Camping close to Ship Rock & Linville Gorge

What's the closest campground/campsite to Ship Rock?  How about Linville Gorge?  Can you camp at the base of either area?  

There is dispersed camping in the National Forests around Ship Rock, but none at the crag itself. 

Linville Gorge is a large area, and camping is easy within a short distance of most of crags in the gorge. Where exactly in Linville Gorge are you headed?

There are campsites at the Table Rock parking lot (there is a bathroom and trash cans too). There are also a number of places along the gravel road to Table Rock that people camp at. 

The table rock parking lot adjacent camping is nice,

All other sites along that road require you to be 150 feet (edited) from the road or you can get a $150 ticket, FYI 

Ezra Ellis wrote:

The table rock parking lot adjacent camping is nice,

All other sites along that road require you to be 1/4 mile from the road or you can get a $150 ticket, FYI 

Ezra, can you cite where you got this info from? I can't think of a single pullout campsite on TR road that is 1/4 mile off the road. I wonder if I have been breaking the law for all the years and didn't even know. 

wes calkins wrote:

Ezra, can you cite where you got this info from? I can't think of a single pullout campsite on TR road that is 1/4 mile off the road. I wonder if I have been breaking the law for all the years and didn't even know. 

Wes, I think it's a usfs regulation,  but I can't site the code.

I have heard of tickets issued, rarely, on the table rock road, for camping near the road.

I do know looking glass and cedar rock roads are specifically posted to only allow camping where the camping -allowed  signs are.

Edit-I googled usfs- dispersed camping, the usfs website states you have to be 150 feet from a road way, when not in designated camp grounds.

Admittedly, this is likely rarely enforced.

Best

Ezra 

Permits are required to camp within the Wilderness Area from May-October. If you don't have a permit, there's a fee. There is dispersed camping along the FS road from Gingercake, and along Kistler Memorial Highway on the west side of the gorge.

there is some primitive camping along 221 near Sunken Treasure and along the trail to little wilson.  Both within a 10 minute drive to Ship Rock.

So I called the usfs this morning, grandfather ranger district, they stated you need to be 200 feet from any roads and trails, while camping on usfs land.

-e

The Linville Falls campground on the BRP is very convenient to both areas. It costs a little,  but it has bathrooms and water. Closes for the season at the end of October. 

I camped at Price Park campground, which at MP 297 http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=36 was really close to the Ship Rock parking at MP 303.