Since my wife and I eloped in May (in gorgeous Hocking Hills) we wanted a camping weekend with our best buds. Being NC natives naturally we headed for the mountains. It was the high capacity (50 ppl and 10 cars), with flush toilets, shelters, and no outright policy against alcohol that sold me on the cradle​ of forestry campground, Briar Bottom located in the Black Mountain Campground. We camped one night at Red Oak. We had booked for two but, sometimes when you camp at the tail if the season (end of October) in the shadows of Mount Mitchell you aren't guaranteed the prettiest of weather. Getting here on those mountain roads was quite the adventure. Bring printed directions as you're going to loose cell service the closer you get. If you're headed to the group camp just turn into the camp ground, and proceed left. You'll go for quite a way but once you've reached the ford you're pretty much there. Yep, you've got to cross a creek running down the mountain side. It's tile bottomed so there's not too much to worry about. There were 8 of us that camped and it was pretty much a cold downpour (36 degrees) from when we arrived so it was a huge bonus that all the sites have shelters with space to put together tents, and put on those rainflys before staking them down. Having two picnic tables were great because they were under the shelters too. All in all I'll totally come back when I'm visiting my home state and I need a beautiful place to camp at a reasonable cost. read more

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Wonderful campground. There are bears though so be careful. Easy to get to mt Whitney trail. Would highly recommend.

Came here recently for autumn camping with 20-30 people and this campground is the bomb! Pros: -Hot showers (located at one spot). -Lots of space. -Great basecamp location for hiking up Mt. Mitchell. -Access to drinkable water. -Plenty of parking for the large sites. -Close to civilization (like Burnsville) if you wanna eat out. -Solid bathrooms near our campsite. -Solid metal trash dump available for your dumping needs. Cons: -If you arrive at night it might be hard to find the wooden sign of your camp site. -Gates close at a certain time so don't get locked out! -It's bear country, store your food properly! -No cell service so use appropriate map sources! -If you are a light sleeper bring ear plugs. Lots of animal noises and streaming river sounds (as it should be). ***** If you've always wanted to try hiking Mt. Mitchell with a really cool campground then this is a great spot. read more

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Great hosts and amazing location! We usually stay at the Carolina Hemlocks, but due to a water issue this year, we've been displaced. They were more than welcoming to our group. This is one of the best valleys in the Appalachians. If you're looking for great people and a quiet location, you can find this off the beaten path, where the blacktop ends. read more

Very well managed campground with well maintained, clean facilities. Sites are well spaced out and everything seemed quite convenient. The Mount Mitchell (highest point east of the Mississippi) is right there in the campground. Just 5.6 miles up and you are there! Be advised, there is a parking lot up there so that is an option. If you enter the campground and take the first right down to the little traffic circle you can access the river and find an excellent little swimming g hole down at the bend in the river. Friendly community and almost every camper I spoke to had been returning there for decades! read more

Black Mountain Campground - Campgrounds Near Me - Burnsville, North Carolina

The staff is very friendly. We arrived late on a Wednesday night and they were very helpful in getting us settled. The campsites are nice. Some are more secluded than others. The sites along the river are especially nice if you like to fall asleep and wake up to the sound of flowing water. Flush toilets and hot (actually more like very warm) showers are a very nice touch. They are clean and well placed. This campground is an excellent starting spot for hikes to Mt Mitchell and Set Rock Falls. Crabtree Falls (highly recommended) is just a short drive too! There ARE bears in the area so plan accordingly. We did not see any but there was one at the campground our first night. It made off with a tote of canned goods that was left outside of a camper. We had bear spray and packed our food in smell proof bags ($15 at amazon), then put those bags inside of a dry bag ($10 at amazon) and kept them inside our car. It might have been a little overkill but we had no problem with bears. Camp hosts are very helpful and will go get you anything you might need including firewood, kindling, or other items from the camp store. They also go out of their way to make your stay better. We left early one morning to hike Mount Mitchell. We left our chairs sitting by the fire pit. While we were gone it started to rain. Our camp host covered our chairs so they wouldn't get wet! Very considerate! This campground also observes quiet time from 10:00 pm - 7:00 am. It's family friendly. There were several families with young children staying there. But because of all of this awesomeness they tend to fill up very quickly. Many spots are first come first serve so keep that in mind. We called ahead to get a general idea of how many sites were open. Two thumbs up and five stars! Our Stats: Male, 42 yrs old Female, 44 yrs old Two nights in a tent read more

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The campsite was great and the camp managers were fantastic-super helpful. The site has showers and facilities were kept clean. We hiked the Mt Mitchell trail which was very challenging but available to access at the campgrounds. We also hiked along the river and my husband was able to fly fish. We will return as there were several hikes we did not do. FYI- There is no internet at the site which for us was kind of nice. read more

Meticulously clean and well maintained. Super friendly and helpful staff. We had a perfect stay there and plan to make this wonderful camping spot a yearly vacation destination. read more

We have camped here for 42 years. This is our favorite place to camp and we have camped all across the country. The only problem is more people are finding out about this gem in the mountains and it is getting harder to find a site on weekends. Only two sites have power, but we do not care. No AC needed here as it is always cool. read more

This is a top notch campsite. I've been coming here for about 6 years now, but this weekend had to be the best experience yet! The weather was perfect and the leaves were at peak color. The host staff are all very friendly and the amenities are kept very clean. And it's very family friendly. There are noise restrictions from 10pm-8am. There is a trail head that leads all the way up to the top of Mt. Mitchell, which is the highest peak east of the Mississippi River (6680 feet). Be advised though: This is 5.6 mile hike with 3000+ feet of elevation gain, and classified as a " Most Difficult" hiking trail by the U.S. Forestry Service. Times vary on ascending to the top, but if you are in reasonably decent physical condition, and you get after it you can do it in 2 - 2 1/2 hours or you can take your time and enjoy nature and take all day if you like. You can even backpack and spend the night along the way as there are several campsites already established on the trail. Just be sure you pack appropriately, because the weather at the top is always colder than the bottom, and check the forecast at Mt. Mitchell before you depart, becasue it can literally be snowing at the top while a being a cool 40-50 degrees at the base. In my opinion this is the best day hike in North Carolina. BMCG is way off the beaten path. Come prepped with all your food and fixings because the closest store is over 45 minutes away. And there is relatively no cell service or data coverage - as it should be:) read more

Great campground very close to the trailhead for Mt. Mitchell trail. The people in the office were very nice and helpful when we set up. The sites were large enough with easy access to water and a fire pit at each site. They sell ice and firewood at the office until 10pm. They also have showers but I didn't use them so cannot say how clean they were. Campground is at the back of a river which makes great sounds to fall asleep to! read more

Amazing place to camp. The camp site was everything you hope for. Beautiful forest setting, sounds of river rapids, clean, hot showers and the best hosts that made you feel like welcome. We planned to camp three nights but stayed seven. Did not want to leave. read more

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. read more

What an amazing campground! First off, the drive out there on 80 from 77 is amazing. So beautiful! And the campground itself is perfect. Nestled deep in the woods of Pisgah. Surrounded by hiking trails. Hosted by the most friendly and helpful people! Bathrooms and showers. Firewood, ice and ice cream to buy on site. I highly recommend checking this place out if you get the chance :) read more