Staying near ASHEVILLE, N.C

[gactrx]

Hi, we are planning to go to the Mother Earth Fair in Asheville NC on the 9th and 10th of April.
Does anyone know if we can park up for two or three nights somewhere? We have a small hire camper and don't need power, water, toilet etc. 
Thanks,
[font='Roboto Slab', Cambria, serif],[/font]

 

[Nelda]

At the Visitors Center downtown Ashville, we asked the manager if we could park overnight and he said "of course" and so we did!

 

[gactrx]

Thanks, will keep that in mind. I'll hope for further suggestions too as if there are alot of people in town for the fair, they may already be full.
Cheers,

 

[USExplorer]

I stayed in Asheville last April for a couple weeks, living in my truck and working a temp job. Beautiful place this time of year.

There is a Walmart in Biltmore Forest right next to the Blue Ridge Parkway that I stayed at. There is another Walmart in Asheville that you could probably stay at as well.

Most of the national forest south-west of Asheville is part of a research forest and is closed to free camping. Lake Powhatan Campground charges $22/night/site, but can accomodate two cars. If you don't mind a commute into town, there are some free roadside campsites in Pisgah NF: http://www.pisgahnationalforest.info/img/roadside-campsites.jpg The closest is 17 miles from the town center. Be aware that regulations prohibit roadside camping in the national forest except in designated sites. The Blue Ridge Parkway is managed by the NPS, which prohibits camping along it. You may or may not be able to get away with staying in one of the scenic pullouts.

The riverfront in Asheville (a mix of run-down art studios and commercial buildings) is a hang-out for local druggies, so I wouldn't advise stealth camping near it. While the visitor's center may be safe, the open lots above the interstate along Hill Street nearby are also rather seedy.

Enjoy your time in AVL.

 

[gactrx]

Thanks for your reply. Some really excellent info. A commute to town would be fine.We will try the Walmarts first and if no luch will head out of town somewhere for the three nights we will be there.
Cheers,

 

[road_ahead]

Going to Asheville end of this month and appreciate the suggestions here.  If anyone has any updates for Asheville, drop a reply.

 

[lenny flank]

I stayed last year for two weeks at the Walmart on Bleachley. There are all sorts of "no parking" signs, but the Walmart doesn't enforce it so I didn't have any problem.

 

[snarfersnarf]

Last year I went to visit my friend half way in Asheville and we wound up sleeping in his element on a main road near where a lot of the breweries with no problems. The next night we slept on a side street behind Burial Brewery. We didn't ask permission but nobody messed with us at all. There are a lot of homeless from what I saw, so I don't think they really bother people sleeping in vehicles.