Davidson River Campground

This campground has a variety of loops to stay in: tent only, generators allowed, no generators allowed, electric, reservation only and first come-first served. We stayed in the no-hook ups/generators allowed/reserved, which is the Appletree Loop. The pros are it's right next to the water, cons are it's also next to the walking trail (there are a fair number of people walking by your site all the time) and it's the closest to the road -- and there's a decent amount of road traffic. If I had to do it again, I'd stay on the other side of the campground. The park itself is beautiful -- a lot of trees, various levels of trails of hiking paths and overall incredibly quiet (when we got there, our loop was packed, but we never heard a peep out of anyone). You're a quick ride into the cute little town of Brevard if you forgot anything, and a bit longer ride into the Pisgah National Forest and eventually to the Blue Ridge Parkway (although I would NOT recommend taking any kind of trailer into the forest itself. The road is incredibly windy and narrow). Although we didn't do it, a lot of people at the park were obviously serious mountain bikers, I imagine there are a lot of trails there as well. Also, we had no internet or cell service until we were well out of the park!

I was there during off season so no crowds it is laid out well so even if full you would have a nice private site. I was very impressed with the full staff when I went even though some CG were not even open yet. The grounds are so well maintained and each loop has a bathroom with shower kept very clean. The layout of the grounds is perfect! A hiking trail called the North Slope goes all the way around the park, there is a swimming hole for summer, and even a "little chapel in the wild woods" where campers are welcome to attend services if they wish.

Up the hill from my Roadside site #39 is an historic graveyard. Its an easy hike up to it and you will find 8 graves 6 of which are primitive with only a rock marking a spot 2 graves have headstones, a mother and daughter of the Sentell family, both died on the same day, July 1916. A little research told me the cause of the death was landslide due to the "flood of record" 1916 saturated hillsides gave way ,dams failed, it was quite a month in history back in 1916.
The staff were friendly and helpful and I would love to go spend a month there as the sweet town of Brevard is only a mile or so away.

I had a no hook up site, 2 of the loops are reserveable, 161 sites in total, dump station, water, trash, picnic table, fire ring, amphitheater, and in season ranger led programs are available. with my Access Pass I paid $11.00.

Campground office 828-862-5960

Excellent campground and location near hiking, fishing, craft breweries, restaurants,Asheville and the Appalachian Trial

Davidson River is close to town, yet very "out in the woods" feel. Convenient to shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. The river is wide and beautiful, the kids enjoyed tubing while the husband and I were trout fishing. There are miles of roads for biking within the campground. The kids really enjoyed the sense of freedom to explore on their own. They are amply staffed with friendly people during the summer months. Bathrooms were well maintained and stocked regularly. Very difficult to secure a reservation at the campground. Plan on booking well in advance. Only the interior of the loops have electricity. No power with riverfront sites. Several waterfalls within a short drive from the campground. Great family atmosphere and added saftey makes Davidson River a MUST for any family looking to get away but still be close to local attractions and amenities.

We camped here near the beginning of April. There are some sites that don't allow reservations, so we took a chance and got one, but the campground filled up that first night. We had a 21' travel trailer and Suburban at the time, and both fit easily in our site. We had 30 amp electric, but no water or sewage. I do believe some of the sites offer water and electric, but you pay separately for each amenity. We had a fire ring and picnic table. There happened to be a water spigot right in front of our site, and there is a dump station near the exit. They offered trash cans with recycling. We stayed in the Hemlock loop which was toward the back of the (very large) campground. Our site was a good size with privacy from the neighbors to our sides and behind. We faced the road, and could easily see the neighbors in front of us. The river was across the road from us. We had issues with aggressive barking dogs near us, and the staff was very attentive to our complaints, and eventually those folks were sent packing. I appreciate that very much when we are paying $26/night. We didn't have AT&T coverage at our camp site, but we did get service by walking toward the front of the campground. There were bathrooms with showers. We loved that there were hiking trails near the river, and the campground was large enough for a decent run on the road, too. Brevard is a lovely town.

I arrived late morning in hopes of finding an available site and the staff went out of their way to accommodate me. My site was recently raked and immaculate. I usually camp in a pop up, but used a tent since it was only one night. I fell asleep with the door to the tent open and was later awakened by a curious skunk nosing about in the tent. I quietly stepped out until the skunk left and all was good.

Bathrooms are clean, shower was hot and the facility is very well maintained.

What a wonderful camp ground! The staff at the gate know their camp ground very well. This was the "maiden voyage" for my new vardo / gypsy wagon and I was not quite used to backing up the trailer just yet. The camp staff listened to me and suggested a site that was not only easy to access, but also not in a busy section so I did not feel pressured to get it right quickly. I am sure there were a few watchers who got a good chuckle from watching me attempt to back up the trailer.

Tip on the Showers:
The showers activate from a push button that has a built in timer, push the button 1 to 2 times before attempting to shower. This way the water is warm. There is no shower curtain to control splash either, so plan ahead for it.

The camp ground also requires that you keep all untended food and non-bear safe food containers in a locked vehicle. If you leave out a cooler the camp staff will pick it up. If you need more information on camping with/in the area of bears the camp staff will happily give it to you.

The only negative, and really I expected it, was that I had no cell service once I entered the Pisgah National Park grounds; Davidson River Campgrounds are a part of this. However as soon as you leave the park grounds there is a Walmart and Bi LO (grocery store), so if you forgot something or have to restock it is really convenient.

This campground is great. Its just one mile inside the forest from Brevard so a short drive from gas stations, stores, and very close to The Hub bike shop and Pisgah Tavern if you want to grab some cold drinks and browse bike gear. Several mountain bike and hiking trails within a short distance to the campground.

The Davidson River is a great spot to relax and take a swim, there is a swimming hole at the furthest end of the campground from the front gate. It can be a bit of a walk if you're campsite is in the front loops as there's no parking near the swimming area.

Restroom facilities were adequate and relatively clean, and never crowded. There are several families that were staying so there was occasional noise, but nothing out of the ordinary for a campground like this. Everyone respected quiet hours also.

Some of the front site loops looked like they had recently clear cut several trees, so some sites did not have much shade. I would recommend staying in the loops further to the back of the campground.

Would highly recommend and will stay here again the next time I visit Pisgah.

The campground is perfect for visiting the Pisgah National Forest.

Level spacious sites laid out with lots of privacy. Those areas along the Davidson River have to put up with traffic noise from US 276 which is especially bad on weekends with motorcycles and sport cars competing to see who can make the most noise. Quiet after dark. Traditional swimming hole with sandy beach and bottom and an area to swim in deep water against the current. Hiking along the river on well maintained trail is a real pleasure.