Brown Mountain Roadside Campsites

My husband, dogs and I loved staying here - amazing OHV trails. Campsites are spread-out. Road up to the parking lot gets a bit rough, but didn’t see any truck/trailers have an issue getting up. Locals said you can’t camp in the parking lot, but we did the first night without knowing (oops). Sad to see lots of garbage dumped around campsites. Bathrooms available, but we didn’t use them. Lots of traffic in and out but absolutely loved this spot and the experience it gave. 100% recommend for anyone who loves off roading!

Stayed 2 nights here while doing a few hikes in the area like grandfather trail. Pretty decent spot right on the creek with outhouses and the only traffic is off roaders hauling up the mountain. 1 spot near the entrance and a few others scattered along the road. part of the road does get flooded at times. campsites and fire rings were littered but expected from free sites along a forest road. One site is blocked off for cars and only tent camping.

This was a nice campsite tucked away in the mountains of North Carolina. There are roughly 10 sites, half of which I could easily fit my 25' TT. The sites were a good size and we're clean. Each site had a fire pit with a picnic table and we're easily accessible. The best part about this campground was the close proximity to great hiking trails and fishing areas. There is a lot to explore in this area.

Stayed here for 5 days.

The road is gravel and dirt. No major potholes and easily navigable. Two cars/trucks and most likely two small to mid-sized RVs can squeeze by at the same time. If you take the road all the way to the end, about 2 to 2.5 miles, there is a huge asphalt parking lot (see pics). One caveat: there is a relatively narrow turn near the top of the lot, past the camping sites, that would be difficult for larger RVs. Then again many trucks hauling dirt bikes on trailers made it up to the parking lot. If they can, I imagine many lengthy vehicles probably could get through also.

This parking lot is mainly used by Off Highway Vehicles (OHV). That is, dirt bikes and four wheelers. The OHV trail starts at the parking lot, which is why on weekends it gets extremely busy. I'd say I saw upwards of 25 trucks and vans in November. Most leave before sundown. Some may occasionally camp. The OHV lot is far enough from the sites, about 0.5 miles, that you won't hear the bikers coming and going from the OHV trail. You will hear them when they pass your site on their way in and out. By the way, I believe you cannot camp at the parking lot though I did not try.

There are a handful of sites, all of which are of different sizes and shapes. All can accommodate tents with ease. Tables and fire rings are available in most though I didn't check them all. Some sites will fit trailers and trucks, especially if you squeeze them in. See pics of how a few campers did exactly that. Small RVs will fit in most sites, possibly by backing them in. The road is wide enough where backing in is possible, especially with assistance. I saw a large fifth wheel in one of the sites and a truck and trailer in another of the smaller sites (see pics).

There are two toilets about 100 feet apart. They are clean and toilet paper is supplied (see pics).

Phone reception and internet access are unavailable at the sites, or at least the one I was at. It's possible that with a booster you may get service. You will get service to make phone calls at the OHV trail parking lot. Internet is spotty.

Being a forest, trees abound. Depending on the site you are at, you may or may not get sunshine. The trees provide plenty of shade. This can be good and bad. My solar panels had to be moved every 15 to 20 minutes if I wanted them to provide full charge. A bit of a hassle but doable. I was able to charge my power station sufficiently.

As for groceries, there is a store diagonally across from the entrance of the forest. Unfortunately, it was only open during the weekend when I happened to be there. The Collettsville General Store is about 6 miles from the dispersed camping sites and a far better bet. If you're exiting the forest, turn left and keep going until you hit a T point. Turn right and it's immediately to your right. They are a fully stocked convenience store where you can also get pizza and sandwiches. The general store also serves as a gas station. And they're open 7 am to 9 pm to boot!

About 0.25 to 0.5 miles from the Collettsville General Store is the Hard and Flossie Clark Family Park, a public park, where phone reception is available. There are covered picnic tables so you can sit and surf (see pics). If you scout around you'll find a power outlet that is turned on. Enough to get routine tasks done while charging your laptop.

Collettsville also has a post office, which opens during the afternoon every day. I think from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm. Or it may be 12:30 to 4:30.

There are 12 dispersed roadside campsites within this free 14 day dispersed camping area in the Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. Picnic tables, fires rings, and lampposts are provided at each primitive campsite. There is no AT&T or Verizon cellular service at this location. Grid coordinates for the Brown Mountain Dispersed Camping Area and a spacious RV campsite are as follows: 35.894517, -81.742899