Cardinal Mountain A Whole ’Nother World

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A tent and two camp chairs set up on the wooden deck at Blue Ridge 1, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with a vehicle parked alongside on the cleared ground

01 · Blue Ridge

Up to 25 ft · 3 vehicles · In the trees

Blue Ridge 1 is the closest site to the entrance and one of the largest we have. It’s open overhead and ringed by trees on all sides — spacious and private at the same time. No long view from here. Room for several vehicles and more than one group. A full-size Class B or a rooftop-tent rig fits here, with room to turn around and leave the way you came.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the tent deck at Shenandoah 2, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, enclosed by summer woods

02 · Shenandoah

Up to 25 ft · 2 vehicles · In the trees

Shenandoah 2 sits in a small clearing that feels like its own room in the woods. Off to one side is a pile of large rocks tumbling down the slope — not a wall or anything to climb, more like a few rough steps you can walk down. It gives the site a bit of shape. After a good rain you can sometimes hear a creek running somewhere below.

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A tent pitched on the deck at Everglades 3, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, under tall straight trees with a wooded bank rising to one side

03 · Everglades

Up to 25 ft · 2 vehicles · In the trees

Everglades 3 is a short way in from the gate, tucked in under tall trees where the driveway opens out. There’s room for a second vehicle in the long driveway and space alongside for a second group.

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Two tents and four camp chairs pitched on the open level ground at Yosemite 5, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with woods all around the clearing

05 · Yosemite

Up to 25 ft · 3 vehicles · In the trees

Yosemite 5 has no deck, just a large open bowl of level ground and straw. It’s one of the three largest sites on the mountain. Very large trees stand around about two thirds of it, and the bowl opens out on the rest. It has the shortest walk to Gleason, the community rendezvous spot between sites 4 and 5, where there’s WiFi. It feels private, though you can see the full-time camper trailer at site 4 from here in the distance. The approach is easy and the ground is open, so it is one of the three that take a full-size van with room to turn.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the wooden deck at Glacier 6, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with a dog lying on the ground beside it

06 · Glacier

Up to 25 ft · 3 vehicles · In the trees

Glacier 6 sits up on its own rise, ringed by trees — one of those sites that feels like a pedestal. It’s among the three largest on the mountain, with room for several vehicles in the driveway and space enough for two groups. The entry is wide enough for a full-size Class B, with room in the driveway to get turned around.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the deck at Rockies 7, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, built into the slope with a line of rock along the curve

07 · Rockies

Cars only · 1 vehicle · In the trees

Rockies 7 is the budget pick and a better site than the price suggests. A line of rock along the curve makes it distinctive and trees wrap around three sides. A private path leads off the site to an open view north, long-range and running for miles. Small — two decks and not much room to spare — and you park right alongside them.

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A tent pitched on the deck at Zion 8, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, seen from the foot of the grassy slope with woods on both sides

08 · Zion

Up to 20 ft · 2 vehicles · In the trees

Zion 8 sits ringed by trees — a medium-sized site on flat ground with a 16 x 16 deck and room for two vehicles. No long view; what you get is green on every side.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the deck at Katahdin 9, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with the ridges beyond the open edge of the site

09 · Katahdin

Up to 20 ft · 2 vehicles · Long view

Katahdin 9 has one of the best views on the mountain: a cleared opening to the north that runs out over 40 miles toward Balsam. It sits high on the mountain, with room for two vehicles and space enough for two groups to camp together.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the wooden deck at Nantahala 10, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with trees standing close on every side

10 · Nantahala

Up to 20 ft · 2 vehicles · In the trees

Nantahala 10 sits at the end of a long driveway that leaves it well out of everyone else’s way, with trees standing close on every side. Every site here has room and trees between it and its neighbors — this one is for anyone who wants more privacy still.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the tent deck at Sequoia 11, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with green woods close behind

11 · Sequoia

Up to 20 ft · 2 vehicles · In the trees

Sequoia 11 sits more than 150 feet in, out of sight of the main road. It’s a medium-sized site with a 16 x 16 deck and room for two vehicles. A 20-foot van fits here if you don’t mind a K-turn on the way out.

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A tent pitched on the deck at Redwood 12, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, in a grassy clearing ringed by trees

12 · Redwood

Up to 20 ft · 2 vehicles · Long view

Redwood 12 is a short pull-in off the main road, a medium-sized site with a 16 x 16 deck and room for two vehicles. Mostly in the trees, with an opening that looks out to the tiered ridges of the Blue Ridge. Leaving means a K-turn on the road.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the long deck at Arches 13, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with tiered blue ridges running to the horizon

13 · Arches

Up to 22 ft · 2 vehicles · Long view

Arches 13 sits just below the switchback with an open view north, and three decks laid in a line for a long 8 x 24 platform.

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A tent and camp chairs on the deck at Big Bend 14, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with a vehicle parked alongside and the valley opening out behind

14 · Big Bend

Up to 20 ft · 1 vehicle · Long view

Big Bend 14 sits right at the switchback with the longest view on the property and the only stone fire pit we have. Unlike every other site here you don’t feel closed in by trees — it’s wide open, with full sun and open sky above, which is exactly what some people come for. Guests at site 15 walk through to reach theirs. If you want the premium site and don’t mind neighbours a little closer than elsewhere on the mountain, this is the one.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the deck at Acadia 15, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, screened close on every side by summer woods

15 · Acadia

Cars only · Walk in 120 ft · 1 vehicle · In the trees

Acadia 15 is the tucked-away one: private, quiet, screened on every side. Two decks. You park at site 14 and walk in about 120 feet, so it suits tent campers arriving in a car.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the deck at Pisgah 16, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with a vehicle on the track behind and trees closing in

16 · Pisgah

Up to 18 ft · 2 vehicles · In the trees

Pisgah 16 is the quiet one, high on the mountain, well away from the other sites and set back off the road. No open view in summer; what you get instead is the feeling of a room with the door closed.

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A tent and two camp chairs on the deck at Smokies 17, Cardinal Mountain Campground near Franklin NC, with a split-rail fence running along the edge of the site

17 · Smokies

Up to 18 ft · 2 vehicles · Long view

Smokies 17 is the top of the mountain — the highest site we have, with an open view east through the trees. Private, and high enough that it feels like being on top of the world. The pavement runs the whole way up.

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