North Mills River Recreation Area

"Unfortunately our car was robbed and my window was completely shattered. I was so disappointed after enjoying a hike. The area itself is beautiful and accessible. I will go back, but just don't leave anything in your car. I know this rule but sometimes you make mistakes and leave things behind."

"We love coming to this beautiful recreational area....camping, fishing and the friendliness of the hosts!"

"Campground is clean, quiet, and beautiful! My husband and I spent two days there at site 8. Site 8 is close enough to walk to from our campsite for trout fishing. We will definitely stay there again!"

"We enjoyed camping here. The host was Keith with Adventure Pisgah. He does a great job managing the sites and explaining the rules (dog on leash, washing pots/pans, etc). Nice bathrooms and showers to boot!! The campsites 1-13 are nicely spaced and provide a sense of separation from your neighbor. I sense that the East Coast campgrounds are always better maintained and more actively managed than the ones I’ve experienced out west. Perhaps because they contract out the management of to a third party. Would we return? Yes - and we’d recommend staying here."

"Camped in Site 12 - I had never been to this campground before, so I didn’t know what to expect. We were lucky enough to snag a reservation two months ago for site 12, and stayed the first weekend of Nov. It was cold at night and early morning, but the afternoons were nice. This turned out to be a gem of a campsite as the location is remote enough to enjoy the forest while only being 5 miles away from an Ingles supermarket in case you forget something. The campground caters to families and fishermen, so there wasn’t a lot of noise after the 10pm quiet hour. Site 12 appeared to be one of the larger sites with ample room for two tents and or a trailer. We had two vehicles, two tents, five people. The host did come by to make sure we set up our tents on the gravel. The site also has a steel bear box, trash pole, concrete/wood table and a fire pit (as do all the other sites). The site was very clean, except for wax from arts and crafts melted onto the tabletop from previous campers. I usually duct tape a cheap tablecloth onto the table anyway. The bathroom was very clean, and the shower house had consistent, hot water. I spoke with the host on a few occasions and bought some firewood from him. Hint - the local Walmart had boxes of firewood $2 cheaper that were larger and was drier than the wood I got in the site. There was some vehicle noise/traffic throughout the night as people drove on the adjacent forest service road, but it wasn’t that bad. The fishing on the North Mills River can be good if you have the right gear for trout fishing. I spoke with another guy who was fishing, and he said he has had great luck there over the years. Overall great facilities/location and I highly recommend this campground for families. I have read about a recent trend in State Park campgrounds - people pay for reservations well in advance and never show up, leaving many campsites empty. I counted six sites that were empty and had reservation signs for the weekend, and this is a smaller campground. I don’t know how the Park Service can fix this, but it is a shame because it keeps families from being able to enjoy the campground."