Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area — Hotel in Burnsville

I have been camping there 48 years, I am not a fan of continual “improvements” cutting trees and leaving them laying around in unmanageable sizes so that campers can not dispose of the remnants in campfires makes eye sores here and there for years until they finally dissolve. Those newer sites that mowed down the rare Indian peace pipes that grew under the foliage there by The road are not natural and unecessary, this could have been planned out much better and could have blended into not detract from the beauty of this place. I remember when there were only 2 host and not a fleet running a commercial business selling ice cream, T-shirt’s, hats, firewood and renting tubes. I remember when the trash was in a can in the ground at each site that was bear and raccoon proof and pick up came daily instead of big ugly dumpsters. I remember when they came and sanitized the bathrooms each morning and it smelled heavily of pinesol. I remember when I COULD CAMP IN MY FAVORITE SPOT BY THE RIVER and when it rained heavily all week we kept our eye on the water level- because were smart like that, (never ever had a problem). I remember the good ol days. I remember getting my first real kiss sitting on a stump by the swimming hole. I remember hand sculpting clay pottery with a new friend fellow camper who brought clay. I remember meeting the same 3 families from Florida year after year the last week of July and we all became family. I remember taking my daughters tent camping there even before they were a year old and every year since. Each have grown up and become outdoor adventure coordinators at different universities and I think it’s because of the time they have spent tubing, climbing, camping and hiking there. Please leave “OUR HEAVEN” alone, no more modifications. No white pea gravel! *And please visitors take your trash with you, keep our...

My husband and I used to love coming to this place for relaxation, fishing, and downtime from technology. This is a US Forestry campground so it's mainly primitive. There is a lower and upper loop, with the upper having a women's bathroom and shower and a men's bathroom and shower, and the lower having 2 of each. For the past year there has been 1 bathroom and 1 shower in the upper loop that is shared by all and I believe the lower loop had 2 bathrooms and 1 shower for each. In the last few months we have stayed there 4 times. Each time there was an issue with something in the 1 shared restroom. There was either no water, no soap, or no restrooms at all. They have 4 portapots total now. 2 for the lower loop to accommodate campers and day visitors and 2 in the upper loop. One would think the the Forestry Dept would do something to get this fixed. The campground has their rules posted on the website and they are blatantly being broke. I'm not a goody goody but when it comes to peacefulness (which is why we come) I for one would like some of the biggest rule breakers to be approached to have them rectified. Since our favorite hosts were "relieved" of their duties "because they were spending too much money", the place has since gone downhill. The concrete picnic tables have miss growing all over them, the bathrooms and showers don't work, the present host are rarely seen (unlike past hosts who drove around all the time in the golf carts checking on everyone). Most of all it has turned into a free for all. We want to keep coming here but it's getting...

We love it here. The only large campsite by the river is #13, which has plenty of room to spread out. Stays booked the entire season! There are smaller, side parking sites on platforms near the river, with a common picnic area in-between, which are nice. The upper loop is across the road and the sites are somewhat smaller. You’ll hear road noise in all areas , but the sound of the river is amazing and mostly drowns it out. The picnic area is huge, on the river, with a multitude of wooded sites. The picnic pavilion is beautiful, with water, large grills (you could cook a pig there) and a fireplace…and can be reserved. There is one bath house each in the upper and lower loops, but they continue to have water and plumbing problems. In winter, 2024, we hear that the bathrooms will finally be renovated with commercial toilets which will hopefully fix the issues. When we stayed, only the lower bath house was open and just 2 of 4 showers were available. Only the 2 of the 4 toilet stalls were open, but there were 5 portalets in the parking lot that were clean and are dumped every Wed. The hot water in the showers is just the right pre set temperature of hot and are on timers. Just keep pushing the button. The park staff is very nice and helpful. A bundle of wood is $7 and we burned 3 bundles in just one evening, due to lots of soft wood inside. We used our solar panels for lights, so we were self contained in our camper and had a wonderful time. Note to RV’s: there is no dump station, but there are multiple places to fill your...