By:
Submission
Camping at Grandfather Mountain Campground is allowed with a permit at 13 backpack camping sites along the trail system, including the Hi-Balsam Shelter.
Reservations are required at Grandfather Mountain camping for all 13 campsites. All campsites must be reserved in advance, which can be made as late as the same day. We recommend making your reservation prior to your park visit, as cellular service is not reliable at the park. A fee is charged for all campsites, and campers must have a reservation code to be able to camp. Camping fees are listed at the bottom of this page.
Upon your arrival, please fill out a camping registration permit at the Profile trailhead or at the kiosk near the Boone Fork parking lot. You must register for a permit on-site, in addition to making your reservation online.
Camping is permitted in the designated areas only, which are identified by signs at the campsites and with a camping icon on the trail map. There is no dispersed camping (camping off a designated site) on the mountain. All camping regulations apply to hammock campers.
All 13 campsites are hike-in backcountry, primitive sites. There is no car camping. There are no facilities. The terrain is rugged and can be challenging. Trailheads are near 3,800 feet in elevation and Calloway Peak reaches 5,946 feet.
Please do not disturb nearby campers. Take care to protect the terrain and plant and animal life.
Reservations are required for all 13 campsites. All campsites must be reserved in advance, which can be made as late as the same day. We recommend making your reservation prior to your park visit, as cellular service is not reliable at the park. A fee is charged for all campsites, and campers must have a reservation code to be able to camp. Camping fees are listed at the bottom of this page.
Pros- great location, beautiful views. First night went fine by me although my gf said she couldn’t sleep all night because of the constant noise from nearby highway.
Cons- apparently common for camp squatters. No security or gate, people seem to know it, so random people show up after hours. Camp office notified, they just blew it off as if it’s a common complaint and claim they’re late arrivals who must’ve not known where to go. We arrived back to camp after dark on out serving night to find site overtaken by others. Old bathrooms on top of hill missing curtains spraying shower area and changing area so no way to keep changing area clean or dry. Bathrooms at bottom of hill were clean in forest shower, dirty and disgusting the next couple showers. Camped in NC approx 15x in past couple years and this is by far the worst managed yet.
We made a reservation for 3 nights but as we arrived it was only for 2. Luckily they were able to move the next reservation from our site so we didn’t have to pack up and leave. It was a bit nerve racking but they are really nice in the office and fixed the problem right away! It’s so beautiful and we love coming here. The white squirrel and all the chipmunks were a nice surprise!
Beautiful campground, great view of the mountain. It has a kids jungle gym and sand pit next to the bath house. Good general store on sites. $7 a bundle of firewood. Centrally located to go to Boone or sugar mountain. Had a great time.
My wife and I had a great experience here. The staff were super friendly, the sites were clean, and the bathroom were clean also. People have complained about the road noise in other reviews- yes. you can hear it if you’re in a tent, but it wasn’t an issue. (Also, not really something they can control). We went on a Sunday to Monday, and they let us choose our site. They have a big field you can play in, and it’s nice to just walk around. Their prices are great, can’t beat them. We will definitely be back with friends.
