RV Park Review – Bear Creek RV Park – Asheville, NC
Welcome wagon near Bear Creek Office
This park has gotten a bad rap over the years. I will be the first to admit that this location is not for everyone. If you intended to come to the Great Smokie Mountains and camp in the woods, this is not for you. Want to enjoy all that is near and dear to Asheville, you could not pick a better place to stay.
Nestled between I40 and I26, you can expect to hear road noise. This is not the type to keep you up at night, but you will know it’s there. Depending on the site you choose will determine the level of noise you hear. There is an additional issue, the pull-through sites are located next to South Bear Road.
You’re going to wonder what the heck is going on with the main office check-in location. We arrived around 1 pm as did many others. This created one heck of a log jam of rigs in the park and on South Bear Road. The office is located at the top of a hill with very little room to park when there are several rigs in the queue.
If you have chosen a pull-through once checked in you will be headed up the one way to the rear exit of the park. Take a left-hand turn on South Bear Creek Rd and back down and past the main entrance to the pull-through entrance. That, of course, will go smoothly if the folks that have chosen back in are not blocking the main way to the exit you need to get to.
Link To RV Park: Bear Creek RV Park and Campground
Link to MAP: Directions
Daily Cost: $41.00 (With Good Sams)
A) Site Quality: ⛺️⛺️⛺️.5/5
I am going to ding these folks a bit on-site quality. Depending on where you land has impacted my rating. So this represents what I would consider the average overall. A number of the pull-through sites have very large boulders protecting the utilities and sewer hook-up. This could potentially create an issue when pulling into the site depending on the size of your rig.
The main road through the upper part of the campground and near all the back-in sites is one-way and tight. Tow vehicles and toads will be hanging out near the end of each of the 1-23 site markers. I witnessed several campers having trouble exiting their sites in the am. If you’re in something under 34ft this might not be an issue.
Insights
- Preferred pull-through sites with your nose facing South Bear Creek Road would be 1A-3A, 8A-9A =. Your orientation in these sites would be nose to the east and butt to the west.
- You will find a tall stand of trees blocking the evening sun in these sites. There will be plenty of room to spread out on grassy areas on the door side of your rig.
- If back-in is your style, with great views of the Smokies out your rear window, choose sites 24 – 28. These sites are a bit smaller but back up to a fence line with an unobstructed view. Each of the sites is treed with plenty of grass around the site.
- Looking for a larger back in with trees to the rear of your rig and a bit more road noise sites 27 – 31 are for you.
- Each of the above-described sites has a 50amp full hook-up.
B) Facilities: ⛺️⛺️⛺️.5/5
All 100 sites are full hook-up, relatively level, and paved. There are complimentary WiFi and Cable TV. The Wifi is decent and will allow you to answer email or surf the web. Streaming was intermittent and I would suggest you find an alternative. As I mentioned above the back-in sites located on the main road of the park are tight. 25% of the sites are 30amp the rest are 50amp. There are eight garbage disposal bins located throughout the property.
C) Amenities: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/5
Conveniently located in the park you will find three bathhouses. They are routinely cleaned and in good working order. They have two laundromats, one in the office area and the other at the north end of the clubhouse. We did not use either so I can not give you any working order insights. The outdoor heated pool is located near the main office. It is not large but will certainly cool you off on a hot day. It is clean and well maintained. It does get crowded during the tourist season as there will be a number of families visiting the park.
D) Location: ⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️⛺️/5
This park is located approximately 15 mins from downtown Asheville on the southeast side of town. You can access the park from either I40 or I20. The road leading to the park is South Bear Rd. This winding road leading to the park entrance comes with some very tight turns. Fuel, groceries, and various restaurants can be found 10 mins away on RT 161. There is a great Farmers Market located just minutes away from the park.
You will find the Biltmore, Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina Arboretum, Sierra Nevada Brewery, and many more attractions just minutes away from the RV park. As mentioned above in my Insights if you want to be located in the Smokey Mountain forest, this is not for you. If your plan is to visit the aforementioned attractions and the city of Asheville, you could not find a better location.
E) Paw – Friendliness – 🐾🐾🐾/5
Zoey gave this park three paws up. You will find green space next to your rig, a good size area near the pull-through sites. Additionally, there is a large but hilly grassy area at the south exit of the park. There is no fenced dog runs in the park. You will need to bring your own waste bags as I had a hard time finding any around the property. You can get a short walk in although hilly around the park.
Wanderers Overall Rating: ⛺️⛺️⛺️.8/5
Site 9A Bear Creek
Site 29 Bear Creek
Site 24-26
Bear Creek Pool
Wanderers Take
This park is perfect for you if your plans include sightseeing around Asheville. You have convenient access to all the attractions that surround this park. The road noise may get to some, we felt it was moderate and did not distribute us during our sleep. If you choose the pull-through route your nose will be close to South Bear Road. Again we did not find this an issue.
The back-in sites near the top of the park and on the south side of the park back up to I40. I would think that you will hear some serious road noise on these sites.
Sight Seeing, Attractions, and Restaurants
Ginny and I are big fans of Asheville and the surrounding area. There are fabulous restaurants and numerous attractions around the area to visit and enjoy. Here are but a few we have visited. Tie that in with good friends Terry and Matt Clark living in the area and this area will continue to be on our itinerary for years to come.
Restaurants
Mary’s Burritos
1939 Brevard Rd, Arden, NC 28704 Map
Web Site: Marys Burritos and Beer
Matt and Terry took us to this rural Mexican restaurant slightly Latin leaning off the beaten path. What we found was great authentic reasonably priced eats. The people who run this place are super friendly and efficient. Everything is made to order and tastes wonderful. There is no table service, your order is made right in front of you. Beer lovers will enjoy the wide selection of very cold beers.
This is about a 15 min ride from downtown Asheville. It’s a bit out of the way but if you happen to be headed to Sierra Nevada Brewery for a day trip and now your hungry and you find there is a wait at Sierra. I would suggest heading up the road to Mary’s to grab a few more beers and some great food
Buxton Hall Bar.B.Que
Web Site: Buxton Hall Bar-B-Qu
Location: 32 Banks Ave, Asheville, NC 28801 MAP
Located in the heart of the south slope district of Asheville this is a must-stop for Bar-B-Que lovers. You can smell the smoker as you approach the restaurant. This place can be busy so be sure to get there early during dinner and lunch hours. We arrived around 2 pm and got immediately seated.
We both had the pulled pork platters, me with mac and cheese, and slaw Ginny with the potato salad and slaw and cornbread. You have a choice of three sauces from the sauce bar. Mustard, Vinegar based and Sweet. We settled on the sweet and found everything we ordered to be delicious. Check out this review by Bon Appetit it gives you some great background and their take on the restaurant.
Once you finish the main course be sure to order up one of their homemade desserts. If you now can move away from your table head out the door to check out all the street art and murals in the area.
Attractions
North Carolina Arboretum
Location: 100 Frederick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806 MAP
Web Site: NC Arboretum
Okay, we will admit it if a city, town or burb has a garden, arboretum or museum you will find us in it. This Arboretum may be the most relaxing place you can find anywhere. Ginny and I headed over without Zoey and we regretted it. This is a dog-friendly park with plenty of areas to exercise them and still enjoy the gardens. The Parking Fee of $14.00 dollars seemed high at first but then felt like a bargain once we started exploring the park.
As we made our way around. the garden area of the park you felt the stress of the day or trip just fall away. The quiet beauty of this park is just breathtaking. There are over 400 acres of garden, fountains, hiking, and bike paths. Here is a great overview of Arboretum in Romantic Asheville
Sierra Nevada Brewery
Location: 100 Sierra Nevada Way, Fletcher, NC 28732 MAP
Web Site: Sierra Nevada
We got the call from our friends that we would be meeting at the Sierra Nevada Brewery to catch up. Ginny and I have never visited so this seemed like a great place3 to meet. Upon pulling up to the facility we were instructed to park in the lower lot a take the shuttle to the brewery. We frankly did not know what to think of that. Why was this place so crowded? What was going on?
We get on the shuttle and head up the long winding road to the Brewery. Much to our surprise the campus as we now know was enormous. We meet Mark and Terry and head upstairs to order a few beers. Beers in hand we head to the balcony to sit outside. Once we rolled out onto the balcony the campus unfolded before our eyes.
Music was coming from the bandshell at the end of the property. This is a free show that goes on every Saturday night at the amphitheater. The place was hopping with dogs, beers, and plenty of corn hole games going on. We could see folks playing and walking the gardens
We had a great time catching up with Terry and Matt as we enjoyed this amazing sustainable facility.
Again here is a great overview of the Brewery and all that is offered. Romantic Asheville
Previous Tips & Upgrades
Truma AquaGO Comfort Water Heater
We decided to invest in our 310GK-R and upgrade the Hot Water Heater. We were tired of the rotten egg smell regardless of the aluminum or magnesium anode rods or what I did to clean the tank out. Our Suburban Water heater was working fine, but it was time for a change. Long hot showers on city water and conservation while boondocking was the priority to make this move.
Solitude 310GKR Tour
Embark on an extraordinary tour of our Solitude 310GK-R. Join us for an exclusive glimpse into our YouTube video, showcasing the remarkable upgrades and lifestyle offered by our Solitude 310. The path to finding our dream RV begins right here, with Deloris our Solitude 310GK-R. Over the past three years, we have worked diligently on upgrades that would enhance the RVing experience.
Keeping A RV Cool In Extreme Heat
The easy fix would be to find that perfect site. The one that has plenty of shade with your nose facing west and your butt facing east. However, that is a fantasy in today’s world when it comes to finding a site. You do not always have the intel to understand what your getting into or the resort randomly places you on the property. Awnings are great and provide some needed shade. If you plan to step away from the rig for any length of time you will not want to leave them extended.
Power Make Over
The first order of business once we had decided on the Solutiude 310GK-R was the batteries. After researching battery types, solar compatibility, and recommendation from other RVers we landed on Battle Born Ion Lithium. Battle Born batteries can provide you with two to three times more power than a lead-acid battery which allows you to stay off the grid longer without having to hassle with a noisy generator. Battle Born Batteries are also capable of being charged up to five times faster than a standard lead-acid battery. Now we can put our battery anxieties to rest and finally focus on our next RV adventure.
SoftStart Install
I’ve joined the club, SoftStart club that is. We will be headed to Canada this summer and I knew we will be facing a number of 30amp sites on our journey. We wanted to be sure we had both our AC units available during our stay. After watching a number of YouTube videos describing the installation and how they worked, I was sold.
Drawer Dividers
The age-old problem in most kitchens that calls for dividers in the drawers to keep your stuff organized. No one likes to reach into a drawer only to find that you have to dig to the bottom to find what you need. On an RV this can be particularly frustrating as the “Stuff” gets put into the rough road blender and scattered in the drawers.
Traveling With Dogs
Traveling with your pets and in our case Zoey a 75 lb. Yellow Labrador was one of the primary reasons we wanted an RV. Boarding Zoey every time we wanted to take a vacation or just day trip or two was just not working. Once we committed to the RV lifestyle we learned rather quickly that this would call for some advance planning. Our new challenge would be preparing for a month or longer trips. We have put together a shortlist of some tips and suggestions we have for traveling with your dog, big or small. This certainly is not a definitive list and we would love to hear from you regarding your preparation. So let’s get started with some of the basics
AC Silencer
The WackO Products DA100 is an air conditioner silencer kit that allows you to run your A/C unit without all the noise. Never try listening to your TV over your air conditioner or being kept awake by the unbearable noise ever again.
