Johns River Road Backcountry Camping
We don’t think it should be. Every campground should hold some sites for whoever drives up.Tell your representative →
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 15:39 UTC
- A night
- $15From, per site
- Sites
- 2All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 6 notices
In the agency’s own words
Old John’s River Road Backcountry Camping is a primitive camping location along the Mountains to Sea Trail near Blowing Rock, North Carolina. There are 2 sites available, each with a fire ring. Maximum capacity is 6 people per site and the maximum stay length is 3 nights. Access this location either by hiking the Boone Fork Trail from the Julian Price Park Picnic Area, or Old John’s River Road between mile 296 and 297 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Keep reading
Black bears and other wildlife frequent this area, so bring an approved bear cannister or hang food or any scented items from a tree at least 10 feet high and 4 feet from the trunk. No toilets are available. All human waste must be buried a minimum of 6 inches deep and a minimum of 100 feet from any stream. All trash must be packed out. Water should be purified before consumption. Bathing and washing dishes with soap in the nearby stream is prohibited. There is likely no cellphone service at this site.
Recreation
Julian Price Memorial Park has 3 main loop trails. Price Lake Loop Trail is an easy to moderate 2.3-mile trail around the Price Lake through mixed hardwood forest and rhododendron thickets. The Green Knob Trail is a moderate 2-mile loop that runs along Sim’s Creek through a mixed hardwood forest, with a small section through an open cow pasture. The Boone Fork Trail is a strenuous 4.9-mile loop that traverses a variety of landscapes along Boone Fork Creek. It features stream crossings and trail ladders and lots of uneven footing. The most popular feature of this trail is the Hebron Colony Falls, which is a section of the Boone Fork Creek that cascades through a boulder field. Hikers are advised to allow for 3-4 hours for this trail, bring plenty of water and snacks, and wear sturdy shoes. Price Lake offers fishing and paddling opportunities. A North Carolina or Virginia fishing license is required. Price Lake Boat Rentals offers canoes, kayaks, and standup paddleboards. There is also a public boat ramp. No motors or sails are allowed.
Natural Features
Julian Price Memorial Park offers hiking through hardwood and coniferous forests as well as open pasture and Creekside riparian zones. The Boone Fork Creek and Price Lake provide fishing opportunities and boat rentals are available at Price Lake near the Julian Price Campground.
Nearby Attractions
Things to Do in Boone, NC Things to do in Boone, NC Grandfather Mountain State Park Grandfather Mountain State Park Julian Price Park Julian Price Park - Milepost 297 Moses H. Cone Memorial Park Moses H. Cone Memorial Park - Milepost 294 Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (828) 276-2300.
What the agency tells you
Backcountry Use Regulations 1. A backcountry camping permit is required for all overnight use and must be in your possession at all times. Note: No more than six (6) people are allowed to occupy any one campsite. 2. Camping outside of the designated sites is prohibited. 3. Campfires are allowed only inside the government provided fire grill. Only wood that is dead and down on the ground may be collected for use as firewood. The cutting of standing trees, whether live or dead is prohibited. The use of camp stoves is encouraged. All fires may be banned during periods of high fire danger. 4. All trash must be carried out upon vacating the site. Do not leave litter or cans in the fire rings. DO NOT burn or bury any trash. 5. Historic and archeological resources are protected by federal law. The damaging, defacing or removal of these resources is prohibited. 6. Natural resources are protected by federal law. Do not disturb or remove any animal or plant life. 7. Hunting and trapping are prohibited. Fishing is subject to state and federal laws and limits. 8. Persons who can legally possess firearms under federal, state, and local laws are able to possess firearms on the Blue Ridge Parkway, subject to the laws of the state they are in at the time. It is the visitor's responsibility to understand and comply with all applicable state (North Carolina and/or Virginia) and federal firearms laws. Firearms should not be considered a wildlife protection strategy. The discharge and/or use of firearms remains prohibited at all times. 9. Pets must be on a 6 foot maximum leash at all times while in the park. Horseback camping is not permitted. Horses are allowed on the Grassy Gap Fire Road during the day. 10. All human waste must be buried at least 6 inches deep and at least 100 feet from any stream. Pack out all diapers, tampons, and sanitary napkins in a sealed plastic bag. 11. Campsite improvements such as bough beds and trenching around tents is prohibited, as is the use of nails or spikes in trees for clotheslines, shelter construction or hanging lanterns. 12. Bathing or washing dishes or utensils in streams is prohibited. All unprotected water should be treated before consuming. 13. Food and other scented items must be in bear-proof containers, stored in park provided bear boxes (if available) or hung in a tree at least 10 feet above the ground and 4 feet from the trunk of the tree.
Do not print your permit until you have confirmed you will be completing your backcountry trip. Once the permit has been printed you can not cancel or modify the reservation.
Permits must be printed and carried on your person. You must write the permit number on a sheet of paper and place it on the dash of all vehicles covered by the permit.
Everything else this campground posts · 3
This is Black Bear Country, practice Bear Safety and store all food, toiletry items and anything with a scent properly. Bear Safety on the Blue Ridge Parkway .
Cell phones most likely do not work in this area.
Check InTime is 3PM and Check Out Time is 12 Noon.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 2 · 2 walk-in
- Hookups
- None
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- None. Pack out what you bring in
- “…10 feet high and 4 feet from the trunk. No toilets are available. All human waste must be buried a…”
- Drinking water
- None, bring your own
- “…to allow for 3-4 hours for this trail, bring plenty of water and snacks, and wear sturdy shoes. Price Lake…”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Creek
- Birding
- Hiking
- Cell signal · Cell signal · Park Service says
- None
Full this Saturdayread 15:39 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
OpenBooked
Every one of the 2 sites on offer is taken this Saturday. 2 are free on Mon, Oct 19. read 15:39 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 25
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $15 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 15:39 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
2 sites
All 2 sites
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Julian Price CampgroundBlue Ridge Parkway · 0.8 mi
Mortimer CampgroundPisgah National Forest · 11 miBoone Fork CampgroundPisgah National Forest · 12 mi
Linville Falls CampgroundBlue Ridge Parkway · 17 miDennis Cove Recreation AreaCherokee National Forest · 22 mi
Dennis Cove CampgroundCherokee National Forest · 22 miTrailhead Parking is at the Julian Price Memorial Park Picnic Area between mile 296 and 297 on the Blue Ridge Parkway
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Foscoe, NC
Typical weather
Typical October night 39°F, day 63°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 22°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
Roadless country, and what’s coming for it
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Johns River Road Backcountry Camping is in North Carolina’s 5th congressional district. Its representative, Virginia Foxx (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 3
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The member who votes the moneyVirginia FoxxU.S. Representative · North Carolina’s 5th district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationTed BuddU.S. Senator · North Carolina
- Your senator, on the same appropriationThom TillisU.S. Senator · North Carolina
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
Dear Virginia Foxx, I’m a constituent in North Carolina’s 5th district. I tried to camp at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, and couldn’t. All 2 sites at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 2 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Johns River Road Backcountry Camping keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Johns River Road Backcountry Camping. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Johns River Road Backcountry Camping (Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
Dear Ted Budd, I’m a constituent in North Carolina. I tried to camp at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, and couldn’t. All 2 sites at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 2 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Johns River Road Backcountry Camping keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Johns River Road Backcountry Camping. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Johns River Road Backcountry Camping (Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina
Dear Thom Tillis, I’m a constituent in North Carolina. I tried to camp at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, and couldn’t. All 2 sites at Johns River Road Backcountry Camping are reservable, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 2 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Johns River Road Backcountry Camping keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Johns River Road Backcountry Camping. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Johns River Road Backcountry Camping (Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina) via campanac.com
How we know this · 4
How we know
every fact on this page, and where it came from
“…the nearby stream is prohibited. There is likely no cellphone service at this site. Recreation Julian Price Memorial Park has 3…”