Mountain Fishing And Biking Hotspot

Mills River has been a popular spot for decades in a mountain cove below the Blue Ridge Parkway. In recent years mountain bike mania has supplanted family picnickers and now crowds of van campers fill it regularly, departing each morning for forest trails on their bikes. Two loops offer a choice of densely forested hillside spots or an open, mostly flat dozen sites among tall hardwoods. The hillside section offers clean, new, individual shower/toilet combo units, the lower loop has simple and very worn toilet facilities. No power or water is offered except for one site. The basic sites are $26 nightly, are pea gravel surfaced with sturdy picnic tables, fire rings and lantern poles. The cold, rocky river bisects the campground, shallow enough for wading and is popular with fishermen, though none we observed had any luck. A picnic area, group camp area and plentiful parking is offered. Numerous forest service roads and trails are nearby. Great place for a cool mountain getaway!