Lake Powhatan Campground

I'm trying to convince my husband to still camp here after my girlfriend and I had a great glamping experience but not so much greatness from the staff.

1st: I made glamping reservations a few months in advance, from out of state, and while my husband and I were in the area for our anniversary we decided to check out the grounds that I would be at with my girlfriend. However, they would not let us in because they do not allow drive throughs on the weekends. Fair enough rules but it made my husband quite angry that despite our future reservations, we couldn't get a lay of the land before my girls weekend excursion, despite the fact that it wasn't busy at this time or anything. Rules are rules though and it made him angrier than I... I was definitely disappointed though.

When we did arrive for our reservation, everyone was very pleasant! The best thing for us was that gates close but DO NOT LOCK at night. This was good for us since we were there for a yoga workshop and would not get done until quite late that first night (we did make sure to check in during open hours though, which is absolutely necessary). The minimum 4P check-in time was a bit crazy but I assume it's because the glamping sites require a lot of maintenance in between guests though.
We were greeted by a very kind lady at our glamping tent who suggested that when we leave to return after dark that we should leave the provided lantern lit inside the tent so that we could see when we return... and that when people left their tents dark that SHE WOULD GO INSIDE AND TURN THE LANTERN ON FOR THEM WHILE THEY ARE AWAY. I understand she thinks this is a kindness but I'd NOT be thrilled that someone I do not know would potentially walk into my space when I wasn't there.

We turned on said lantern before we left but it was dead by the time we returned. There was no means to charge it, so we did so using a phone charger I happened to have handy (it was USB).

The free bag of ice in the Coleman cooler was a nice little bonus and kept our food chilled for the entire weekend! The bed was so incredibly comfortable. Our spot was quite private and nestled into the trees and we were a short walk to the bathroom, but not right on top of it.

Night 2 we came back early enough to have a fire with the free bundle of wood that came with the glamping site. We sat outside with music playing on a small Bluetooth speaker... I walked to the road to test the volume and found that not only could I just barely hear it from the foot of our driveway, but there was no one staying in the site next to us (and we were on an end) and the site across the road from us was listening to their own music as well, so I was confident we weren't possibly disturbing anyone. That didn't stop our host from walking on up and telling us that if it could be heard from the road, it's too loud. I know, that sounds like a fair rule but I really promise you, there is no possible way it could be heard unless you were walking right by our driveway on your way to the bathroom. Oh well, we just turned it down a bit and still had a good time. It's just not fun getting in trouble when you really didn't want to disrupt anyone.

Anyway, we leave the next morning and finish up our workshop in Asheville. I received a call during that time and had a voicemail from the campground letting us know that we must have accidentally packed one of their chargers. I knew right away what they were talking about and called the campground back to inform them that there never was a charger for the lantern in there and that we used our own. This was the worst part of the whole stay when the response I got (and read this with absolute stank) was "Well, I WISH you would have told your host! [insert 'ugh' sound]… but that's okay!"

Please tell me how I was supposed to KNOW that something was missing that I didn't know was supposed to exist in the first place? And the only time I saw the host after needing the charger that I didn't know was supposed to be there, was when she stopped in to reprimand us for the noise. At least they took my word for it and didn't try charge me or anything.

I do want to clarify that the host was never harsh with us and the one time we spoke while being greeted, she was laughing with us and chatting. I'm sure she is a very kind woman that just takes her job very seriously, and in many cases, I'd be grateful for that.

The campground itself though, was perfection. There is so much hiking there want to do, and there are lots of biking trails too. Even if I never convince my husband to camp here (he's so stubborn!), I'll return with my girlfriend and hope we don't get reprimanded for anything!

OH- Cell phone coverage was very spotty. Just an FYI. Sometimes I was able to make/receive calls, and sometimes calls just dropped. Internet was pretty much just a big NO.

We arrived here looking for a double site and were very happy with the only site offered. There were full hookups in this pull through double site. The campground is in bear country and we did, in fact, see a black bear in the campground. They seem to have everything here, including 'clamping', where you just show up and they have accommodations that provide everything you need. As a bonus, this campground had the cleanest restrooms/showerhouses we've seen. Those responsible work very hard to make sure they stay that way, and we noticed that they cleaned the showers and restrooms more than twice a day. They were immaculate! The campground was far enough off the main roads to be totally noise free of traffic. My only complaint is that they did not provide any type of discount for the Senior Pass, but then again, at $62 per night for the double site with full hookups for two RVs, we really don't have a major problem. We would be most happy to return if ever in the area. Again, GREAT job and kudos to the people who clean the restrooms/showers.

I love this place! It might be because I saw my first black bear and a deer but the campground was pretty awesome too! This was our first experience without hookups and everything worked out perfectly!

Initially, we did not like our spot very much, our area was surrounded buy tents and we were afraid we would be annoying other people with our generator, that didn't happen so at the end we were totally fine with our site. There are so many trails to hike and a OK size lake to jump in after a few hours of hiking!

Showers are clean, water pressure and temperature were amazing!

Camp hosts were amazing, they are all around to help out with questions and tips about what to do if a encounter a beer or other animals!

There is no cellphone service with T-mobile, we were able to get a bar with Verizon so with our booster we got 2 bars and were able to work a little bit. We were glad we had to leave the campground to find better internet so we were able to enjoy Asheville and Hendersonville for a few hours during that week. Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. is a MUST!! Such a nice dog-friendly brewery/ restaurant! Don't miss out!!!

This has to be one of my favorite spots ever. Spotless, quiet, secluded. Our site was perfect. Shielded from any neighbors and quite large. Nice bathrooms and showers. Some cell service, but not enough to do real work or streaming. Campground hosts were top notch. Entire site was raked and spotless for our stay. Great network of Mountain bike trails right from camp

I love camping at Lake Powhatan. Camp hosts were helpful and friendly. My trip got cut short this time due to a sick pup, but while we were there it was fantastic. Trails right from the campsite are always great, and full RV hookups all worked great. I wish there was a cell signal back on the lake loop - then I could stay there for long periods and just work from my airstream. I would occasionally get 1 bar of signal at my campsite and only in certain spots. I know,I know...most go to the woods to get away from it all. I do, too, but I also like being able to work from the woods when there is sufficient signal to use my hotspot. I also love that it’s open year round. I’ll be back in a couple months!

We had not made reservations, so we were happy to get an electric site during leaf season. We arrived on a Thursday afternoon at the end of October, and the staff at the gatehouse were very friendly and efficient. They were even sweet when our dog barked at them from our rig (very naughty!). At the time we stayed, the campground was being run by Pisgah Partners in Hospitality. They sold firewood for $5 at check in. They close the gate at 8 pm. Our site was $28, just as advertised on the web site. Check-out is at 12 noon.

The campground has several loops, and I believe they have 98 campsites in total. In walking around, we saw that one loop had full hook-ups, which surprised me. I don't think I have stayed in a NF campground with septic hook-ups before. Each loop was nicely wooded with bathhouses available and at least one camp host per loop. The campground was very clean and tidy. Generator hours are between 8:00 - 8:00. 

We stayed on the Big John Loop in site 21. It was close to the camp host and the bathhouse and fairly level (gravel). Since this site has a well worn path to the bathhouse, in busier times I would expect people cut through this site to get there, so be warned. We had a fire ring, sturdy picnic table, and two lantern posts with hooks. As mentioned, this site also had electric - 20, 30, and 50 amps available. It easily accommodated our 22' rig, and would have been fine for something much larger. We saw several class A motorhomes and fifth wheels in the campground. 

We did shower in the bathhouse, and it was clean. What we liked is that the showers were in separate rooms from the toilets, and they were completely private. The shower rooms were large with benches and hooks and hot water. They looked to be ADA compliant with a lower shower head and handles. 

There were doggie bags and dumpsters and recycling bins placed on each loop, as well. The campground had one dump station which was nicely tucked away from everything else. I did notice that the turn coming out of the dump station seemed a bit tight, and I wonder if larger rigs don't have issues with that. We have a 22' motorhome (with no toad at the time).

The camp hosts made their rounds frequently, which I appreciate. They were available, but not intrusive.

I imagine in the summer this campground is really hopping as there is a lake for swimming. We walked down to the lake a couple of times. It's quite small, but very pretty. It appears they rent out kayaks, too. A sign at the lake did warn that flotation devices are not allowed, so I'm not sure if you could take your own paddleboard or boat with you.

We had some cell service on AT&T. It would come and go, but I averaged around two bars. It was enough for playing on my phone, but I don't think you could get any real work done.

I saved the best thing for last: the location! It was awesome. Our favorite thing about this campground was its access to trails. There are lots of hiking/cycling trails in this area. You can also walk over to the Arboretum where there are even more trails. The French Broad River and the Blueridge Parkway are very close, too. The area is gorgeous, and the proximity to Asheville is an added bonus. Do some research before you head out. If you have a tow vehicle or toad, this would be the time to go out and explore. I may be biased, but I think this is my favorite campground so far. If I had to say anything negative, it might be that the campsites don't have a view. I mean, if we were looking out onto some mountains and a river with eagles swooping down, I guess that would make it better. :)

We chose this campground to be close to Asheville and the mountain biking trails and weren't disappointed! It is a very well maintained campground and is right in the woods. The only downside is that we weren't able to get any cell reception or wifi. That makes it tough to get work done! We went mountain biking a few times right from our site and the bathrooms were really nice and clean. None of the sites were right on the lake, but the lake is walkable from some areas (all if you are up for a longer walk!). The lake is small and you can't use your own watercraft on it. We stayed in both the Lakeside Loop and the Bent Creek Loop and were happy with both. Our Lakeside Loop sites had full hookups and the Bent Creek site had electricity only. We were in sites 48 and 56 on Lakeside and liked them both. They weren't huge sites, but plenty of room for our RV and Jeep. We had slightly better wifi on our Verizon hotspot at Site 56, but that could have been because it was during the week and there weren't as many people around. We were in Site 35 in the Bent Creek Loop and really liked this site. It had tons of room which worked out perfectly since we had friends coming to tent camp with us. We all fit without a problem at all! I'm only giving it 4 stars because of the lack of cell/wifi.