Lake Powhatan Campground

One of our favorite campgrounds, Lake Powhatan Campground is only 15 minutes from our home in Asheville, North Carolina. Lake Powhatan is a U.S. Forest Service campground, which means that a standard non-electric site costs us only $14 per night (half-price) using our National Park Service Senior Pass. Available to those over 62 years of age, our well-worn and well-used Senior Pass is one of the good things about growing older. 

2021 Update: Still a favorite but we are bummed that this campsite recently switched from first-come, first-serve to reservations-only through recreation.gov, with its $8 reservation fee added on top of the campsite fee.

Lake Powhatan’s shaded, private campsites are organized into four loops (one loop is actually for glamping in one of a dozen fully furnished tents). Campsites feature picnic tables, tent pads, lantern posts and campfire rings with grills. Most sites have trees perfectly spaced for pitching your made-in-Asheville Eno hammocks. A few sites have full hookups. Pets are welcome, but dogs must be kept on-leash for the duration of your stay.

If you’re renting one of our vans during the summer, you may want to opt for an electric site so that you can run the air conditioning outside of quiet hours, which run from 10 p.m. through 7 a.m. Generally, however, we have found that the cooler nighttime temperatures at 2,200-feet above sea level allow us to sleep comfortably with only the van’s equipped fan, which does not require external electric hookup. The Boldt (pictured above) is our ultra-luxury van, and it can run air conditioning all night thanks to its onboard lithium power pack.

As the name of the campground implies, there is a lake, which is only a few minutes walk from any of the campsites. We particularly enjoy the lake on summer evenings, when the cicadas, crickets, grasshoppers, katydids, frogs and owls come together to create a summer symphony. If you’re up for a stroll, there are hiking trails that loop around the lake.

The Lake Powhatan Recreation Area is situated in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest, which offers miles and miles and miles of trails for hiking and mountain biking.

Mountain Bike Project lists 145 miles of mountain bike trails at Bent Creek, a mere drop in the bucket considering that the broader region that encompasses Bent Creek, Pisgah National Forest, boasts nearly 2,000 miles of mountain bike trails. And that’s only one of the national forest regions in the 828 (for your out-of-towners, the 828 is Western North Carolina).

If you do not have a mountain bike, you can rent one at nearby Motion Makers or Carolina Fatz. Note that e-bikes (or eMTBs) are not allowed on single-track forest trails or on gated forest roads. However, one excellent ride on the eMTB is Bent Creek Road to North Mills River Campground and back, 20 miles roundtrip. You’ll pass under the Blue Ridge Parkway and proceed along a dirt road for some fantastic views of the peaks and valleys. In winter, the Blue Ridge Parkway is often closed to automobiles, so there is also the opportunity to ride free of traffic should you choose to cycle the parkway. Just note there are some long tunnels. Lights or headlamps are recommended.

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For some too-good-to-be-sin-free nourishment after your ride, drive to Sand Hill Kitchen for chef Jamie Wade’s Award Winning Fried Chicken Sandwich, described on the menu as “Buttermilk Soaked, Crispy Fried Chicken with our Homemade Dilly Pickles.” Yum!

If you’re hankering to quench your thirst, head up to the Mills River Sierra Nevada Taproom or Blue Ghost Brewing for some tasty brews. Both breweries are 10 miles from Lake Powhatan. Or you could drive half that distance back into Asheville to visit any of its more than 30 breweries. Just be sure to drink and drive responsibly.

Back at your campsite, you’ll appreciate that the North Carolina Arboretum adjoins Lake Powhatan. From the campground, the arboretum is a 30-minute hike or 15-minute bike ride away alongside a trout stream. When you get to the arboretum, be sure not miss the Bonsai exhibit. You can also grab a bite to eat at the arboretum’s Bent Creek Bistro.

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There are miles of hiking and biking trails within the gates of the arboretum as well as a National Native Azalea Repository, with its 17 species of native azaleas all ablaze with color in the spring. Admission to the arboretum is free if you walk in or pedal in, but you’ll need to pay a parking fee ($14 as of this writing) should you decide to drive in.

The Blue Ridge Parkway also adjoins the Bent Creek boundary, so you could head on up to Mt. Pisgah, where you’ll find another of our favorite campgrounds as well as a restaurant with incredible views. Download our free guide below to read about some of our favorite campgrounds for Class B camper vans like our Travatos and Winnebago Boldt.

Tips, Recommendations & Resources

Recommend ‘Pisgah Ranger District inc. Bent Creek’ map by Pisgah Map Co. Hiking and mountain biking trails. Access to Mountains to Sea Trail.

Access to the North Carolina Arboretum. We recommend the gardens, bonsai exhibit and lunch at the Bent Creek Bistro. Love the Azalea gardens in spring. Maps available at Visitor Center. Entrance fee supports the Arboretum, or hike/bike in for free.

Quick and easy access to the Blue Ridge Parkway with all its hikes and views. Same Pisgah Ranger District map recommended.

Cell Service: Can you hear me now? Probably not. Neither T-Mobile nor Verizon work well from the campsites, but both work once you’re up hiking or biking on the ridges.

Hooking up: Lake Powhatan campground has full hookups for those who need electric, water and sewer, as well as hot showers and clean bathrooms – and what may just be the cleanest dump station on the East Coast. To book a campsite at Lake Powhatan, visit recreation.gov.

Did we say that Asheville is only ten minutes away?