Julian Price Lake Park

I’ve only had the privilege of visiting this place one time and it was phenomenal! My wife and I took a hike along the Boone Fork Trail and were amazed and the peaceful surroundings and not to mention, the beautiful waterfalls that we encountered.
The time of year lent itself to a more dreary foliage but that didn’t make it any less appealing in my mind. I really enjoyed getting back to nature and was impressed at how untouched the surroundings were but with a good balance of direction and utilities when needed (restrooms).
I would highly recommend this trail and park to anyone.

Price Park Campground is a wonderful place for tent camping. RVs can camp, too, but are in different areas. The lake is peaceful, small and very scenic, but I prefer camping in the woods, among mature hardwoods. The facilities are aging but adequate (no showers) and there are a few sites that offer quite a bit of seclusion. I actually backpacked in from the Tanawha trail, which has a terminus there, mid-​week in September. Had the place almost to myself. FYI: the address given is for the local BRP ranger station, not the campground, which is at MM 297 on the Parkway.

I’m super glad to have found this campsite.
It is in a beautiful spot along the parkway with no cell service (I consider that to be a BIG plus). Just the drive there is gorgeous. All camp sites are equipped with fire pits, a picnic table and a hook for a lantern or trash bag.
Most of the spots seem to have fairly spacious parking spots and space. We got a bit unlucky because ours had only a small curb to park in, was close to everyone else and wasn’t as big as the other spots. But… it is first come, first serve, so now we know to book a better spot next time.
We actually chose our spot on an online interface which was pretty nifty. I’d never seen that for a camping ground before.
Julian Price does it right… the park ranger is helpful and getting there wasn’t too difficult. They sell tackle and firewood at a shop across the street. There’s also a great fishing lake!
There are ONLY two negative things you should know. One, which is not the park’s fault but simply something with nature, is that there are an abundance of big spiders. We did camp in July which is prime spider season, so I’m sure fall or spring campers won’t experience them at the extent I did. Two, the bathrooms are pretty bad. They are humid and there’s no soap or light. There was mud (or something grosser) splattered all over the back of the toilet seat in one of the stalls… and no lights or showers, so bring a flashlight if you’re going at night. We ended up peeing in the woods, as it seemed more sanitary.
But we had a lovely time and will be back soon!!!

Wifey found it.
We loved it.
And it loved us back.
Can’t wait to come back to this piece of perfection.
It’s wonderful.
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Make a reservation.
Make a casserole.
Make a s’more.
Make some memories.
Make a baby.
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Took a canoe around the lake, built a fire, ate some bacon. Pitched a tent, hiked a trail, napped a nap, ate more bacon. This place is pretty great. Bring your own root beer, cause the neighbors might not share.

I must say that this is my first camping experience so I don’t have a lot of campground comparison. But for someone who is used to hotels, I was very pleased with this experience.
Check in was very easy. We had a group of 5 people with three tents so had reserved a space online for $ 19. When we got there though we were told that tents could only be placed on the specific pods, and our site, though big enough for 6 people, could only have one tent on it. The Park Ranger was super nice and friendly though, told us about two nearby spaces that were open and even though we said right there we wanted them, she told us to go and look at them and make sure it was what we wanted. Sure enough, the extra space was what we wanted so we went back to pay for the sites. It was only $ 16 if we paid there, and they do take credit cards in addition to cash.
We were in Loop A, sites 10, 7 and 8. 10 was on the lake, but the tent platform was on a hill so it was not ideal for sleeping. It was very pretty though, so pretty that it was the hot spot for other campers to come walk down to the lake. So if you want a secluded camp spot, stay away from A10. 7 and 8 shared a larger area with two tent platforms. We were able to set up two tents as well as a 10×10 easy up over the picnic table. It was right next to the trail to the comfort station and an easy walk for sure. We were very close to the water, but never actually used that.
The only really bad thing was the bathroom, or as they called it, the «Comfort station». I had read Trip Advisor reviews saying the facilities were in really bad shape so I was expecting the worst. In fact, I brought my own toilet paper just in case. We had to walk a little bit to get there, and there were only two toilets. Apparently one had a «trick to flushing it» as one lady told me, but I could never get it to work, and neither could most of the other campers apparently. Most of the time I went, that toilet would not flush. So… there was one toilet for all of loop A. Really this didn’t end up being a huge deal though. And while I would never use the words Comfort Station, it was about what you would expect for a common use, outside toilet. It flushed. The toilet paper was cheap. There were bugs and the floor was constantly muddy and wet. BUT, the toilet paper stayed well stocked and I have seen far worse bathrooms in gas stations and it was still way better than a port a jon. And it was cleaned daily… by 10AM on Monday it had been cleaned, floors washed and toilet paper restocked. One note, there is not hand soap, so either bring wipes or soap. Someone had left some dial soap pump in there all weekend so I was able to use that (Thank you to whomever you are!).
We stayed on the property and while there are canoes available, we just enjoyed being outside. We did go down to the Grandfather Country Store which was less than two miles away. We got a Blazin Buddy in lieu of firewood (each campsite has a fire pit) and it worked really well. If you have the chance, get one!

Having attended ASU, this park was a frequent spot to hang out during the warmer months.
The campground located by the Lake allows for some great overnight camping without having to worry about where to have a fire or bathrooms.
They also have rentals to canoe the lake, so throw in the fact Blowing Rock is just up the road and you can rough it in the tent, yet still have dinner in a quaint little town.

This park is fantastic. Great lake. You can rent canoes cheap by the hour. Lots of trails around the lake. Right on the parkway of course. Near other amazing places like Cone Manor and its system of old carriage trails. Trout Lake is hidden and in between. Try any of the trails. Many disappear into the woods only to emerge into a gorgeous meadow with cows. Really.

This is a convenient stop along the Blue Ridge Parkway– perfect for the fall colors. Close to grandfather mountain. Julian Price Lake is mirror-​like in the morning. There are several campsites on the lake side and across the road.
It is one of the largest campsites on the Parkway, so it can be a good idea to book in advanced, but there’s plenty of first come, first serve sites, so its not always necessary. They don’t have showers, but the bathrooms are clean and well lit. There’s RV hook-​up too, so if you are looking for the rustic, primitive sites, there’s probably better spots. Because its so popular, be aware that it is noisier too– lots of younger kids around.
Every site in the campground has a spot for to pitch a tent, a fire ring, a picnic table and a hook for a hanging light, plus a parking spot. Its $ 16 for basic camping for two people.
The ranger, who stayed up until sunset, was very friendly and informative. He gave us a map, advice on which sites were best and even broke a $ 20 for exact change for the fee.

Nestled along the Blue Ridge Parkway, I had visited Julian Price Lake Park on one other occasion and that was to hike the Boone Fork Trail.
When my husband and another couple agreed to go camping in the middle of July I knew this would be the best place to go.
Boy, was I right!
Price Lake Park campground is the largest on the Parkway and is just beautiful! While they don’t have showers, the comfort stations are clean, have sinks, mirrors and toilets.
There is also a water pump nearby.
The campground was shady and cool even in the middle of July when it was 100-​degrees in the foothills!
For our day excursion we hiked Boone Fork Trail that starts in the campground.
It’s a 5-​mile loop that takes you through a meadown, into the forest and alongside a river.
My husband is NOT a hiker but totally loved this trail.
In his words: ‘The juice was worth the squeeze’
Nearly every site in the campground has a tent pad, and/​or fire pit or grill. I reserved our campsites 2-​months in advance and was told that it was one of the last two left.
After arriving to the campground I learned that half of it is by reservation and the other half is first come first serve.
If you’re looking for a nice getaway — consider Price Lake Park Campground!