Julian Price Park Campground

Affordable dry camping with picnic tables and fire pits. Good access to the parkway and nearby attractions like Grandfather Mountain and Boone. Also the Boone Trail is a beautiful hike that goes right through camp.
The campground has two loops for RVs and a completely separate area for tenters. We preferred the first loop as it is mostly open with decent solar exposure, a nice central grass area and restrooms (no shower). The second loop is densely packed with trees and not as spacious.
The Verizon and AT&T signals are usable with a booster, but with several bars of signal strength the data would only flow in waves. Still pretty good considering the lack of cell service in much of the area.
A dump station with potable water is also available.

Basic dry camping CG. Not much to look at as you arrive but has what you need (a place to park, decent bathrooms as your black tank fills, some sites in the upper loop with solar exposure, dump station) plus access to beautiful spots like Grandfather Mountain (head to the top, $20/person, and cross the mile high suspension bridge), Linville Falls and the Linn Viaduct and neat towns like Boone (Lost Province Brewing Co, Our Daily Bread cafe, a good library, Mast general store, gear shops and a good thrift store) and Blowing Rock (great central playground and Blowing Rock Brewing Company plus lots of shops along a main st.

The lake itself? Meh. Tho lots of pretty spots along the BRP and the Moses Cone house nearby. Boostable AT&T and Verizon. Connection speeds got a lot better after RVLegend stopped streaming Game of Thrones.

We spent a couple of days here in late summer. Though it was crowded with lots of generators and kids on bikes, we still managed some peace and solitude every so often. The trail around the pond may have been crowded, but it did not diminish the beauty.

We stayed in the RV section of the park. Our site was tight but had a reasonable amount of privacy due to the Rhododendron. The campground roads in the upper sections were in need of maintenance as were the sites themselves. Some tables were partially buried, most were covered in moss. The bathhouses were also worn. One in the upper tent section had porta-potties; I assume it had some sort of plumbing failure. A new building was in process in another section.
The lower campground, primarily for tents and smaller RVs had just been paved. Maybe that's a sign that improvements are coming to the other areas!
We enjoyed our time here: the Boone Fork trail (which runs through the park) was spectacular and a picnic on one of the Price Lake docks was so peaceful. Possibly the best part of the park is it's location. You're so close to Moses Cone, Blowing Rock, Boone, and countless other interesting spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway. Boone Fork connects into other trails and the river itself is fun with it boulder gardens and side forks.
For runners, Moses Cone offers miles and miles of carriage trails. The views are wonderful and you can pick a section that's easy and flat or a hilly challenge. A run (walk) up to the fire tower is worth it!

We stayed here for two nights in early June. The campground was busy but not packed. There are no electric hook ups here. They have a brand new bathhouse that also has a dish washing station with hot water. Bathrooms are located throughout the loops, no lights and only Purell sanitizer available. (Take your own soap!) The B loop is super shady. We stayed very cool.
We lucked out and saw synchronized fireflies while we were there. This is something that only occurs in the Blue Ridge Parkway and they actually sell lottery tickets to view them in some parts of TN. How fortunate to find out that we got to witness this while just chilling in the campground!
We were close to the Boone Fork Trail, so there was a lot of hiker activity. The "pull through" sites in this loop are really just wide spots in the road. People drove right by our camper any time of day or night. Had I known that, I would have chosen a site on the right side of the road, so that my trailer door didn't open up into the road. Be mindful of that if you are camping with kids.

The location on the Blue Ridge Pkwy is excellent. It's a quick, less than 10 min drive to Blowing Rock. Loop A is right along the lake and in nice condition. Loop F is very basic, but quiet and beautiful. Our site was a pull-off style site that was easy to park our 29' class C into and had a very private picnic table area. I'd stay here again in a heartbeat.

You can’t beat the location of this campground, located right off the Blue Ridge Parkway. We stayed in Loop D which has a brand new bath/shower house with six individual stalls with a bath/shower combo. The only thing missing was soap dispensers (I had to remember to bring soap every time I used the bathroom). Very nice and large dishwashing sink. Loop D is for tents so the driveways were small. We were able to fit our 17’ camper van but anything larger might not fit. Park personnel were very friendly and helpful. Wish firewood was available to purchase at the park as we didn’t buy any ahead of time. (You are permitted to pick up downed branches which was new to us). No electric sites and spotty internet but great hiking trails. Recommend the Boone Fork Trail but be prepared for many stream crossings! Our price paid reflects the senior parks 50% discount!

Well maintained restrooms dispersed throughout the campground so no matter which site you choose, you don’t have to walk far at all. Several sites are right next to them if that’s what you’d like. I stayed at the site at the furthest point in loop C which is no-generators. Showers are warm and clean. Awesome place. I stayed on a rainy Tuesday night and the place was completely empty except for maybe 2 RVs in loop A. Sprint cell service was spotty at best.

I absolutely loved this park. The advantage of having a small camper is that I could fit in the A area right on the lake. Great location. No cell service, but you could go to the boathouse for wifi. Sites are older, but well spaced. Across the Blue Ridge Parkway the other side of the park has new shower house, and dozens of tent sites. Every campground on the Parkway has Fresh water available for filling up and a dump station. NONE of the parks offer hook ups, but who needs them camping? Don't miss these old style campgrounds with great hiking available out your door. The Lake was fantastic!

The campground is old and needs a little maintenance, but we loved it. Great views, close to Blowing Rock, Boone, and hundreds of hiking trails.

We originally had reservations for site A14, but was allowed to move to site A32. Loop A is mostly tent sites. A14 is a side-of-the-road, pull thru RV site with very little room between the road and the curb. Lots of shade though. There are three steps leading up to the tent pad and picnic table. It was not ideal for our teardrop camp setup. So, we asked if we could move to A32.

Site A32 is a wide back-in site. It is almost level side to side, but falls a little toward the back. The border curb traps water in the back but not too bad.

We liked A32 best because it was in a meadow, with lots of sun for our solar panels and not too close to any other sites on the sides or behind it. It is a favorite grazing site for deer at sunrise.

Large rigs might have trouble in Loop A, B, C, & D. The roads are narrow and curvy. Beware of edge drop-offs. Some are severe.

Assume no cell service because it is hit or miss. We were able to get text messages and phone calls occasionally but no internet. Sites D7–D13 is the only area we could get usable internet, 2-3 bars LTE on Verizon. I had some success down the road at the picnic area as well. We drove into Blowing rock to get a strong signal.

Lastly, the only showers in loop D are great but you may have to stand in line when the campground is full.

This is a favorite campground for locals and tourists. Beware it gets packed on holiday weekends. We stayed the week before Labor Day and was great until Friday.

We will visit again.