings, electricity, outdoor grill, etc.—and access to a shared bathhouse.
READ MORE: The Top 10 Treehouse Rentals near Asheville, NC
Camping Near Asheville NC: National & State Parks
6. Mount Pisgah Campground
Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 408.8 • 828-648-2644
The Mount Pisgah Campground is one of the most popular places to stay on the Blue Ridge Parkway.
It’s located right across from the historic Pisgah Inn, one of the most historic Blue Ridge Parkway hotels.
Just 25 miles from Asheville, this spot is near the peak of Mt. Pisgah (a great North Carolina Mountain for hiking) and close to the Frying Pan Tower Trail.
The southern section of the Pisgah National Forest is only a few miles away, and it’s fully stocked with some of the best North Carolina waterfalls, amazing hikes, and the Cradle of Forestry.
This campground has well over 100 campsites, over half of which are first-come-first serve. The grounds have flush toilets and drinking water, and the sites each have a picnic table, bear locker, and fire rings.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Pisgah National Forest Waterfalls to Explore
7. Crabtree Falls Campground
Blue Ridge Parkway Milepost 339.5 • 828-675-5444
The Crabtree Falls Campground is about 45 miles northeast of Asheville, right on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is, of course, within a short hike of Crabtree Falls.
The campgrounds have about 80 sites for tent camping and RV camping near Asheville NC.
All of the campsites are non-electric, but they come with a picnic table, fire ring, and grill. The facility also has a dump station, flush toilets, and drinking water.
The forests around Crabtree Falls have lots of wildflowers, including an impressive amount of crabapple trees that bloom in spring. There’s a great loop trail to the falls and criss-crossing over the creek.
Crabtree Falls is an easy drive away from Mt. Mitchell (the tallest peak in the East), Linville Falls Campgrounds & RV Park, and the Emerald Village Gem Mine in Little Switzerland.
READ MORE: 15 Best Things to Do in Little Switzerland NC (Blue Ridge Parkway MP 334)
8. Davidson River Campground
Pisgah National Forest • 1 Davidson River Circle, Pisgah Forest NC • 828-577-4558
The Davidson River Campground is the premiere spot for those looking to explore the waterfalls near Brevard in Transylvania County, and the Cradle of Forestry in Pisgah National Forest.
This is some of the best camping near Asheville NC because it’s so close to everything. It also has all the amenities of a full-service campground while being located inside a national forest.
In addition to a great Davidson River swimming hole, there are dozens of waterfalls within a few minutes of the campground, amazing hiking trails nearby, and quick access to Brevard.
Located 33 miles southwest of Asheville, the grounds have over 100 sites, with plenty of RV set-ups and tents-only loops.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Places for River Tubing in North Carolina Mountains
9. Mt. Mitchell Campground
2388 State Hwy 128, Burnsville NC • 828-675-4611
The Mt. Mitchell Campground is located in Burnsville NC, just a few hundred yards from the 6,684-foot peak of Mt. Mitchell (the tallest mountain east of the Colorado Rockies).
Regardless of what the campground has to offer, staying in a place like this is just fun. And that’s really the point of it: Sleeping out under the stars at high altitude.
The Mt. Mitchell State Park campground is 32 miles northeast of Asheville, and it offers up 9 basic campsites with tent pads, drinking water, and shared bathrooms.
It also offers visitors a chance to be at the top of Mt. Mitchel for sunrise and/or sunset, and there are great hiking trails to other skyscraping summits nearby.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Burnsville NC
10. Cataloochee Campground
Great Smoky Mountains National Park • Cataloochee Entrance Rd, Waynesville NC • 828-497-9270
Located in Waynesville NC, the Cataloochee Campground is an official Great Smoky Mountains National Park campground (the park’s closest campsites to Asheville NC).
Though it doesn’t have any RV hookups or showers, it does offer a lot of seclusion, plus luxuries like fresh drinking water and flush toilets.
This area of the park is less visited than other parts. So it’s home to lots of wildlife (look for birds, black bears and the famous Cataloochee Elk) and great fishing spots, as well as over 90 historic structures.
The Cataloochee Campground is 42 miles northwest of Asheville, in a remote location that is accessed via a gravel road and requires advance reservations.
READ MORE: The 15 Best Things to Do in Waynesville NC & Haywood County
11. Black Mountain Campground
Pisgah National Forest • 50 Black Mountain Campground Rd, Burnsville NC • 828-675-5616
The Black Mountain Campground is in the Pisgah National Forest, at the base of Mt. Mitchell and along the South Toe River.
It has tent and RV campsites (including 3 with electric hookups), and the grounds have hot showers and flush toilets. Each site has the usual set-up, with a fire ring, grill, picnic table, tent pad, and lantern post.
For those who want to take the long hike up Mt. Mitchell, this campground is the best place to stay (rather than the Mt. Mitchell Campground).
The Black Mountain Campground is 50 miles from Asheville, located really close to great waterfalls like Roaring Fork Falls, Setrock Falls, and Crabtree Falls.
The town of Burnsville is just a few miles north, and the Blue Ridge Parkway is a few miles south.
READ MORE: The 50 Best North Carolina Waterfalls to Visit
Campgrounds Near Asheville NC: Private Campgrounds
12. Catawba Falls Campground
35 Peggy Loop, Old Fort NC • 828-668-4831
The Catawba Falls Campground is near the small town of Old Fort NC, on the banks of the Catawba River.
It’s a popular spot for camping in Asheville, located 27 miles east of town.
The campground offers everything from monthly RV sites with full hook-ups to walk-in primitive tent sites. There are also cabin rentals available as well.
Catawba Falls is close by, as are lots of popular tourist attractions, including the Biltmore and Grandfather Mountain and Chimney Rock State Parks.
This campground has lots of extras, including free Wi-Fi, as well as a playground and onsite camp store.
READ MORE: The 30 Best Waterfalls Near Asheville NC
13. Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Campground
182 Jellystone Pkwy, Bostic NC • 828-417-0086
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Campground is a little bit of a drive from Asheville (57 miles). But it’s an award-winning campground that has enough entertainment onsite to be a vacation getaway in itself.
Accommodation options include full hookup RV sites and tent sites, as well as cabins, glamping tents, and lodges for larger groups. If you’re looking for a resort-like setting, this is the best camping in the NC mountains.
The park has two restaurants, a water playground, a large pool, a lake with a dock and over-water ziplines, a mini golf course, a jumping pad, an outdoor movie theater, and more.
So families will have no trouble keeping their children content, and there might even be time to venture over to Asheville to check out the city.
Three NC State Parks are also nearby: South Mountain State Park is just north of the park, and Lake Lure and Chimney Rock State Park aren’t far away either.
READ MORE: The 10 Best Campgrounds in the North Carolina Mountains
14. Asheville East KOA Campground
2708 Highway 70 East, Swannanoa NC • 828-686-3121
The Asheville East KOA Campground is in Swannanoa NC, which is famed for retreats for writers, artists, and musicians.
It’s located a mere 13 miles from all that Downtown Asheville has to offer.
The campground has full-service RV sites and tent sites, as well as cabin rentals. Amenities include a pool, game room, dog park, walking trail, and an onsite camp store.
This place offers great camping near Asheville without being quite the all-encompassing destination that Jellystone Park is.
From Swannanoa, it’s easy to get into Pisgah National Forest, onto the Blue Ridge Parkway, and up to Mt. Mitchell.
READ MORE: The Best Places to See Christmas Lights in North Carolina
15. Asheville West KOA Campground
309 Wiggins Rd, Candler NC • 828-665-7015
Asheville West KOA Campground is another fantastic spot for camping near Asheville NC.
The campground is a quick detour off of I-40, so it’s quick and easy to get just about anywhere in the area.
It’s a convenient trip into Asheville (15 miles), or you can hop over to Pisgah National Forest, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or the Nantahala National Forest.
There are full-service RV sites and tent sites here, but visitors can choose to stay in cabins and lodges.
Other amenities include a fairy garden, dog park, playground, hiking trails, a lounge with games, and a large pavilion for group gatherings. Access to Wi-Fi and cable are both free. –by Jonathon Engels; lead image by Bret Love & Mary Gabbett
