We stayed at the French Broad River Campground just north of Asheville in May 2018. We chose this campground as we wanted to be on the beautiful French Broad River.
Usually people can kayak, canoe, paddleboard, tube or other water activities on the river, but when we were there, it was like a raging ocean due to all of the rain.
The French Broad River Campground is located along 2,000 feet of the French Broad River on 18 acres. A train hugs the mountain on the other side of the river and passed by several times a day.
There are 17 RV campsites for campers and motorhomes up to 32 feet long. The RV sites are back in sites, which worked great for our trailer since it opens in the back. We stayed on campsite #7 which was paved and level with full hook-ups.
Our Airstream trailer is 27 feet long, and if our truck had been any bigger, it would have been a little difficult to back in to our site. We managed fine with a full-size F-350 truck, but I definitely wouldn’t recommend any trailer or fifth wheel over the 32 foot max size.
The French Broad River Campground is a mix of RV sites, tent sites, and cabins.
Some of the RV sites and cabins are long-term rentals and not all are in the best condition, so this is not a luxury campground in which you’ll commonly find million dollar Prevost buses.
But if that’s not important to you and you’re looking to be right on the river, this campground may work well for you.
We enjoyed our stay and would consider staying here again.
The flooding at this campground appeared to be less than some of the other campgrounds in the area that we could see from the road, including Wilson’s Riverfront RV Park which appeared to be nearly totally underwater.
The residents were a mix of locals and weekenders during our two-day stay.
This cute little vintage looking Shasta Airflyte camper was located a few sites down from us. These cute campers are new but are made to look vintage.
According to the owner, the campground is built along the original road that followed the French Broad River and came out at the Post Office about a mile north of the campground. Because the river kept flooding, the main road was moved to higher ground.
Several of the rental cabins are homes that were original to the area. The cute rental cabin below was built in 1938.
Several of the original log homes are also for rent. The one below was built in 1941.
Final Thoughts on the French Broad River Campground
This campground is in a beautiful area and being able to camp right on the French Broad River is fabulous. I would just reconsider your stay if there is a lot of rain forecast for the Asheville area!
