Jason's Log

My family and I recently camped at Lake Powhatan in the western North Carolina mountains, just south of Asheville. Lake Powtahan is currently managed by Pisgah National Forest. Here are some thoughts regarding our stay and the campground. We made our reservations using the US government’s http://www.recreation.gov/ website.   It was fairly easy to find a campsite that met my family’s needs. Online reservation process was fairly easy. I will certainly use that website to find more great camping spots.

Overall, I would highly recommend staying at Lake Powhatan campground. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it a 8 or 9.

Getting to Lake Powhatan is very easy. Just take I-26 to Exit 33 in North Carolina (one exit south of I-40 & I-26 interchange). Go south on Hwy 191 for about 2 miles. You’ll see a sign for Lake Powhatan Recreational Area and a standard “Campground” sign. Turn right as directed, follow that road for just over 2 miles directly into the Lake Powhatan campground entrance. It is almost the same as getting on the Blue Ridge Parkway from I-26 except you turn for Lake Powhatan just before the turn for the Parkway — which makes access to the Blue Ridge Parkway very easy.

When you enter the campground, you will be the security guards will ensure you have reservations and make a visitor pass for easy access in and out of the campground. Gates open at 7am and close at 10 pm. The guards also sell firewood ($5/bundle) and ice if needed. You can bring in outside firewood, but there are restrictions based on origin of the firewood (see the campground’s website for details).  I though the firewood price was a little high but more reasonable than other “on site” campground campfire bundles. However, the security guards did tell us anything on the ground is ok to use, just don’t touch anything still standing/living. We managed to get by with 2 bundles per night with a little hunting for additional wood around our campsite. I would try arranging to get firewood from a local source (Asheville area) and haul it in if I could do a little more advanced planning.

Before we arrived, the campground manager called us and offered to move out to a different campsite than we had originally reserved. The main reason for the call was because of some renovations in the area we originally selected (only electric site left online). We took advantage of the offer to move another couple we were camping with right next to us in our new location. Apparently the campground always keeps certain spots available  only for the campground management to reserve (in fact our spot, #75, wasn’t even on the online map). I made sure that tents would be fine on the spot since the powered sites are actually full hookup RV/Camper sites. However, they are gravel (not concrete pads) so tents will work just fine. It was only an extra $5 per night more over the unpowered normal tent sites — and still less expensive than some other unpowered sites in other campgrounds (in the Asheville area).

The site itself was just fine. A good clearing with a fine gravel drive (intended for an RV/Camper), reasonable sized elevated (off the ground) fire pit, power box, water faucet, and sewer hookup, and a wooded area with a large picnic table. Overall, a really nice site. In addition to full hookups, the site was a bit larger than our friend’s “tent only” site — although that looked rather nice for unpowered tent camping. The site was fairly clean. No garbage laying around from the previous campers or other junk that I remember and we did our best to make sure we left it in the same condition. The sites did not feel too crowded together, some are closer than others, but most provide adequate space to provide a reasonable level of privacy.

The campground and facility were very nice. We managed to snag a spot right across the street from a newly renovated bathhouse. The showers were rather hot. In fact, just perfect for my taste. If would not desire the water any warmer than what was provided and it felt so relaxing after a long day at camp. Like the name suggests, there is a lake at the campground. I think they allow fishing, but I’m not certain on any details. They have a beach/swimming area roped off in the lake for cooling off in the warmer months. Picnic tables are everywhere and there are several hiking trails to follow. The only thing I felt was missing was a playground for the little ones. Some nicer (luxury) campgrounds have them, but apparently they are not a big feature on federal land. Go figure.

Management was nice enough to patrol the area periodically during the night to make sure no one was out of line during “quite hours”. The management/staff were very nice and willing to help us find a park that did have a playground for my kids to play for a little while. They also provided recommendations for local attractions, stores, and just about anything else in the area. I found the staff extremely helpful and very warm and friendly.

Other feature of the campground is the close proximity to other attractions in the Asheville/western NC area. From the campground, you can be on the Blue Ridge Parkway in 5 minutes or less. I-26 is less than 10 minutes away. Near the I-26 exit 33 area, you have access to various shopping centers — Big K-mart, Ingles supermarket, and several gas stations. So, if you forget something (like we did) at least you won’t have very far to go.

For our family, if Lake Powhatan only had a playground, we would call it the perfect campground. However, in spite of its minor shortcomings, it is an excellent campground in an excellent area. We highly recommend it to anyone wanting to go camping in the mountains — just bring your own entertainment for your kids.