Can you reserve a site at Lake Powhatan?

Yes, Lake Powhatan is reservable through Recreation.gov.

How many campsites does Lake Powhatan have?

84 sites in total, of which 71 can be booked.

What is the maximum RV length at Lake Powhatan?

50 ft. That is the longest vehicle the sites here are recorded as taking; individual sites may be shorter.

Are pets allowed at Lake Powhatan?

Yes, pets are allowed at Lake Powhatan.

Are campfires allowed at Lake Powhatan?

Campfires are allowed at Lake Powhatan. Check for a current fire restriction before you go.

Lake Powhatan, North Carolina — 71 sites, fees and cancellation alerts

Overview

Glamping sites are now available at Lake Powhatan! Experience nature and outdoor recreation without sacrificing the comforts and luxuries of home. Choose one of 12 custom designed, fully furnished canvas platform tents in the heart of the national forest for your next mountain adventure, only 10 minutes from downtown Asheville, NC. Learn more about glamping near Asheville . To book your glamping site, click here.

Located just minutes from the popular city of Asheville, North Carolina, Lake Powhatan has something for everyone. The campground is convenient to a variety of cultural and natural attractions, including art and music venues, shopping and dining in Asheville, scenic driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway, numerous hiking trails and lakeside recreation.

Recreation

Visitors have a number of different activities to choose from. Kids love the lake's sandy swimming beach and anglers enjoy the calm waters for trout fishing. The French Broad River, popular for fishing, is also nearby. Note that use of personal watercraft is STRICTLY PROHIBITED in the lake due to potential introduction of foreign material to the Lake Powhatan riprarian ecosystem.

The forest is known for its hiking and mountain biking trails, several of which are located near the campground.

Facilities

The shaded, private campsites are organized into four loops, all within walking distance of the lake. The facility provides picnic tables, tent pads, lantern posts and campfire rings with grills, in addition to restrooms with hot showers and flush toilets. A few sites have full hookups. 12 glamping tents are available in the upper Hardtimes Loop. Campers can purchase ice and firewood from the gatehouse.

Natural Features

The campground is situated in a heavily wooded area on the banks of Lake Powhatan in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. The elevation is 2,200 feet. The surrounding land boasts mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls and slopes thickly forested with hardwoods and conifers.

Nearby Attractions

Among the more popular nearby destinations are Sliding Rock, Looking Glass Falls, the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway, The NC Arboretum and the Biltmore Estate.

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (828) 577-7278.

Charges & Cancellations

Any cancellations must be taken care of directly with recreation.gov. Note that this facility does not provide refunds for No Shows or incliment weather.

The facts

71 bookable sites
84 sites in total, including non-bookable
1 accessible site
Vehicles up to 50 ft
Up to 16 people per site
Loops: Bent Creek, Big John, Hard Times, LAKE POWHATAN, Lakeside

Site types

27 Standard Nonelectric
23 Tent Only Nonelectric
17 RV Electric
13 Management
4 Standard Electric

Amenities

Electric hookups
Water hookups
Sewer hookups
Campfires allowed
Fire pits
Picnic tables
Grills
Shade
Pets allowed

Book on Recreation.gov

84 campsites at Lake Powhatan

Accessible only

Site	Loop	Type	Entry	Surface	Grade	Max rig	People
022	Bent Creek	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	—	8	🐾
023	Bent Creek	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
024	Bent Creek	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	—	8	🐾
025	Bent Creek	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
026	Bent Creek	Rv Electric	Pull Through	Paved	Moderate	28 ft	8	🐾
027	Bent Creek	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
028/029	Bent Creek	Standard Nonelectric	Pull Through	Gravel	—	—	16	🐾
030	Bent Creek	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
031	Bent Creek	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	32 ft	8	🐾
032	Bent Creek	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
033	Bent Creek	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	—	8	🐾
034	Bent Creek	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
035	Bent Creek	Standard Electric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
001	Big John	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	30 ft	8	🐾
002	Big John	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
003	Big John	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
004	Big John	Standard Electric	Back In	Gravel	—	36 ft	8	🐾
005	Big John	Standard Electric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
006	Big John	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	35 ft	8	🐾
006A	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Moderate	—	8	♿ 🐾
007	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	35 ft	8	🐾
008	Big John	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	—	8	🐾
009	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	34 ft	8	🐾
010	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
011	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	34 ft	8	🐾
012	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	50 ft	8	🐾
013	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
014	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Pull Through	Gravel	Slight	35 ft	8	🐾
015	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
016	Big John	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
017	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	28 ft	8	🐾
018	Big John	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	—	8	🐾
019	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	35 ft	8	🐾
020	Big John	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	34 ft	8	🐾
021	Big John	Standard Electric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
058	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	32 ft	8	🐾
059	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
060	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
061	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Pull Through	Gravel	—	32 ft	8	🐾
062	Hard Times	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
063	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
064	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
065	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
066	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	34 ft	8	🐾
067	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	34 ft	8	🐾
068	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
069	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	30 ft	8	🐾
070	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	35 ft	8	🐾
071	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	36 ft	8	🐾
072	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
079	Hard Times	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	36 ft	8	🐾
087	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Pull Through	Gravel	—	30 ft	8	🐾
088	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
089	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	22 ft	8	🐾
090	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
091	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	—	8	🐾
092	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	—	8	🐾
093	Hard Times	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	36 ft	8	🐾
094	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	32 ft	8	🐾
095	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	28 ft	8	🐾
096	Hard Times	Standard Nonelectric	Pull Through	Gravel	—	30 ft	8	🐾
097	Hard Times	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	Slight	—	8	🐾
XXX	LAKE POWHATAN	Management	Back In	Gravel	—	30 ft	8
036	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
036A	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
037	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
038	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
039	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
040	Lakeside	Management	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
041	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	35 ft	8	🐾
042	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	28 ft	8	🐾
043	Lakeside	Management	Back In	Paved	Slight	25 ft	8	🐾
044	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
046	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
048	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	35 ft	8	🐾
049	Lakeside	Management	Back In	Paved	Severe	32 ft	8	🐾
050	Lakeside	Tent Only Nonelectric	Back In	Gravel	—	—	8	🐾
051	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	Moderate	25 ft	8	🐾
052	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	Slight	40 ft	8	🐾
053	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
055	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Gravel	—	40 ft	8	🐾
056	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
057	Lakeside	Management	Back In	Paved	—	40 ft	8	🐾
45/47	Lakeside	Rv Electric	Pull Through	Paved	—	40 ft	16	🐾

Getting there

From Asheville, take I-26 to exit 33. Go south approximately 2 miles on State Route 191 to the Lake Powhatan Recreation Area sign. Turn right and follow signs to the campground.

35.48167, -82.63000 · 35°28'54.0"N 82°37'48.0"W

Directions (Google Maps) · Directions (Apple Maps)

Typical weather

Typically 83°F in Jul, down to 48°F in Jan.

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
High °F	48	51	59	68	75	80	83	82	77	68	58	50
Low °F	25	28	34	41	49	57	61	60	54	42	33	28
Precip in	4.0	3.3	4.1	4.7	4.4	4.4	5.7	4.1	4.6	3.5	4.3	4.0

1991–2020 averages from the nearest NOAA station, 1.3 mi away — not measured at the facility itself, and elevation can make a real difference over that distance.

Map

Common questions about Lake Powhatan

Can you reserve a site at Lake Powhatan?: Yes, Lake Powhatan is reservable through Recreation.gov.
How many campsites does Lake Powhatan have?: 84 sites in total, of which 71 can be booked.
What is the maximum RV length at Lake Powhatan?: 50 ft. That is the longest vehicle the sites here are recorded as taking; individual sites may be shorter.
Are pets allowed at Lake Powhatan?: Yes, pets are allowed at Lake Powhatan.
Does Lake Powhatan have hookups?: Electric, Water, Sewer.
Are campfires allowed at Lake Powhatan?: Campfires are allowed at Lake Powhatan. Check for a current fire restriction before you go.

Camping near Lake Powhatan

Lake Powhatan Glamping less than 0.1 mi · Campground · we watch it
Wash Creek Horse Camp 4.3 mi · Campground · we watch it
North Mills River 5.2 mi · Campground · we watch it
Mount Pisgah Campground 9 mi · Campground · we watch it
Wolf Ford Horse Camp 9.4 mi · Campground · we watch it
Pink Beds Picnic Shelter 12.1 mi · Campground · we watch it
White Pine South Group Camp 14.5 mi · Campground · we watch it
Wolf Ford Horse Camp 9.5 mi · Facility
Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center (Milepost 384) 10 mi · Facility
The Omni Grove Park Inn 10.8 mi · Facility
Folk Art Center (Milepost 382) 11.3 mi · Facility
Cradle of Forestry In America Heritage Site 12.3 mi · Facility

Contact

Phone 828-552-8040
Book Recreation.gov

Recreation.gov last updated this record on 2026-03-21.

Lake Powhatan