Lake Powhatan

Our family of 4 (2 adults, 2 kiddos under 7) tent camped at Bent Creek site #34 over the July 4 long weekend. A few things weren’t great for us. #34 is quite hot since it gets lots of afternoon sun (would be great if using solar though). Often waits to use 2 restrooms and 2 showers. A bear did walk right beside our campsite picnic table so take the bear warnings seriously. There are no dishwashing sinks/areas, so washing dishes is a challenge, especially if you are trying to avoid food scraps at your campsite to prevent bears. Riding bikes in the campground was hard for us due to the hills (because our kiddos are still working on braking and bike control). The worst part was the noise and disrespectful campers. Every night, we had to deal with rowdiness past 10:00 quiet hours, one night until 12:30. The Bent Creek loop doesn’t have a Campground Host and no staff patrols in the evenings. At checkout we found out that we should have gone to a different loop and asked a Campground Host for help with the noise.

The good things are that the gatehouse staff are super nice, the restrooms/showers are clean, there is ice and firewood for purchase, the beach and the lake are really fun, the campsites have good spacing/privacy. We enjoyed biking to the NC Arboretum but it was a challenge getting from our campsite to the trails by bike. We never found a great way to bike to the lake/beach. (Again, our kiddos are still mastering balancing and braking, so this would not apply to everyone.)

By car, we explored the Cradle of the Forestry, the NC Arboretum, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. All three were wonderful. We tried to visit The Sliding Rock water slide three times but it was too crowded (full parking lot) probably due to the holiday weekend.

Sites have nice separation with tree canopy. Lots of trails and beautiful lake.

Great little campground. Great location. Decent amenities. The only downside was the slant of the parking at tent sites. We wanted secluded which we got but had we known you needed an rv site to not sleep at a 45° angle, we would have booked differently.

Very friendly staff , clean , beautiful location

Nice and very clean. Plenty of space in and between campsites. Close to Asheville.

So love Powhatan! Good location and all staff very friendly. Easy access to NC Arboretum, Blue Ridge Parkway, restaurants and West Asheville. Have seen numerous improvements and cleaner than previous years. All work and improvements are noticeable.... THANK YOU

FYI, very limited cell service and NO service at places. Would love to see a greater Internet service, especially due to work and family obligations..

Great campground. Friendly staff. If you're pulling an RV the pull thru sites are nice rather than backing in. But all sites are spacious. Several Parkway destinations close by: NC Arboretum, Craggy Gardens, Folk Art Center (must see) and the Parkway Visitor Center.

I really liked this campground. From the friendly staff to the spacious campsites to the clean bathrooms and showers, it was perfect for my three-day adventure. I will definitely be back.

Staff was friendly and helpful.

In the beginning everything was great - the people are friendly and helpful, both of our cars fit on the single site, clean bathroom with large showers. However we had to leave a night early, the campsite was completely flooded. Totally bummed out we paid for 2 nights and had to leave at 7:30pm because of it.