GRANDFATHER MOUNTAIN - Who would pay $15 a night for a patch of dirt, some grass and maybe some rocks?

Some would say it's the best bargain in town when it comes to sleeping outdoors in what amounts to a mountain paradise.

As of June 1, Grandfather Mountain State Park will require reservations, which come with a fee, for all of its 13 campsites. It was the last of North Carolina’s 39 state parks with free camping, said the park’s administrative specialist Beatrice Murray.

“The state park opened in 2009. At that time, camping was operational since it had been part of the privately owned Grandfather Mountain Stewardship Foundation,” Murray said. “That was part of the reason the camping fees were waived, because the park operations were just getting started.”

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Campers registered on a first-come-first-served basis, with no advanced reservations available except for the Daniel Boone group campsite.

A popular NC state park

But as the rugged, remote and mountainous state park that sits in Avery, Caldwell and Watauga counties, grew in popularity, with some 52,000 visitors last year, so did the clamoring for one of the backcountry, primitive, hike-in-only campsites.

Murray said 2,753 campers pitched a tent in the park last year, but there were countless others who were turned away after traveling sometimes from other states, only to find the campsites were all taken.

“I think a lot of people are going to be glad they can now make a reservation,” Murray said. “We have a lot of visitors who travel a long distance and sometimes it’s pretty disheartening when you can’t reserve ahead of time. I think $15 accommodates most budgets, and I think most people are going to be happy they will have a reservation.”

What you'll find at Grandfather Mountain State Park

The 2,500-acre park itself is still very much “undeveloped,” with no buildings or visitor center. Its claim to fame is that rugged, wild feel of its backcountry strewn with streams, boulder fields, craggy outcrops and 12 miles of hiking trails, some so strenuous they require ladders and ropes. The park also includes some of the region’s most iconic summits, including the 5,946-foot-high Calloway Peak.

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Each of the 13 primitive campsites is different – some have tent platforms and fire rings, some are near creeks or mountain views, some do not allow open fires. None of the sites has car camping, drinking water, hookups of any kind or bathrooms.

That means carrying in all your tent and cooking gear, food and water, and packing out all your trash. It is also black bear country, so food should be stored in bear-proof containers or strung in trees. Bear cables are not available.

Ten of the sites accommodate up to six campers with a $15 fee, and three can hold seven–12 campers for a $35 fee.

There is still no entry fee to enter the park or hike any of its trails. The state park is separate from the Grandfather Mountain attraction, which includes the Mile-High Swinging Bridge, an animal habitat, hiking trails and restaurant. It is run by the Stewardship Foundation, which does charge an entry fee, but there is no camping.

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Robert White, chair of the non-profit Friends of High Country State Parks, said he is “thrilled out of my skull over the reservations.”

“Who is not fully supportive of our state parks? I think the answer is no one,” said White, who has camped across the country and on long distance trails like the Appalachian Trail. The scenery and the backcountry camping at Grandfather Mountain is some of the best in the country, he said.

“It’s glorious, it’s magnificent, it’s otherworldly, it’s stupendous, it’s heart-stopping, it’s life changing, it’s all those things,” White said. “We all suffer nature deficit to some degree. It’s therapy for the soul. As John Muir said, ‘It’s not camping it’s living.’”

Park staff recommend making reservations ahead of time since cellphone service on the mountain is not reliable and visitors may not be able to connect with the reservation system at the trailheads.

The shortest hiking distance to a campsite is 1 mile. The most remote campsite is Attic Window, which takes an average of 4.5 hours to reach, but is also one of the most popular because of its high elevation and scenic view, Murray said.

Right now, four of the park’s most popular campsites are closed because of the Nuwati Trail closure: Streamside, The Hermitage, Storyteller’s Rock, and The Refuge.

Last spring, long periods of heavy rain at Grandfather Mountain severely damaged and eroded park trails, making some areas impassable. Damage to the Nuwati and Cragway trails was so extensive that repairs require contracting outside work.

Staff say they hope to complete work and reopen trails by late summer.

Camping is only permitted in the designated sites, which are identified by signs at the campsites and with a camping icon on the trail map.

Want to camp?

For site-specific campsite information, visit the Grandfather Mountain State Park website or ncparks.gov. To make a reservation, visit the Reserve America site at reserveamerica.com.