Julian Price Campground, Blue Ridge Parkway

Campground

Facilities

Julian Price Campground combines the traditional great outdoors experience with the modern conveniences of flush toilets, dump station, and drinking water. Both RV and tent sites are available, and are equipped with grills, picnic tables, and lantern poles.

In addition to the 75 sites available for advance reservations, 115 sites are available on a first come, first served basis. Availability for first come, first served sites cannot be tracked through Recreation.gov. These sites must be booked in person at the campground kiosk.

Primitive Backcountry Camping is available at Johns River Road. Obtain a free permit from the Julian Price Campground office (May-October) (828-963-5911) or the Sandy Flats Ranger Station when campground is closed. (828-348-3490).

Natural Features

Julian Price Campground is adjacent to Price Lake, a pristine body of water that sparkles against the backdrop of rolling Carolina hills.

The surrounding forest offers hemlock, white pine, oak, hickory and birch trees, along with a colorful assortment of wildflowers in the spring and an array of vivid orange and red foliage displays in autumn.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic byway that follows the high crests of the central and southern Appalachians for 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.

Recreation

Canoe rentals are available at Price Lake, and other types of non-motorized boats are permitted. Fishing is also available at the lake, with a dock provided.

Price Lake Trail offers a refreshing hike around the edge of the water, and the Boone Fork, Green Knob and Tanawha Trails are just a few of the trails that are conveniently accessed through the campground.

Hebron Falls: A small waterfall accessed from the Boone Fork Trail.

The Cascades: A beautiful waterfall accessed by the easy 1-mile loop Cascades Trail. A great hike for children.

Moses Cone Flat Top Manor: A historic estate house (currently undergoing restoration) once owned by the Cone family. The grounds offer 25 miles of carriage roads to hike. Tours of the home are available. Currently houses the Southern Highland Craft Guild.

Wildlife viewing is also popular as campers have a good chance of spotting bears, grouse, turkeys, owls, hawks and more.

Recreation Sites

Tent Only Nonelectric
Rv Nonelectric
Standard Nonelectric
Management
Overnight

Activities

Day Use Area
Visitor Center
Hiking
Fishing
Interpretive Programs
Camping
Historic & Cultural Site
Horseback Riding
Photography
Picnicking
Star Gazing
Water Access
Wildlife Viewing
Canoeing
Kayaking

Amenities

Accessible Sites
Amphitheater
Canoe Rentals
Drinking Water
Dump Station
Emergency Phone
Flush Toilets
Food Storage Locker
Grills
Lantern Posts
Paved Parking
Paved Roads
Pets Allowed
Picnic Tables
Showers
Water Spigot
Fire Pit
Picnic Table
Tent Pad
Tent Pads
Lake Access
Accessible Grills
Accessibility
Generator Free
Food Locker

Nearby Attractions

The beautiful town of Blowing Rock, located just 20 minutes away on the Blue Ridge Parkway, offers fine dining, shopping and more.

Getting Here

Latitude

36° 8' 20.0000" N

Longitude

81° 43' 52.0000" W

From Asheville, North Carolina, head east on I-40 E for approximately 20 miles to exit 72 for US-70E. At the top of the exit ramp, continue straight onto US-70 E and drive for 11 miles to the intersection with US-221 N. Turn left (north) onto US-221 N and continue for 21.6 miles. At the sign for the Blue Ridge Parkway, turn right onto the connector road. At the stop sign marking the intersection with the Parkway, turn left (north) and drive for approximately 22 miles until you see the Campground Registration Kiosk on the left side of the road. From Boone, North Carolina, head south onto US-321 S and drive for 6.3 miles. At the sign for the Blue Ridge Parkway, turn right onto the connector road. At the stop sign marking the intersection with the Parkway, turn left (south) and drive for 4.4 miles until you see the campground on the right. From Blowing Rock, North Carolina, take Main Street until you reach the intersection with US-221 S. Turn south onto US-221 S and drive for 1.6 miles. At the sign for the Blue Ridge Parkway, turn right onto the connector road. At the stop sign marking the intersection with the Parkway, turn left (south) and drive approximately 2 miles until you see the campground on the right.

Need to Know

Firewood Regulation: Only heat-treated firewood bundled in its original packing and bearing a certification seal from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) or a state department of agriculture may be brought onto the Parkway. Campers may still collect dead and down wood in the immediate vicinity of campgrounds and picnic areas. This rule is strictly enforced!

There are hot water showers in Loop D.

There are no electric, water or sewer hook-ups available.

All tents must be placed on prepared pads where provided.

Only one tent is allowed per site unless there is adequate space on the provided tent pad. Sites are for use by parties not to exceed six people unless specifically designated as Group Camping.

Hammock camping is permitted, but campers must abide by posted regulations.

Vehicles are to be parked on the pavement of an assigned site or in designated parking areas. A maximum of two vehicles may be parked in each site (i.e. trailer and car, two cars, two motorcyles). Most sites are limited to only one vehicle.

Generator use is prohibited from 9:00 pm to 8:00 am.

CAUTION: Bears frequent the area. Be aware! Keep a clean camp and store all food or scented items in your car or provided food lockers. DO NOT HANG TRASH FROM THE LANTERN POSTS.