(23 votes, average: 3.57 out of 5)
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$5/Night. Free dispersed camping nearby.
Some of the campsites are along Curtis Creek Road. The rest are in an offset area near the camphost. Alcohol is prohibited at all designated campsites along Curtis Creek Road. With the exception of the city of Marion, McDowell county is dry.
There are free, roadside campsites north of the campground. They are marked.
Curtis Creek is a beautiful area in western North Carolina. It was the first tract of eastern forest acquired through the Weeks Act in 1911
The nearest place to get water and dump is Sky Island.
Official Overview:
Curtis Creek Campground is nestled in the mountains at the base of the Blue Ridge just minutes from the quaint town of Old Fort and less than an hour from the popular city of Asheville. Located in the first tract of National Forest land in the eastern US at the site of an old Civilian Conservation Corp (CCC) camp, the campground is surrounded by old growth forests and roaring trout streams. The gravel road through the campground ascends to the Blue Ridge Parkway, providing easy access to the Mount Mitchell area.
Located in rich mountain hardwood forests at an elevation of 2,000 feet, Curtis Creek Campground provides a secluded streamside setting. Curtis Creek, a popular trout stream surrounded by lush rhododendron and hemlock, runs along the east side of the campground. Old-growth forests cover the mountain peaks on either side of the valley. The Curtis Creek area provides beautiful scenery year-round, from stunning fall foliage displays to abundant spring and summer wildflowers.
Visitors to the campground can enjoy a variety of activities including fishing, swimming, day hiking, picnicking, and scenic driving. Curtis Creek is well known for its excellent trout fishing. Swimming holes along the creek provide wading opportunities on hot summer days. History buffs will enjoy exploring the remains of the old CCC buildings surrounding the campground. Two Forest Service trails depart from the campground. The Hickory Branch trail provides a short (approximately 1/2 mile) hike to a series of waterfalls, and longer hikes to access the backcountry area around Mackey Mountain. Mackey Mountain and the valley of Mackey Creek contain the largest unbroken tract of old-growth forest in the Pisgah National Forest. The Snooks Nose trail provides a strenuous hike to a ridge with beautiful views, eventually ending at the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many other Forest Service trails are within a short drive of the campground, including Catawba Falls and Point Lookout trail. Facilities:The campground provides a variety of campsites. There are three loops with 25 sites. One loop is fully accessible, barrier free and can accommodate RVs up to 35ft. A second loop features dispersed tent-only roadside sites that provide a secluded forest experience. A third loop features tent-only sites in an open grassy area. All sites include a tent pad, picnic table, lantern post, and fire ring. Vault toilets, drinking water pumps, and bear-proof trash and recycling receptacles are provided. A campground host is on site to provide visitor assistance.
Curtis Creek Campground is six miles from the town of Old Fort, which has a variety of restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, and medical facilities. Popular attractions in Old Fort include the Mountain Gateway Museum, the Old Train Depot, Davidson Fort, Catawba Falls, and Andrews Geyser. The campground is seven miles from the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, close to Mount Mitchell State Park. Visitors can make trips to nearby Black Mountain (15 miles) and Asheville (30 miles) to visit art galleries, shops, and restaurants.
Directions:
From I-40, take Exit 73 towards Old Fort. Take Catawba Ave. north 0.5 miles to US-70E/E Main St. Turn right on US-70E and go 1.8 miles to Curtis Creek Rd. (Curtis Creek Campground sign). Turn left on Curtis Creek Rd. and drive 4 miles to campground.
Great place to unplug. A little something for everyone!
Curtis Creek is a great campground to use as a base camp for exploring Asheville and the Blue Ridge Parkway. Only a few miles from the little town of Old Fort, there is a little something for everyone. The campground is small with with approximately 25 site. The first 5 spots are located on the main road before you get to the main campground. These sites either overlook or are directly on the creek but are geared towards tent camping. The main campground six to seventeen are in the main campground. Sites six thru 11 back to the road. Sites 12 to 15 are tent sites tucked in the woods and close to the creek. 15 to 17 round out the main campground. Only 9 sites are RV sites. The remaining sites are tent sits located in a large field but provide no privacy.
We arrived on a Friday in November and there was only one other RVer there. By the weekend it was only myself and a few tent campers in the first few sites along the road and the ones tucked in the woods. Very quiet and peaceful.
There are a few hiking trails either leaving the campground or within walking distance. The area is absolutely beautiful. We hiked Hickory Branch trail (that leaves from the back of site 21 I believe). It was amazing. It does require a few stream crossings but worth the hike.
Remember this is bear country and there were bear hunters in the area. So bring your bear spray. We didn’t see any bears on our hike but did hear that a fellow campers that came in late noted a bear crossing the road on their drive in.
Overall this is a great campground. If you want to get away and unplug, this is the place. There is absolutely no cell service at the campground.
Water and clean pit toilets are available.
No dump station
The campground is open April to December.
There are a few dispersed campsites (tent or car camping) before and after the campground.
NOTICE:THE COST OF THIS CAMPGROUND IS GOING TO COST YOU MORE STARTING NEXT YEAR. STARTING IN 2019 THE COST INCREASES TO $10 a NIGHT.
Stayed here in a 20 foot-long Trailer (RV). TheRVWay would stay here again.
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Great, cheap location for exploring Asheville
Great cheap campground. Keep driving down Curtis Creek road and about 2 miles after it turns from paved to gravel you will hit the campsite. I arrived Thursday afternoon and there were still four open walk-in spots. I got a great spot right next to the creek, absolutely beautiful. The place did fill up by the evening though.
Many of the reserved spots were reserved for the next day, so you could presumably camp in them. I didn't see a camp host the four days I was there. There are also about 4 tent-only sites that you access by walking into the forest along a path leading from the main cul-de-sac. They are gravel pads and numbered, except there were no signs on them indicating reservation or walk-in, so my guess is you could crash there no problem. Just would need to find a parking spot.
There is a Dollar General a couple miles down 70 for supplies. No T-Mobil service (as usual).
Tent and car.
alx564 would stay here again.Is this review helpful? 1 0
peaceful, old school camping
great place to stay, right next to a stream with beautiful running water across rocks, everyone we met there was nice; a bunch of walking trails close to the park, the road getting to it is okay, i took a 40 ft trailer down it no problem, will be back
Stayed here in a 40 foot-long Fifth Wheel (RV). Tony would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 1 0
LOVED IT! Paved and gorgeous is all I have to say! Vault toilets were spotless! Such a deal! I will go back!
gmrussell would stay here again.Is this review helpful? 3 0
Primative Camping at it's BEST
This is a wonderful place to camp. The "campground" is small with a vault toilet and no shower or wash basin. The primitive campsites along Curtis Creek road are small and only for tent camping. This is natural camping at it's best. If you want all the bells and whistles go to a KOA. Curtis Creek campground is for people who want to camp, not people who want to stay in the Mariott.
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. John would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 1 0
A total bargain!
Unbelievable campground for $5 a night! This place is incredibly pretty - lush green forest and roaring stream right behind the campground with plenty of pool-like areas to take a plunge. Also a number of awesome sites for tenters including some neat sites tucked away completely out of view that are right on the water. There are several sites large enough to fit small/medium sized RVs. We stayed in site 17 with a 30' class A and toad and fit with some room to spare. Rigs our size could also fit in 7, 16, and maybe 15. We saw smaller RVs and trailers in the other sites in the loop. It's super clean, lots of trashcans and recycling, decent pit toilets, and several water spigots. Plus it's just 6 miles from the Blue Ridge Parkway!! But no cell service AT ALL for any carrier.
Warning though - some sites are 1st come/1st serve and others can be reserved. There are signs at each site, but it's not clear which is which. You can easily get screwed here - if you camp in the wrong site a camper with a reservation can boot you out at any time (or they can book it while you're camped there) :( Be sure to either reserve in advance online or talk to the camp host FIRST - before you set up anything at the site. We and a few other campers had to move after having set up everything - booooo.
There are a handful of hiking trails just across from the campground and literature on a these and a few others are available at the camp kiosk or from the host. Beware - the 2 hikes that leave directly from the campground are rated as moderate. We did one of the hikes and our neighbors did the other and we both took serious issue with the rating system. We are average hikers and found the Snooks Nose hike to be really strenuous. It's over 2 miles of straight up and wicked elevation gain. This took us over 4 hours and was so steep that we opted to take the long-long way back involving walking down the parkway another 2.5 miles and then down the 6.5 mile dirt road back to camp. What we thought was going to be a few hours ended up being almost 8 hours of hiking. Good reminder to always bring way more food and water than you think you need, extra layers of clothing, and headlamps.
Even with all my complaining here, we loved this place!! It's totally gorgeous. Also not too far from Asheville for a day trip.
One last thing - there are free camping areas before and after the actual campground. There are signs indicating what is a fee area and what's not. We saw a handful of tenters in these and even a small trailer. With our sized rig though, these were not an option for us.
Stayed here in a 30 foot-long Class A + a Toad (RV). TwoinaMerlin would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 2 1
April 2017; a nice spot along the creek, good tap water and decent bathrooms $2.50 with pass. There is a camp host, nice lady.
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent. pistol pete would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 0 0
Surprise searches
Has anyone else had their campsite searched by Forest Ranger looking for alcohol? Granted there are signs saying No Alcohol, we weren't drinking. We had just arrived in the campground when we and another campsite were searched by flashlight by a very rude Forest Ranger. My daughter had to pour out craft beer she had bought in Atlanta and was taking back to Vermont with her. She also received a $105 fine. Never going back
Stayed here in a 12 foot-long Trailer (RV). M. Donahue would not stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 3 1
We tented here August 16'. This was a great site, well worth the $5. We stayed at site 2, which was a bit more in the woods, right next to the creek. But, there was everything from paved sites, inside a fenced area, to more wooded sites along the road. Very clean, all vaults were spotless, campsites clean, water spigot had good water, and worked perfectly. Camp host, rangers, and local police monitor the road. Felt very safe here.
GPS and Google Maps are a bit off. Just keep driving down the road, after you've supposedly arrived. You can't miss the place. You can get up to the Blue Ridge Parkway, by driving past the campground too. Absolutely gorgeous there, lots of overlooks and hiking spots. But, the road between camp and Parkway is long, narrow, winding, and steep. If you have a truck, should be fine. But the suspension on my sedan, was singing songs of agony, the whole drive. You can access it otherwise, via paved roads, near Asheville.
Asheville is only a short 25 min drive away. Cool town, full of hipsters and hippies. Really worth the drive, to see it. Lots of shops and good food there. All in all, we'd gladly camp here again!
Stayed here with a passenger vehicle and a tent.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Loved it! In a bear sanctuary, so be aware. Definitely worth $5!
Fantastic camping site! There were a couple of more primative sites at the beginning of the area, then sites 6-17 were located in the gated area with the camp host (4 or 5 of those were in a walk-in tent area), and finally a handful of other sites were just past the gated area. They really had a a site type for everyone! We took site #11, which was a drive-up site and tent camped there. It was great as it was back in the corner, but we did get a few whiffs of the toilets at times. All of the sites are paid sites, but $5 was worth the extra security of other people and a campground host as this is a bear sanctuary! There were a couple of other people there (we stayed on a Wednesday night), but we had plenty of room to be spaced out. The camp host was super nice and helpful; even offered a few cool places to check out while we were in the area.
Sarah would stay here again.
Is this review helpful? 2 0
We stayed 2 nights in a primitive site above the campground. Site was beautiful, creek was awesome. What was not awesome was being harassed by a park ranger. We were 2 families with small children who believe in Leave no Trace camping. We weren't there to party, just to relax with our families. We had to have our site inspected, were told that we had to move one of our tents, then had to let him see our IDs. The ranger was not nice and acted like we were criminals because we had a tent outside what was considered the site.
We will not go there again, not worth it.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
This is a lovely little area. Some of the campsites are on a lush, grassy area surrounded by large trees. That area is perfect for tents. Another part of the campground has drive in camping aprons along the edges of a parking area. It's a traditional campground layout. Lastly, there are single campsites for those who want more privacy.
Is this review helpful? 6 0
There are few sites along the road that are free but we stayed in the actual campground for $5/Night with camphost. Like it was said before - no showers, just valut toilets and water spigot. Camp host has some wood for sale. Very secluded. We actually arrived from the top of the hill, we did not know there is an easier way from the bottom. I would definitely not recommend comming from the top and if so, only with 4x4 high clearance vehicle. No cell service (Verizon).
Is this review helpful? 4 0
This is a really nice primitive campground.
true, there are no showers, but the pit toilets are clean, there are water spigots, and the campground is next to a creek.
I camped here on July 23rd. 2012
its about 2 miles from paved road. maybe 8miles from the gas station.
Nice quiet area, the campsites are extremely clean, like not even a cigarette butt.
camp host on site
$5/night
cooking grills and lantern holders + extra parking.
theres an option of outside camping, or if you drive past the first 5 sites, you'll come to, IMO, a nicer area that is closed in and locked from 10pm-7am - with camp host on site)
Is this review helpful? 3 0
The sites are located off of the forest service road, and next to Curtis Creek. All the sites appeared clean, but the sites get better as one increases in elevation. There are no showers, and yes it is just pit toilets. There is a great deal of humidity present most of the year. The Blue Ridge Parkway is a winding ride to the crest of the mountain. There were several sites located close enough for a group to stay close together. The sites are to tight for large camping trailers or RV's. Curtis Creek is a beautiful stream, and a few spooky trout can be seen by the watchful eye!
Is this review helpful? 2 1
There are no showers at this campsite, and they are pit toilets with no running water in the bathrooms. There is hand pump water spigots and it is right on Curtis Creek, but this is primitive camping. It is on a gravel forestry road. There is a paved parking place for short RV campers with tent camping dispersed throughout.
Is this review helpful? 4 0
Our first stop on a 2 month cross country trip. Peaceful and great camp sites. Listening to the stream takes you far away. Enjoyed 2 days there.will go back again. Fee is 10$ or 5$ senior pass. Had no cell service
Stayed here in a 21 foot-long Class B (RV). Richard Ashley would stay here again.
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