Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground Review

A Beautiful Home Base for Exploring Asheville—With One Important Caveat

Before the review of Mama Gertie's, this was for One Week in Asheville, NC by RV.

Western North Carolina has no shortage of beautiful scenery, waterfalls, mountain roads, and history. We spent a week using Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground as our home base while exploring Asheville and several nearby attractions.

At a Glance

Home Base: Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground

Length of Stay: One Week

RV: Grand Design Reflection 315RLTS

Tow Vehicle: Ford F-350 Dually

Best Experience: Biltmore Estate

Biggest Surprise: How much there is to see beyond downtown Asheville

Would We Return?

Absolutely.

Quick Take

Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground is one of the nicest mountain campgrounds we've visited. The staff is friendly, the sites are spacious, the campground is quiet, and it's well located for exploring Asheville, Biltmore Estate, waterfalls, and the surrounding mountains.

Our only significant disappointment involved the premium mountain-view sites, where trees have grown enough to block much of the panoramic view that originally attracted us.

Overall Rating: 8/10

At a Glance

Location: Swannanoa, North Carolina

Site: #33

Hookups: Full Hookups

Site Type: Pull-Through

Big Rig Friendly: Yes (our combined truck and trailer length is 67 feet)

Patio: Yes

Fire Ring: Yes

Picnic Table: Yes

Would We Stay Again?

Yes—but whether we'd reserve one of the premium upper sites again depends on whether the trees have been trimmed.

Reality Check

Many YouTube videos show breathtaking valley views from the upper campsites.

Those videos may no longer reflect today's reality.

When we visited, the trees had grown enough to block much of the view we specifically paid extra to enjoy.

If you're reserving an upper site primarily for the scenery, I'd recommend checking recent photos before booking.

Trees blocking most of the view of the Valley and Mountains at our Site.

Less Trees blocking the view, but, this is 50 yards away from our site.

Arrival

The drive from Interstate 40 initially looks intimidating.

The road to the campground is narrow, steep, and winding.

Once inside the campground, however, the staff escorts you to your campsite, and despite our initial concerns, getting our 67-foot combination into Site 33 was surprisingly easy.

The Campsite

Site 33 offered everything we needed.

It was:

• Level

• Spacious

• Full hookups

• Plenty of room to maneuver

• Private enough that neighboring campers never felt close

Our site didn't have shade trees, but the openness provided a pleasant feeling of space.

We were in Site 33, at the top, indicated by RED ^

Coming up the road, that is our Rig in Site 33

Plenty of room in our site for the truck. Morning in the Clouds!

Campground Experience

The staff deserves special recognition.

Check-in was efficient, friendly, and welcoming.

One feature we especially appreciated was daily trash pickup directly from our campsite—a small convenience that made the stay even more enjoyable.

The campground remained peaceful throughout our visit.

Despite being close to Interstate 40, we couldn't hear highway traffic from our upper site.

Mama Gertie's Registration Office and Store

Internet

We relied entirely on our Verizon hotspot during our stay.

Streaming worked well the entire week with no issues.

Laundry

We didn't use the bathhouse.

We did use the laundry facilities and found them clean, convenient, and reasonably priced.

Location

One of Mama Gertie's greatest strengths is its location.

It provided an excellent base for visiting:

• Biltmore Estate

• Asheville

• Looking Glass Falls

• Great Smoky Mountains Railroad

• Numerous mountain attractions

We rarely felt like we were spending excessive time driving.

What We'd Do Differently

The only thing we'd change is our campsite selection.

If the trees remain untrimmed, we'd likely choose a different site rather than paying extra for one of the premium overlook sites.

Who Is This Campground Best For?

• RV'ers of all sizes...the top fits larger units best

• Couples

• Mountain lovers

• Travelers exploring Asheville

• Visitors planning multiple day trips

Final Answer

Mama Gertie's remains an excellent campground and a great home base for exploring western North Carolina.

If the valley views are restored, we'd happily return to Site 33.

If not, we'd still stay here—but we'd choose one of the less expensive sites instead.

Proof Before Purchase Rating: 8/10