$40 - $44 / night

Camper submitted image from North Mills River - 1

Camper submitted image from North Mills River - 2

Nature

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Facilities

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Camping

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Roads

Established Camping

North Mills River

24 Reviews

About

National Forest

National Forests in North Carolina

Overview

North Mills River Campground is a rustic mountain getaway in Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina. Located just outside the popular city of Asheville, the campground provides access to a variety of cultural and natural attractions, including an arboretum, the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and numerous hiking, fishing and mountain biking opportunities.

Recreation

The forest is known for its hiking and mountain biking trails, several of which are near the campground. Mills River offers excellent trout fishing, as well as tubing and swimming, which are kid-friendly favorite activities. Visitors wishing to learn more about the area can attend educational programs during the summer.

Facilities

Natural Features

The campground is situated in the Appalachian Mountains at an elevation of 2,200 feet. The surrounding land boasts mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls and slopes densely forested with hardwoods. The group camping area is adjacent to the beautiful, shallow waters of the Mills River.

contact_info

For facility specific information, please call (828) 577-4167.

Nearby Attractions

Several natural and cultural attractions are within close proximity to the campground. Sliding Rock, Looking Glass Falls and the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway are among the most popular sites. The small town of Brevard offers various amenities and services, and visitors can take a trip to Asheville to visit art galleries, music venues, shops and restaurants.

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Location

North Mills River is located in North Carolina

Directions

From Asheville, take U.S. Highway 280 west to North Mills River Road. Follow North Mills River Road to the campground.

Address

5289 N. MILLS RIVER ROAD
Mills river, NC 28742

Coordinates

35.4072222 N
82.6458333 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.
Hike-In
Backcountry sites.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Unknown
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Tent Cabin
Equestrian

Features

For Campers

Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Water Hookups

SEE WHAT'S AVAILABLE

$40 - $44

/ night

First Come - First Served

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Contact

General Info

Reservations

(877) 444-6777

Lane N.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 23, 2021

Nice quiet, rustic campground.

We spent 5 nights here in early June 2021. The campground is pretty well maintained, and quiet. Nice showers and bathrooms on the higher numbered loop of the campground. Right on a well stocked river. Most sites will be able to handle a small trailer (we have a 17') or a tent. Class B's are fine. When you reserve a site they will tell you how big a rig will fit, believe them. Most of the sites are shaded. We struggled with our solar panels. Lot's of mountain biking close by, Asheville is about 20 minutes away. Sierra Nevada brewery is about 15 minutes. We would go back.

Month of VisitJuly

Amanda

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 8, 2021

North Mills River - NC

Campsite was clean and well maintained. My family enjoyed being so close to the river and exploring a new area.

Site7 Tent

Month of VisitMay

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 22, 2021

Will be back

The campground is so fun and enjoyable and the campground managers are great too we decided to stay another night

Zack F.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 10, 2020

Quiet slice of heaven

This camp ground is a nice quiet place to camp, very family friendly. State stocked river is close by for trout fishing, and the bathrooms are always clean being for what they are.

Todd C.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 8, 2020

Great location and nice facility

I love the location for proximity to both Brevard and Asheville. The sites vary in their ability to accommodate larger rigs, so be mindful of that. I have a pop up and had to get creative to fit it into site 8. There are two loops. One has a restroom only and the other (back loop) has showers as well. Bathrooms and showers weren't the cleanest, but were ok. There is no mobile phone service in the campground.

Site8

Month of VisitOctober

B+J S.

Ranger

Reviewed Aug. 30, 2020

Two Nights to Explore Local trout Streams

We had site 17. It was large and the first going up the hill. Over looked a couple of other site that had three families with about a half million children. That was annoying, but that’s not the campgrounds fault.

Only stayed two nights to check out all of the local trout streams. We happened to only have basic camping gear and that was great! Simple and easy. Clean showers with good hot water pressure!

Stayed in September so we’re able to sleep without the rain fly on the tent!

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Jennifer H.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 9, 2020

Scenic

Mills River was a clean, spacious and quiet. We enjoyed the extra room between camp sites and the added privacy from trees. Nice running river near-by that my husband used to fly fish in.

Todd R.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 5, 2019

Nice and clean with good river and trail access.

Sites are limited and should be reserved in advance.

Jeremy B.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 29, 2019

Rustic and beautiful

Beautiful campground, A little on the crowded side with all the other campers, mtn bikers, and fishermen but a beautiful campground

Laura D.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 1, 2019

Nice campground

Good location. Close to asheville and hiking

Larry M.

Scout

Reviewed Mar. 29, 2019

Mills River camp ground

It's an awesome place to take n different views

Jonathan N.

Guide

Reviewed Nov. 12, 2018

The Little Gem Where the Blacktop Ends

Just a stone’s throw from the bustle of Asheville, yet secluded enough to forget it all, this little gem is conveniently located at the entrance to Pisgah National Forest.

I went camping here on November 2nd, just after half of the campground closes for the off season. Usually starting at $22 per night, after November 1st the prices get cut in half, so I stayed for $11 (hard to beat)! To pay you fill out a permit envelope, tear off the receipt, include your payment and insert it into a mailbox of sorts. Make sure to bring a writing utensil (I forgot one, but luckily my neighbors let me borrow theirs). You then simply place the receipt portion in the provided zip-lock bag on the number post in front of your site. Check-out time is noon.

Each site comes with a gravel platform for your tent, picnic table, bear box, and a fire pit with a grill top. I opted to set up my backpacking tent in the bed of my pickup, but the site was very clean and well maintained. The host made rounds in the evening and the following morning, and was very approachable and informative, and even gave out weather predictions for the coming days to those who asked. The bathroom facilities may be limited in the off-season due to being unheated, but they were open during my stay, and shower facilities are available during the regular season.

I had a blast enjoying the peace and serenity of the woods, smelling the autumn spice of decaying leaves and campfires, and listening to the babbling river that runs through the center of campground. The other occupants were quite mellow, with no unwanted noise or partying (not that it would be a deal breaker, everyone camps a little differently). In the morning I took a stroll through the recreation area and got to see the group sites; everything was pristine and gorgeous in the gleaming yellow sunlight. My pooch also enjoyed the area, and I was grateful for the free bags to pick up after her.

I would recommend this little spot to anyone looking for a quick getaway from the traffic and humdrum of the nearby townships, as well as visitors to the park. Hiking trails, fishing and hunting opportunities, and scenic waterfalls are all nearby, making the location prime. A big chain grocer is also just a 10 minute drive up the road, making it easy to grab last minute items you may have forgotten. I look forward to returning!

(11) View All

Charles F.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 30, 2018

very pretty cg on a pristine river (great trout fishing), convenient to gas

very nice cg, convenient to gas/grocery. a pristine river runs thru it,

with excellent trout fishing. very helpful host, campsites afford privacy (most).

Month of VisitNovember

Jenny C.

Scout

Reviewed Sep. 4, 2018

Great place to tent camp!

Great place to go tent camping. There are large flat grassy areas are available with places to build a fire . There is also a clean flowing river right beside the tent camping sites. I thoroughly enjoy bringing my dog and spending time here. Know that there are fees for parking and camping.

Valerie A.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 6, 2018

Spacious group site near the river

This is a great campground next to the beautiful North Mills River. Hosts were very accommodating and delivered ice and firewood for a cheap price upon request. It rained quite heavily during our stay and the hosts made the rounds to make sure we were all right and if we needed anything. There is a walkway on the far end of the site that leads to the North Mills River, great for fishing, tubing, or just listening to the river babble. The private bathroom included on the group site was clean. The other shower/bathroom building that was a 5 minute walk away was exceptionally clean. The group site had ample parking for our three cars. Site also included 4 picnic tables, bear box to store food, water pump, and a fire pit with removable grill grate. Tons of extra space to play frisbee and other games. The campsite is a 25 minute drive from Pisgah National Forest, where we did some great waterfall and landscape hikes.

SiteGroup site

Month of VisitAugust

(10) View All

Anna R.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 16, 2018

Perfect western NC location

This campground has shade and open fields and can get crowded regularly because it is so centrally located in Pisgah national Forest. It is close to Asheville, Brevard, and lovely hiking, swimming, and tubing. Make a reservation though because even though they have some first come first serve sites they fill up quickly.

Cali C.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 14, 2018

Off the beaten path

Hike in about half a mile up to 3 miles. Find a spot to crash!

Month of VisitAugust

Natalie M.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 17, 2018

Great Fishing!

This is a great campsite if you like fishing! We stayed here and were close to some amazing spots to fish! The campsite was great, not very crowded. We had a great time!

Kristen B.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 13, 2018

Great small spot

Small campground, but there are free off road sites not too far down the road. Cell service disappears but I love that kind of disconnect. No power, can use a generator but only for a few hours during non quiet time. Quiet hours strictly enforced. Horse trails nearby. Roads lead to blue ridge Parkway. There is a shower and working toilet, but also outhouse for off season use. Hosts make you feel like family.

SiteBeen on several

Month of VisitMay

Amanda O.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 23, 2018

Creekfront

Beautiful and quiet

Month of VisitDecember

Andra S.

Guide

Reviewed Feb. 27, 2018

Close to town, but messy

We've visited North Mills River a couple times now as it's close to our home base of Asheville and reservations are fairly easy to come by. The river is close to the campground and shallow enough to enjoy playing in, though it's far enough away that you can't supervise young children from the campsite. We love the ranger talks on the weekends, perfect for entertaining kids around the dinner hour. We have made crafts and learned about turtles and raptors during our stays. The biggest downside for us is it is not very clean. We usually spend several minutes picking up bits of trash in the campsite when we get there - pieces of plastic, a broken flip-flop, etc. The main bathroom is okay, but the floor is always very sandy. There are a few composting toilets spread throughout, and they are quite disgusting, you can smell them a mile away and they often have huge insects perched in the corners. On the upside, the camp hosts are friendly and drive around selling firewood at night.

Site13 and 9

Month of VisitJuly

Tara F.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 28, 2017

Beautiful setting

We camped here because honestly we were able to find available sites. Upon arriving the camp hosts, Gene and Margaret met us and escorted us to our site. They were such genuinely nice people. Robert the ranger also gave us many hints for hiking the area. Laundromat and Ingles grocery store just a 5 mile drive. This site is more suited for the fly fishermen and mountain bikers. Facilities were kept in excellent condition

Ben E.

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 6, 2017

Overall Good Campsite

Good Campsite

Shannon K.

Scout

Reviewed Feb. 2, 2017

Fly Fishing, Hiking, & Horse Trails

We live not too far from this campground, so it's more like our backyard outdoor playground. As you wind back to reach the campground, there is a section to the right of the road for hook-ups. Across the bridge there are more spots for tents and campers. There are also primitive sites up two different roads. One heads back to the reservoir for some amazing fly fishing. We've enjoyed this campground mainly for the fly-fishing. The local Trout Unlmiited group has also spent many hours upgrading the walkways and fence lines to protect the river.