CAMPING SEASON
Linville Falls Campground is one of eight campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway that is operated by the National Park Service. It is typically open from early April until the end of October, though the official opening and closing dates change each year. Be sure to get the latest schedule on the official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for the Blue Ridge Parkway.
TYPE OF CAMPING
Linville Falls Campground can accommodate tent campers, RVs, and other self-contained sleeping vehicles ranging from 20 to 50 feet in length. Maximum vehicle lengths for each campsite are given on the reservation website, Recreation.gov.
There are two group campsites available for tents-only camping.
If a campsite has a tent pad, all tents are supposed to be pitched on the pad. I’m not sure of the pad size, but they are at least 10′ x 10′. This should allow one large tent or two small tents. If you have more tents than can fit on the pad, you must pay for another campsite. Tent pads are pre-leveled areas of earth that are enclosed in a wood or concrete frame, so regardless of hilly or sloping terrain, you will have a level area on which to pitch your tent.
I did notice that not everyone follows the tent pad rules, and Rangers don’t seem to care. Some of the B Loop sites are so large that there’s plenty of room to pitch tents just about anywhere and not encroach on the neighboring campsites. For example, there is a tent pad near the woods at B35, but campers pitched their tents near the driveway and nobody said a thing. In fact, tents at many of the neighboring sites seemed to be pitched haphazardly, like a Hooverville. At the smaller sites, the tent pad is about the only reasonable place to pitch a tent.
Smaller site at Linville Falls Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway where the tent pad is about the only place to pitch a tent
TERRAIN
The Linville Falls Campground is the most level of all campgrounds on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Camping areas and picnic tables at most other campgrounds are either up- or downhill from the parking spaces, but not here–everything is level.
There is very little shade at the campground. Campsites may back up to the forest, but your RV or the spot where you pitch a tent is out in the open. Campsites on the inside of A Loop are on a large field and have no shade at all. Furthermore, there is no privacy between campsites, but if you are camping on the outside of A Loop or anywhere on B Loop, your campsite is backed up to the forest, so there are no sites directly behind you. Campsites on the inside of A Loop have neighboring campsites on either side and to the rear.
NUMBER OF SITES
Linville Falls Campground is the smallest campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is comprised of two loops, each open to all types of campers, though sites within the loops may be designed specifically for RVs, specifically for tents, or both RVs and tents.
There are 62 individual sites available to guests, plus two camp host sites and two group campsites. Nineteen sites are designated for RV use only. There are two sites in B Loop reserved for disabled visitors.
All individual campsites can accommodate up to six campers and two vehicles. All vehicles must be parked on the pavement.
Group campsites can hold up to 20 campers and three vehicles.
Tent Only Sites
There are 14 sites designated specifically for tents, 8 of which can be reserved. The difference in these sites and the multi-purpose RV / Tent sites is that these have tent pads and car-size parking spaces whereas the multi-purpose sites have parking spaces large enough to hold an RV or trailer and often do not have a tent pad. Tent-only sites also have a picnic table, grill / fire ring, and a lantern post.
Some tent sites have parking spaces right next to the camping area, while others are walk-in sites (A14 through A19, and B50, B51, and B52) where you park at the curb and carry your gear to your campsite, anywhere from 50 to 100 yards away. Unfortunately, when making online reservations there’s no way to know which you are getting. The two group sites are also walk-in sites.
Tent and RV Sites
There are 29 sites open to both tents and RVs, 16 of which can be reserved. When making a reservation online, these are referred to as Standard Nonelectric sites. Parking spaces range from 21′ to 50′ deep. All but one are back-in sites. I stayed at B34 for tent camping and had a 25-yard walk from my parking space to the tent pad, and this is not considered a walk-in site.
Dual purpose sites at Linville Falls Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway have larger parking spaces
Each site has a picnic table, grill / fire ring, and a lantern post. Some, but not all, have tent pads.
Multi-purpose site B36 at Linville Falls Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway does not have a tent pad
RV Only Sites
RV-only sites at Linville Falls Campground on the Blue Ridge Parkway lack tent pads, but are otherwise the same as dual purpose sites
There are 19 sites reserved for RVs, 11 of which can be reserved. The only real difference between these and the dual purpose sites is the lack of a tent pad. The parking spaces are no bigger, and all but two are back-in sites. Thus, if you are in an RV, there’s nothing really to gain by sticking to the RV-only sites. As mentioned, when making a reservation, Recreation.gov lists parking space sizes, so choose appropriately.
AMENITIES
Each loop has one restroom building with modern toilets and sinks but no showers or hot water. No campsites have electricity or water hook-ups, though there is a dump station located just outside of the campground.
RESERVATIONS
Select campsites at Linville Falls Campground can be reserved up to six months in advance online at at Recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777. Current fees are listed on Recreation.gov. When making reservations you will be given information about the size of the parking areas, so choose appropriately if you are in an RV or trailer. Holders of the Interagency Senior, Access, Golden Age, or Golden Access passes are entitled to a 50% discount on campground fees.
From early April when the campground opens and up until just before Memorial Day, the Group Campsites are taken on a first come, first served basis. After that, they must be reserved in advance and can be reserved up to a year in advance.
For those arriving at the campground without a reservation, some sites are available on a first come, first served basis, and sites that can be reserved but are not taken are available for that night only. To tell the two types of sites apart, look on the campsite post for a diamond. Solid diamonds are first come, first served sites, and diamonds with an R on them designate sites available for reservation.
When you arrive, drive around and pick out a site. Unoccupied first come, first served sites are yours for the taking for up to 30 days. If there are none left, you can get an open reservable site for one night only. However, don’t assume that just because it is 10 PM and nobody is at a reservable site that it hasn’t been reserved because the person may show up at midnight. Rangers put yellow tags on the posts of sites that have been reserved, so look for R-Diamond posts with no yellow tag. If the campground office is open, you might want to double check before setting up at a reservable site.
Once you have a site, return to the camp office and self-register. You can pay with cash, check, or credit card, though regardless of whether there is a Ranger or camp host on duty, you do not make payment to them. Instead, get a self-registration envelope, provide the required information (pen or pencil required), and then place cash or check into the envelope, or if paying with a credit card, write the card information on the envelope. When done, tear off your receipt (which you attach to the camp post) and drop the payment envelope in the secure payment box.
If you have a reservation and arrive after hours and there is no tag on your site post, you must get one in the morning at the campground office.
CAMPGROUND RULES
- Camping is limited to a maximum of 30 consecutive days in any one campground and/or 30 days total per calendar year across all Parkway facilities.
- A maximum of 6 people may occupy a site.
- Checkout Time is 12:00 PM.
- Camping is permitted only at designated sites. Sites are for use by a single family or parties not exceeding six people.
- Hammocks may be used within established campsites. An established campsite is defined as within 50 feet of the existing grill/fire pit. They must be at least 20 feet from any public use areas such as trails, water spigots, restrooms, or other facilities. Hammocks may not be connected or tied to any facility. If tied to a tree, the tree must be at least 4 inches in diameter, and anchor ropes/webbing must be ½ inch or greater in width. Padding must be used if less than ½ inch in width. Trimming of trees and underbrush is prohibited.
- Campground speed limit is 15 mph. Vehicles are to be parked on the pavement of an assigned site or in designated parking areas. No more than two vehicles may be parked in each site (i.e., trailer and car, two cars, two motorcycles).
- All food, coolers, equipment used to cook or store food, and anything that may smell like food (such as toothpaste) must be stored in a closed vehicle or a camping unit made of solid, non-pliable material. Food may also be stored in food lockers provided in some campgrounds.
- Only charcoal can be used in any grill provided. Gas grills and stoves are allowed. Extinguish all fires before leaving the campground or picnic area. Do not leave any fire unattended. Only heat-treated firewood that is bundled and certified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or a state agency may be brought onto the Parkway.
- Wood gathering for use in park campgrounds is limited to dead material on the ground lying no more than 100 yards from the camp or picnic site.
- Respect quiet hours between 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Use of generators is prohibited between the hours of 9:00 PM and 8:00 AM. Please keep in mind that continuous, loud generator or audio equipment noise, at any time of the day, disturbs other campers.
- Do not drive nails into trees or strip bark, leaves, or branches from trees or shrubs. Use the lantern posts provided at each site. Do not hang lanterns from trees or loop them over branches or vegetation; these practices always damage and sometimes kill trees and vegetation.
- All dogs, cats, and other pets must be on a leash no longer than six feet or under physical restraint at all times. Do not leave pets unattended in the campground or your car. Please prevent excessive barking and properly dispose of pet waste.
- The use of skateboards, roller skates, and other coasting devices is not permitted in the park or campground. Bicycles are permitted on roads only. NC law requires persons under 16 years of age to wear an approved bicycle helmet when operating a bicycle. In Virginia, bicycle helmet regulations vary by county.
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Last updated on November 23, 2023