Camp at Davidson River Campground in the Pisgah National Forest

Pisgah National Forest, in my opinion, is one of the best national forests in the United States. Being just a short drive from Great Smokey Mountain National Park it has all the feel of being in the smokies with more to explore. Pisgah has anything you could want to see or do from tens of waterfalls throughout the park to mountain biking, hiking, fishing, and so much more. Davidson River Campground is one of the only year-round campgrounds in Pisgah and is right at the entrance to the park as you enter it from Brevard, NC. It is located in the southern half of the forest, but the northern half is just a quick 60 minutes drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway. This post will focus on the campground and the myriad of activities around it.

Davidson River Campground is open year-round and located 1.1 miles into Pisgah as you enter the park from Brevard, NC on Route 276. The campground does have a first-come first-served policy with check-in starting at 4pm but you can avoid the hassle by making a reservation here. Cost is typically $22 a night. The campground welcomes RVs, campers, and cars so come in whatever you got! It is divided into smaller campgrounds within the area with each smaller campground having bathrooms, water, and trash facilities a short walk away. Each campsite is a drive-up site with a tent pad (room for two tents), table, fire ring and grill for cooking, and lamp post for trash bags or lanterns. Each campsite is pretty well separated from the others with plenty of trees giving some privacy. Firewood and fire starters are available for sale for 5$ a bundle at the entrance (they recommend that you don't bring your own wood) but there is usually plenty of wood around the campground to scavenge as it is in thick woods. In the winter months this may be vital as temperatures can drop pretty quickly in this area.

The activities around the campground are seemingly endless. Within the campground itself there are some lawns of grass for larger group activities, hiking trails that head up to the nearby ridge and give a great view down into the campground and river, as well as amazing fly-fishing along the Davidson River that runs right through the campground. Just a few minutes drive from the campground is Looking Glass Falls, a 60ft waterfall that is amazing to explore in the day and night. Sliding Rock is just up the road from here and is a great place to take a dip in the hotter summer months as it gets its name from the waterslide rock that you can take a ride down into the pools below. Finally, in the fall, spring, and summer months some of the best trout fly-fishing can be found right along Route 276, making Davidson River Campground the perfect place for anglers. From here, you can continue into the southern portion of the park to explore, head to the northern portion, or just head back down into Brevard for a quick beer at The Hub. But don't stay too long as the gates to the campground close at 11pm.