Mount Mitchell State Park Campground

First of all... it is very hard to reserve a campsite for the weekend. And I completely understand why. It is simply beautiful. The campground has just 9 walk in sites. We stayed at site number 1 which is the closest to the parking lot. It was very private ( I think the most private of all) but number 5 and 6 have the best views. All campsites come with a firepit, picnic table, and a lantern pole.
The bathhouse is very clean but had no showers or hot water. A very nice ranger sold us some firewood which was available in the parking lot. There are several ways to go up to the summit. You can hike 0.6 miles, which starts on top of the campground, or you drive up. On top of the mountain is a observation tower, a gift shop, a little museum, and a drink and snack bar. The fact I loved the most, was the the nice cool temperature. It was in the lower 70's during the day and about 50 at night. Be careful with the weather. It can change very quickly. A ranger came by and warned us about a coming thunderstorm. We found shelter on the porch of the bathhouse. It was very nice to watch the rain and the wind. We would camp here anytime again. It is really worth it.

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.

There are 9 sites at the campground you can reserve a spot at. There is water, bathrooms, and all 9 spots are easy to get to from the parking lot.

The rangers require that all camping be on the the tent pads, this includes hammocks. With that said the aphids and acid rain destroyed the canopy cover that was there just 20 years ago. There are only 2 sites here that have trees large enough for hammocks any more.

Be careful in researching the trails here as well, you will see the hike guides saying to use the old Mitchell trail from the campsite to the summit, that is not the trail you will be on though from the main site. You will be on the campsite spur trail... just shy of 1 mile to the summit.

There are several sites throughout the park, Deep Gap being the easiest to get to, 4.5 miles from the Mitchell Summit parking lot over both Mount Craig and Big Tom. The trail there can be hard at points with more stairs than you want to count and several areas where you are hiking on boulders. In the dry weather pretty easy, get caught in the rain and it's pretty slick. I have seen 4 year old hike this trail though, and families go to Big Tom with infants on their backs all the time. My last trek there I sat with a man in his late 80's at the summit of Mount Craig.

All of the water in the park is listed as "non potable" but it's because of the laws defining the pipes and the flow of water, as the pipes are in granite they can't make the modification needed to label it at potable by current standards. The entire mountain system is fed by the same springs and is slightly chlorinated and safe to drink.

Campsites 4 and 5 have the best veiw of Mount Mitchell

Campsite 1 has a easy ramp access from the parking lot and is the most isolated

Campsite 8 is the smallest site due to the weirdly shaped tree next to the tent pad

Currently there is free wood there as they are felling the dead trees and leaving the wood split in the sites for free. There is enough dead wood there that they are guessing this will continue till 2020.

There are no shower facilities at this camp.

The bear boxes do leak so don't think they are water proof.

The rangers do patrol the campgrounds several times each night, and take the alcohol ban very seriously.

Mount Mitchell State Park, highest peak east of the Mississippi...6,684ft elevation... is located on The Blue Ridge Parkway, but it is still a bit of a climb (for foot or vehicle traffic) to get to the summit. https://www.ncparks.gov/mount-mitchell-state-park

Getting here the day after the solar eclipse, it was still pretty busy...and if you are traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway...speed is only 45 mph, so do your calculations. There are only nine, yes, count them...nine tent camping sites. So reservations are a must if you want a site! The campground is open from May 1 to Oct 31...but if you walk-in to the sites, as in via the trails, you can rent a site amost all year.

Tent sites are small, but nice. You get a timber lined tent pad, a crushed limestone area with picnic table, wooden lantern post, and a fire ring with flip grate...and a bear secure food storage bin. There are flush toilets between sites 3 and 7... and two water spigots nearby.

If campsites are full and you desire to hike the trails, you can register your vehicle with office, leave it there in the parking lot and locate a place to make camp along the trails. There are also several free roadside sites marked with a brown plastic post with a small tent emblem on them. Ordinarily these are along a stream where you can gather water (filter it!)...but it is primitive (LNT!).

The park has a restaurant, a museum, gift shop and an observation tower at the summit. Pretty cool that the observation tower is ADA...but steep.

Check weather reports. These mountains make their own weather. And remember, for every 1,000 feet of elevation gain, temperature decreases by 3 degrees (roughly...there is constant debate). So pack wisely. Surprisingly, though reports called for rain...we saw none.

Great hiking and long mountain views are one of the draws. The walk up the Observation trail is paved but steep, so give yourself some time if you are wanting to capture the sunset. If hiking, there are a myriad of sites that offer maps, levels of difficulty and recommendations. Did I mention that if you are planning to hike for the day...plan and pack for weather?

A worthwhile place to pitch your tent, but there are also several other campgrounds at lower elevations that also have great trails and more amenities.