Fog hangs in the wind-bent trees on Craggy Gardens until the Blue Ridge Parkway shows itself, a high ridge south of Asheville with long overlooks. Rhododendron takes the bald when it blooms, and from the same stop you walk the Craggy Pinnacle trail for a 360-degree view. Graveyard Fields is the waterfall basin under the same road, a walk to the water.
A Forest Service order prohibits camping in the Graveyard Fields recreation area. The bald summit at Mount Mitchell is the day when you want the top of the range, with Burnsville under that side of the mountains.
The van overnight is Mount Pisgah Campground, and from there the days are Craggy Gardens, Graveyard Fields, and the Mount Mitchell summit. Mount Mitchell State Park's campground is tent-only walk-in sites, and Black Mountain Campground below the park is closed for storm damage as of September 2026.
Mount Pisgah has no electric or water hookups, and the Parkway's developed campgrounds run early May through late October. You can reserve a site on recreation.gov up to six months ahead, or take a first-come, first-served site. High-elevation nights stay cold and foggy even in summer, so pack layers. Linville Falls, Grandfather Mountain, and the High Country are North Carolina's.
Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock, and Davidson River
Near Brevard and Hendersonville, shaded campground loops line the Davidson River, a trout stream in Pisgah National Forest, when those loops are open. Looking Glass Falls drops into a pool you can wade, and Sliding Rock is the natural slide, a sheet of rock with water over it.
As of September 2026, Davidson River Campground is closed for a bathhouse renovation. Sleep at Lake Powhatan or Mount Pisgah, and check the Forest Service listing before you book a night at Davidson River.
DuPont State Recreational Forest is the waterfall day from here. Hooker Falls, High Falls, and Bridal Veil Falls are on the walking paths, and the forest has no campground of its own.
Lake Powhatan in Bent Creek
Bent Creek holds Lake Powhatan, a wooded swimming lake inside Asheville's city limits, with a beach and no boats on the water. It is the close-in first night if you arrive late.
The campground is open year-round, with limited services from November through March, which is the Asheville night after the Parkway campgrounds close, and the pads include full hookups. If you need more sleeping space or a longer rig than a campervan, look at Asheville RV rentals.
Biltmore Estate is the house and gardens for an afternoon, with no camping on the grounds. Black Mountain and Montreat are town days off the Parkway.
Hot Springs and Max Patch
Appalachian Trail hikers walk into Hot Springs on the French Broad River, with jetted mineral tubs on the bank and the trail crossing town. Rocky Bluff Campground is closed as of September 2026. The overnight in town is the private campground at Hot Springs Resort.
Max Patch is a day hike on the Appalachian Trail, and a Forest Service order bans overnight camping in the area. The North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the Great Smoky Mountains trip.