About Gorges State Park Campground
Gorges State Park, in the Blue Ridge Escarpment near Sapphire, North Carolina, has a family campground for tents, trailers and RVs, with some full-hookup sites, a bathhouse with toilets and hot showers, drinking-water spigots and dumpsters. It is not a primitive backpacking camp, and it is far from the Smokies, roughly three hours from Gatlinburg.
What the park says
The park's camping page lists these options:
- Family campground: Tent, trailer and RV sites, some with full hookups, with a camp host who sells firewood.
- Camper cabins: Five cabins that sleep six in two rooms; bring your own pillows and bedding.
- Backcountry sites: The park says backcountry campsites and Chestnut Mountain Road are closed until further notice.
Reserve online at ncparks.gov/reservations or by calling 1-877-722-6762. Fees are on the state's reservation-rates page. The camping page does not list a season, so call the visitor center at 828-556-6056 for current dates.
Getting there
The Grassy Ridge Access and Visitor Center is at 976 Grassy Ridge Road, Sapphire, NC 28774, and the Frozen Creek Access is on Frozen Creek Road in Brevard. The park gate is locked daily at posted closing hours, so plan your arrival. Cashiers and Brevard have groceries and fuel; Sapphire has little.
What to do nearby
Rainbow Falls (about 150 feet) and Turtleback Falls are on the Rainbow Falls Trail, about 1.5 miles to Rainbow Falls from the Grassy Ridge trailhead. Whitewater Falls, Toxaway Falls and the Highlands waterfalls are all within a short drive. The Horsepasture River is swift and dangerous, so do not swim above falls.
Know before you go
Animals are not allowed in the cabins or cabin area except service animals, so ask the park about pet rules in the campground. Black bears live in the area, so store food securely.