Spacious Skies Campgrounds - Bear Den — Hotel in Spruce Pine

The campground is secluded just off the Blue Ridge Parkway it's a very scenic area with plenty to do for adults and children . The access road it partially paved and very bumpy but going slowly will not cause any problems . We made a reservation for a site in their A section and because we are only an hour away we decided to drive up there to see what the roads and the campground were like. When we got there I went into the office and asked the woman behind the desk if we could look around . I told her we had made a reservation for a site in the A section and we would like to see it . She said of course but there was construction going on in that section and there would be a lot of people working there. I asked if the site would be ready in two weeks and she said it would . We had brought a ford mustang for the drive and it was a good choice the road into the section was very tight and every site we saw was incomplete and very close together. The site we had booked was nowhere near ready and the turn around was way to small for a pick up and a 31 foot trailer to get turned around in. When we returned to the office I asked again if the site would be ready in 2 weeks and they said yes it would no problem. When we got home there was an email waiting from the campground telling me the site would not be ready and they had moved us to another location with the same specs. The mistake by the people in the office was ok construction never goes the way its supposed to but what we dealt with when we did get to our new site was a little hard to deal with . The sites in the older parts of the campground are again a little tight and. Very close together but the place was nowhere near full so it was ok . Its also family campground so there were lots of kids nearby making lots of noise during the day and that was allright. We divided to stay a few more days and asked at the office and the very nice woman said that our site was booked for the days we needed and offered a few other choices so we picked one and moved our trailer the next day. Here is were our problem is . They do not enforce the quite time in this park and there is no limit on guests on the sites either . Our new site was also very near the dumpsters and the constant traffic of gas powered golf carts going up and down the hills is annoying. Its a shame the place is really beautiful it feels like a national park. We will go back again but it will be in...

Bear Den gives you the opportunity to get away from pretty much everything... if you welcome it. Fresh, cool air, lots of greenery, trails and at night you can hear the crackling of the campfires. Perfect to sit outside, eat and have long conversations with your loved ones or just sit in silence enjoying the fresh mountain air and moonlit night sky. It was nice to see kids running around or on their bikes, enjoying the outdoors. This was our first trip this far up in the mountains and we really enjoyed it. We went during Easter weekend. They hosted a small egg hunt for the kids. The office gives you a welcome brochure with a map. Their staff are driving around all the time on golf carts, so it's not hard to find one of them. They rent golf carts for about $50, a day. But where we stayed was close to the bathrooms and lake, so we didn't need one. I recommend bringing board games to pass the time, something to play music on, or read for when you are hanging around. There are different types of camp sites, some for those who use tents, or park their camper, there are regular plain cabins and luxury cabins. We stayed in the cozy cabin site A, which allows pets. It is a regular cabin with just beds and the heat/ac (it doesn't have any covers and pillows). This is a great choice for a group of like 6/8 people/family. One full size bed and two sets of bunk beds. The cabin is in great condition. On the left side of the cabin, outside there was a pipe that comes up from the ground where you get water. The bathrooms and showers are just a couple of steps away in another building. In the same building as the showers, there is a washer and dryer- cash only. The bathrooms were kept clean all the time. They have free wifi and there are hot spots, one was by the washer and dryer. The welcome office has souvenirs, supplies, tools, cookware and food supplies like oj and eggs. There are a couple of small buildings near the office, one has a couple of ping pong tables and picnic tables, but it looked like an old summer camp type for kids, that was no longer in use. They have an arcade game building. A simple playground for kids. A basketball court and volleyball court way further up the mountain. A lake with so many areas for people to...

I will update this review accordingly when I arrive but the experience thus far with the new owners (a growing chain LLC) of Bear Den is not what it was less than a year ago when it was 5 stars and no surprises. Like many other campgrounds and what Bear Den Campground was previously, availability of each site was found online and a specific site could be booked accordingly through a calendar view with no surprises. Now, with Spacious Skies, you book a specific site, unless you "lock" the site for an additional fee, you could be put on any site that will accommodate your equipment (Supposedly, we shall see). When I reached out to Spacious Skies through the company web page (before leaving this 1 star review) and asked for a member of management to explain the structure better after the first generic response provide no real insight, I received another generic response from the CSR that did not actually explain this new fee still. The site price has already went up from the previous owners (but I will say not an unfair amount, still within what is typically comparable site elsewhere) but has a booking fee and a "lock fee" instead of being all inclusive. While a booking fee is hit or miss at other locations, the "Lock" fee appears to be a new bait and switch tactic so multiple people could book the same site and whoever pays the locking fee actually gets it to bring in more money to the company. I understand business are for profit but I believe the new owners that are supposedly "camping enthusiasts" have already forgotten that camping is to be a low cost and stress free way for families to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and enjoy the serenity of the woods. Now to plan a family trip requiring multiple sites to get a larger family together, a new fee has been added to ensure they can be on adjacent or close sites. I welcome Mr. or Mrs. Rasmussen to reach out directly to comment on there new fee since the staff will not as my email is on file with the company. I hope to be proven wrong but it appears yet another campground is falling into a chain that will "Improve" camping at an...