We stayed in the cabins which were nice but not having a dishwashing area was a struggle. We had…read morerented cars and no bins to wash in, and I'm sure we were not alone. Back to the cabins: it rained one night and it was nice to not have to worry about taking down a wet tent the next day and the sound of the rain on the canvas was soothing. If you think you're going to swim in the pond, think again. No one in our group enjoyed it because of how muddy the bottom was. However we did see a beaver.

Despite the cold I enjoyed my stay at the campsite. The bathrooms were clean and heated. The sites…read morewere spaced out well and the staff were great too. We lost power at one site and it was easy to get another. Look forward to returning in the spring or summer.

I absolutely LOVE this park. Hands down one of the best hidden gems in the area. Don't let the…read morespooky warehouse scare you away, you'll see gravel parking on the left, keep going to the paved lot. There is a beautiful gravel walking trail that goes along the Swannanoa River + the two lakes. There are some walking trails around but you'll have to look for those. They have basketball courts, a playground, BBQ grills, picnic tables, covered areas, baseball fields... you can also fish in the lake but swimming is not permitted. I have seen people swim in the river/creek I would just advice you to be pretty careful because sometimes it's moving pretty fast + has deep areas with currents. I'm pretty sure you also need a fishing license or permit. There are signs posted all over with the rules. There are also some signs with nature information to make it fun for the kiddos! Plenty of poop bags + places to drop them off so please clean up after your doggo! Everyone walking the trail is pretty nice, they mostly stick to themselves since COVID. But there is plenty of space for everyone and most do wear mask. Beware of the geese! They are feisty and not afraid of anything. They have gone after my dog Lucy several times, now she goes after them. Really love having this place in our back yard!

This hidden park is not a bad area for a early morning or afternoon walk. There are two lakes in…read morethis park with a river that borders the far side. The out side walking trail is 0.83 miles. And if you look closely for the hidden hiking trails you could have a good afternoon adventure. This park has plenty of tables for summer day cookouts. It also has a basket ball court which could use some work. Is really hard to replace the netting on the hoop? Also this park has a baseball field. The park is lacking in the playground department. It looks like they made the playground for a toddler, which is ok but I'm sure older kids wouldn't think to much of it. Which is a shame. A park should have something to do for all ages. The park is maintained decently well. And even the on site bathrooms where clean. 4 stars for the crappy playground and the Basketball court.

Great place for a picnic or just to hang out. The pavilions picnic tables are all over the place…read more.. some of the pavilions you have to rent but the empty picnic tables against the lake our first come first serve. Great playgrounds for kids. Great place to do a party or just have a picnic. There are many fishing opportunities and boat rentals as well. This is a great park staple in South Asheville.

Open limited hours…read more Things to do: fishing, picnic areas, playground, frisbee golf, and water access on 300 acre lake The grounds are well kept, but most of the grounds are closed. We did see several people fishing and picnicking.

We had planned to hike Graveyard Field our first day in Asheville, but after sleeping in a little…read morelate and also getting over a recent back strain thought starting with Craggy Pinnacle may be better. It took us about 45 minutes to get there from Biltmore Village. I had read that parking could be an issue, but plenty of parking spots available on a late Monday morning in June. Usually when my husband and I are hiking I'm happy our kids aren't with us because I knew they would be complaining. However, this was one hike that I think they would probably enjoy and saw many families with big and little kids enjoying it. It's a pretty short way to the top (maybe 25 min tops) and while it was a nice little workout I didn't find it too difficult. The reward at the is a beautiful view of Asheville and the first thing I heard when we got up top was an adorable 4 year old boy saying "wow this is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." It was picture perfect so we snapped some pics, enjoyed the view and headed down. Down was a little tricky and I was jealous of those who had walking sticks, but we made it down with no issues In fact, once down we felt like we needed a little more of a workout so added the nearby Craggy Gardens Trail, which was perfect. And after that we were ready for lunch so headed back to Asheville!

I loved the Craggy Pinnacle Trail! It wasn't too long or demanding. In some spots you need to step…read moreup high (or low) over rocks and branches to continue, so wear loose pants and comfortable sneakers. You'll see some great 360 views once you reach the pinnacle. I think it took about 20 minutes each way. There was plenty of parking at the start of the trail.

We had such a wonderful time at the North Carolina Arboretum. It was very easy to walk around the…read morebeautiful gardens with a stroller. All the paths were paved with ramps to every garden area. At the main building you can get a free map, enjoy the gift shop, and clean bathrooms. The main building also has some lovely seating areas and clean bathrooms! You can walk the gardens and find a cafe at the other end of it. The arboretum has tons of walking and biking trails on the property. We didn't explore them but would love to some other time. We loved their bonsai garden the most. Make sure you check where you are walking, this time of the year, for caterpillars. We noticed several on the ground and thankfully we moved them out of the way!

Delightful. $25 to park a whole car of people and immersive trails…read more We saw bears! Obviously we took a different trail to let them continue foraging. The bonsai exhibit was an experience showing artistry and breadth of examples. It inspired one in our party to take up the hobby.

This trail was a great short walk with our pups. There is access to the creek and it has…read moreinteresting attractions in the ruins of a dam. It's a quiet and peaceful approximately 1.5 mile round trip on a dirt trail. There is a port-o-potty and the trail eventually leads to picnic tables. There is a small beach with creek access but there is a sign saying to swim at your own risk due to possible contamination. Overall it was a great, short easy trail that would be nice for running. Park at the parking lot across from the old National Guard Armory on Shelburne Road. Walk 100 yards west on Shelburne Road (away from Brevard) and take the dirt road to the left down to Hominy Creek. The trail goes about 2/3 mile west along the creek.

Lovey trail alongside a relaxing stream. Several benches scattered throughout the trail, random…read morepicnic tables, a few fire rings, a sandy beach halfway down the trail, port-o-potty even further down the trail towards the end, and only 12 minutes from home within Asheville. Dog friendly with doggy bag dispensary at both ends of trail, every dog I personally passed by was on a leash and the consistent foot traffic was friendly. Found on yelp. Charming

We were on a spontaneous trip to the mountains and on the way home we decided to drive through Lake…read moreLure. The leaves were absolutely beautiful and we had to get out and take a closer look. The park to me is beautiful! It's pretty basic with an open field to run around in or have a picnic, a playground, boat landing area, and public bathrooms. It also has some walking trails that we went down and saw some of the prettiest trees filled with fall colors. We had the best time just walking around and taking it all in before heading home.

Open field, check. Playground, check. Restrooms, no. Clean, no. Luckily we go prepared so we had a…read moretowel and wipes on us to clean off some of the playground equipment before the kids played on them. They were very dirty so I dint know how often its cleaned. But to tale kids to an open field to run around is beautiful. Not having a real restroom nearby was hard with kids around.

We did not camp here, but we visited to hike the 1 mile trail to see Crabtree Falls. It was magical…read moreand highly recommended! The trails were well manicured and the scenery along the way was absolutely beautiful. The falls were amazing! CRABTREE FALLS The falls are wide and about 70ft high. You can walk right up to the base of the falls on either side. The river at the bottom of the falls is not deep and not too dangerous. You can walk across the river at the base of the falls on the wet stones, but you will get your feet wet, as will as water spray on your clothes hair. Just be careful you don't slip on the wet rocks and fall! There is also a wooden bridge over the river which provides a safer crossing so the falls can be enjoyed from both sides. You MUST cross to other side to view the "money shot" of the falls...get your camera out and get busy with those selfies! THE TRAIL You park your car by the Crabtree Falls campground where the trail starts. It's a 1 mile walk to the falls. It's moderate level difficulty and not recommended for those that have difficulty walking on flat surfaces. The trail is NOT flat. T trail is manicured and supplied with many wooden walkways, and engineered stairs, but there are ample trip hazards, such as roots and slippery rocks. Part of the the path actual passes through some mountain streams that flow down to the river. They are a beautiful part of the walk but also wet and slippery. There is an amphitheater at the start of the walk which makes for a great photo opportunity. The trail appears to include lighting from the start to the amphitheater to support evening performances. I am sure they would be a magical experience. There are many beautiful nature views along the way, tree canopies and tree "tunnels" covering some of the path. There are stairs made from stone found in the area. It really is a nice walk. Once you reach the falls you can choose whether to continue on the same direction to loop back to the campground on a 1.7mile return, or to return back the way you came for a 1mile hike. The 1.7 mile return is categorized as strenuous on the signs. We didn't take it so can't comment, but be aware. The hike to the falls is downhill, although surprisingly not very noticeable until you walk back. You definitely sweat more on the return journey!

We had a great hike down to the falls with our dog. The sights were beautiful! I would recommend…read moregood footwear for this walk and be prepared for some steep inclines and declines, including down rocky walkways. Also, as we continued past the falls to finish the loop, there was a marker which we followed and basically had to crawl up the side of the mountain (which obviously wasn't the right way but it did have a path so we kept pushing forward). Thankfully it connected to the trail and we were back in business We enjoyed the beautiful, cool weather as we made our way through a mossy, lush forest. The water fountain at the start/end of path wasn't working which was a bummer but we had more water in the car. Pack accordingly.