North Carolina gives an RV trip two very different halves. In the west, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park climb into high country with cool summer nights. In the east, the Outer Banks and the southern beaches put you on sand and sound, with state-run ferries connecting the islands. The Piedmont in between has the big cities and lake campgrounds.
RVRents does not deliver, set up or service RVs in North Carolina yet. You can rent today from RV owners listed on Outdoorsy through the link on this page, and you can join the waitlist for RVRents service in the state. Below is how to plan the trip itself.
How North Carolina breaks down for an RV trip
The Mountains region runs from the Virginia line near Boone down to the Smokies and Cherokee, with Asheville in the middle. The Piedmont holds Charlotte, Greensboro and the Raleigh and Durham area, plus reservoir campgrounds at places like Jordan Lake and Lake Norman. The Coastal Plain ends at the Outer Banks, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the Crystal Coast and the beaches around Wilmington.
| Region | Best months | Good base | Nearby public campground |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mountains (north) | May through October | Boone or Blowing Rock | Julian Price Campground (Blue Ridge Parkway) |
| Mountains (south) | May through October | Asheville | Mount Pisgah Campground (Blue Ridge Parkway) |
| Smokies | Spring through fall | Cherokee or Bryson City | Smokemont Campground |
| Piedmont | Spring and fall | Raleigh or Charlotte | Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, Lake Norman State Park |
| Outer Banks | Late spring and fall | Nags Head or Hatteras Island | Oregon Inlet Campground |
| Southern coast | Spring and fall | Wilmington | Carolina Beach State Park |
Top RV destinations in North Carolina
Asheville
Asheville is the main town on the southern half of the Blue Ridge Parkway, with a walkable downtown and the River Arts District. Mount Pisgah Campground, at Milepost 408 on the Parkway southwest of the city, takes tents, trailers and RVs. It is open seasonally from May through late October, and part of the campground can be reserved on Recreation.gov.
Boone and Blowing Rock
These two High Country towns sit on the northern half of the state's Parkway mileage and make a cool summer base. Julian Price Campground, at Milepost 297, is one of the Parkway's North Carolina campgrounds and has showers. Like the other Parkway campgrounds, it closes for winter.
Cherokee and Bryson City
Cherokee sits at the North Carolina entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park and at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Smokemont Campground, on the North Carolina side of the park, is one of two park campgrounds open year-round, and it has a dump station with potable water. Deep Creek, near Bryson City, is another park campground with a dump station. The park requires reservations for its campgrounds.
Raleigh and Durham
The Triangle has museums, universities and an easy base for a Piedmont loop. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, southwest of Raleigh, has several campgrounds with RV, tent and trailer sites, many of them with electric and water hookups. NC State Parks notes that not all camping areas are open year-round.
Charlotte
Charlotte is the state's largest city and a common place to start a trip. Lake Norman State Park, north of the city, has a campground for tents, trailers and RVs, and a block of sites with full hookups.
The Outer Banks
The Outer Banks are a long chain of barrier islands with lighthouses, wide beaches and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. Cape Hatteras National Seashore runs four campgrounds (Oregon Inlet, Cape Point, Frisco and Ocracoke), and all four have tent, trailer and RV sites. Only Oregon Inlet has utility hookups, at some sites. Oregon Inlet and Ocracoke are open year-round, and Cape Point and Frisco open spring through fall. Reservations are made only on Recreation.gov.
Wilmington
Wilmington has a riverfront downtown and nearby beaches. Carolina Beach State Park, south of the city, has tent, trailer and RV camping, with long driveways that NC State Parks says fit RVs of all sizes. Ten sites have full hookups and the rest have none.
Campgrounds and reservations
NC State Parks takes camping reservations up to six months ahead, to the day, online through its reservation site or by phone at 1-877-722-6762. A site can be reserved for up to 14 consecutive nights in any 30-day period. Start at the NC State Parks camping page, then check each park's page for loops, hookups and seasonal closures.
Federal campgrounds book on Recreation.gov. The Blue Ridge Parkway campgrounds in North Carolina are Doughton Park, Julian Price, Linville Falls, Crabtree Falls and Mount Pisgah. All have a dump station, they open from May through late October, and reservations open up to six months ahead. Great Smoky Mountains National Park requires advance reservations at its developed campgrounds.
Driving an RV in North Carolina
Blue Ridge Parkway tunnels. The National Park Service lists 25 tunnels on the Parkway in North Carolina. Center heights are all above 17 feet, but the minimum clearance at the edge line is lower, and several tunnels near the southern end (Lickstone Ridge, Bunches Bald and Big Witch, between Mileposts 458 and 462) measure between 11 feet 7 inches and 12 feet 3 inches at the edge. Check your RV's height against the NPS tunnel heights table, stay in your lane, and detour if the minimum does not clear your rig.
Smokies road limits. Great Smoky Mountains National Park prohibits motorhomes, buses and vans longer than 25 feet, plus vehicles towing trailers, on several secondary roads, including Balsam Mountain Road and Heintooga Ridge Road on the North Carolina side. The park also says the Route 32 approach to Cataloochee is not recommended for RVs. Any vehicle parked in the park for more than 15 minutes needs a parking tag, though registered campers do not need one while parked at their own campsite.
Ferries. The NCDOT Ferry Division runs seven routes. Its vessels carry any car, trailer or RV that can legally operate on the highway, and vehicles longer than 65 feet need a special permit. Hatteras to Ocracoke is free and does not take reservations. The Cedar Island and Swan Quarter routes to Ocracoke charge a vehicle fee and take reservations up to 90 days ahead, and you must claim a reservation at least 30 minutes before departure. See NCDOT ferry reservations.
For road conditions and closures elsewhere, start with NCDOT.
Worth knowing: The lowest Blue Ridge Parkway tunnel clearances are near Cherokee, not in the middle of the route. Big Witch Tunnel at Milepost 461.2 has an edge-line minimum of 11 feet 7 inches, so a tall motorhome heading for the Smokies may need to leave the Parkway before its southern end.
Seasons and weather
Summer is the main season in the mountains, where the high country stays cooler than the Piedmont. October is fall color season on the Parkway, and the Parkway campgrounds close after late October. In winter, ice and snow close sections of the Parkway, sometimes for long periods because the park limits de-icing chemicals. Check the Parkway's road closure page before you go, which also lists sections still closed after damage from Hurricane Helene in 2024. In the Smokies, Newfound Gap Road (US 441) can close in winter storms.
On the coast, the Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 to November 30, with most storms from August through October. Late spring and early fall are milder beach months than midsummer. For forecasts and alerts, use weather.gov.
If, then
- If your RV is over 11 feet 7 inches tall, check the Parkway tunnel table before you plan any route south of Asheville.
- If you want to camp on the Parkway, plan for May through late October and reserve on Recreation.gov.
- If you are heading to Ocracoke from the south or west, reserve the Cedar Island or Swan Quarter ferry ahead.
- If you want hookups on the Outer Banks inside the national seashore, look at Oregon Inlet, the only one of the four with utilities.
How RVRents fits a North Carolina trip today
RVRents does not operate in North Carolina yet. Use this guide to plan the route, browse RVs from North Carolina owners on Outdoorsy through the link on this page, and join the waitlist to hear when RVRents delivery and setup service reaches the state.