CAUTION!
The French Broad, along with most other rivers in Western North Carolina, received record rainfall during Hurricane Helene, causing devastating flooding across the entire watershed. The condition of access points, campsites, signage, and the river itself is uncertain and possibly unsafe at this time. Paddle Trail partners will be assessing and cleaning up the river in the months to come and hope to revive opportunities for safe paddling before too long.
Note that we have currently closed reservations for all MountainTrue-managed campsites while we assess for damages, clean up debris and garbage, and make any necessary repairs. We'll likely have all sites reopened within the next month or so, pending the status of corresponding public access points, but feel free to reach out with any questions in the meantime.
UPDATE: Poplar Bend and Mud Creek have re-opened. Barnard-Big Pine will likely re-open soon. Firefighter Island will likely re-open later in October or early in November. Evan's Island was literally wiped off the face of the river and will unfortunately not re-open.

CAMPSITES

Overnight camping is one of the most adventurous and memorable ways to enjoy the French Broad Paddle Trail. Several options exist for riverside lodging, ranging from dispersed camping on remote islands to fancy interior dwellings. Whether you're looking to spend just one night or a full week, there are dozens of places to stop along the river. Note that many of these accommodations are included on the Suggested Trips page.

These campsites are managed by the staff, volunteers, and partners behind MountainTrue's French Broad Paddle Trail team. They are located on property leased from private landowners, non-profit land trusts, and the State of North Carolina. These sites are paddle-in only, meaning that they cannot be driven into, and are only accessible to guests from the river. This is in contrast to many of the "Other Campsites" where campers can drive in from neighboring roads.

MountainTrue's campsites all vary a bit in terms of style and layout, and are generally fairly primitive, however each has a river access, signage, picnic table, fire ring, and elevated composting toilet. Some sites have additional amenities depending on their topography, surrounding land use, frequency of visitation, etc. Day use is free and welcome at these sites, however overnight stays require a reservation.

There are also several campsites managed by entities other than MountainTrue that allow paddle-in access from the French Broad River. All of these campsites are on our interactive map, which we recommend you use to see where these sites are in relation to MountainTrue's campsites and public river access points.

Some of these campsites are operated by for-profit businesses, and others are dispersed campsites on public lands. Private campgrounds range in infrastructure and amenities, with details described on their websites. Dispersed sites are on public lands, have no fee, and are first-come/first-serve, but typically do not have designated river access, tables, fire rings, toilets, etc. If you plan to camp at a dispersed site, please plan to be self-sufficient and practice Leave No Trace principles. Please note that camping at public river access points and riverside parks is prohibited.

ALL CAMPSITES:

TRANSYLVANIA COUNTY


HENDERSON COUNTY


BUNCOMBE COUNTY


MADISON COUNTY


COCKE COUNTY

  • Mile 114.5: Huff Island (Dispersed)
  • Mile 117: Weaver Bend (Dispersed)
  • Mile 130: French Broad Fields (Dispersed)
  • Mile 131: Bobarosa Saloon Campground (Other)

MOUNTAINTRUE CAMPSITES:

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