Riverside Wanderer Hideaway

It was a great place to stay! There was an incredibly pretty river with lots of very small waterfalls. The land was nice and so were the neighbors. If seeing the stars is your priority, this would not be my top pick, but other than that it was fantastic!

Mixed feelings

· June 2026

Tent · Group trip ·

The site was easy to find, and the space along the river was really lovely. Sweet spot to get in the water and just be. It’s super sandy and fairly residential - so it doesn’t feel fully like “camping” - but that was expected as the description is accurate. There was some debris at the site: an old tire, some plastic trash we had to fish out of the fire pit, etc. For the price, it felt like it could have been “cleaner,” but overall it was a good size space for our large group of multi-setup campers (tent, car, etc.)

Recommends

· May 2026

Riverside getaway

34 ft travel trailer · With pets ·

Can't thank Bruce & Jess enough for having us. Such a beautiful property with plenty of space for our 35ft travel trailer. Would highly recommend!

Recommends

· March 2026

Tent · With pets ·

Very nice spot in the river, we had a great time and would come back! Definitely no internet though so just be prepared to not have service while you are there!

Recommends

· October 2025

Great place to camp

Tent · With pets ·

It was a perfect spot along the river. My dog ran free off leash (private property) and the river was fun to walk in and look for certain sapphire, and Ruby's. The host was responsive and very helpful. I will definitely stay there again.

Recommends

· June 2025

Tent ·

Its a good spot. It's not as isolated as I would've liked. Cars were driving up and down the dirt road fairly regularly through the day Sunday. The creek is nice and cold. Very refreshing. Decent size area to camp in thats flat and theres plenty of wood around to build a fire. Theres an area under shade to set up in also.

Recommends

· September 2024

Pretty Place

16 ft car ·

Perfect for our short stay this past weekend. Met the owner felt welcomed. We will definitely come back again soon & stay longer than one night. Close to everything we needed.

Recommends

· September 2024

Tent · Group trip ·

Had a great time at The Wanderer site. Several different spots available to pitch a tent. Place is well kept and owner was very nice and made themselves available for anything we needed. River adjacent to the sight has a walk through area and it’s between 5-6 inches deep. We sat chairs up in the river and just got our feet wet. Would 10/10 recommend to anyone.

Recommends

· September 2024

Great weekend camping

Had a party of 14 and had enough space for all of us. Kids have fun tubing and canoeing that was provided. Had dogs from other site that kept coming and scaring the kids but got used to them. Nice and quiet spot. We had some phone service (not great). Bruce was super nice and checked up on us as soon as he got back. Easy to communicate with not a problem there. Would go again!

Recommends

· August 2024

Anniversary Trip

Tent ·

Beautiful place to get away. The next sites are well hidden from each other. Loved walking the river bed. There's a place a few miles away for a quick fire wood pick up. Highly recommend!!

Recommends

· August 2024

Great site, location and experience

Tent ·

We had an awesome time camping at The Wanderer! The river was pretty cold, so it was super refreshing in the heat (high of 87). The camp site is quite shaded so that was also great. A super solid spot camping in the summer! Never felt too hot. We brought the pup and she had a blast! She has good recall and is a swimmer so was able to wonder and was in heaven with the river! The site isn’t fenced in but there it's plenty of room to tie a dog up to one the trees on a long lead if they can’t roam freely. Awesome place to bring a pup! Great location to go into downtown Morganton and Hickory. Also close to some good trails! We hiked Linville Falls (about an hour away). 10/10 stay!

Recommends

· July 2024

Great host. Inconsiderate campers.

Tent ·

The campsite was well maintained. The tree canopy made the site pretty dim-lighted but kept it cool during the day. Although we preferred the Hideaway site because you could hear the sounds from the river, we were allowed to change to the other site for more sunlight. If we come back we would book both campsites. Unfortunately, some campers booked the site just up the way from us and showed up at 9:30pm and had their music and loud conversation going all the way until 4:30/5am. Needless to say, we didn't sleep well and it ended our stay on a negative note.

Recommends

· July 2024

20 ft travel trailer ·

Beautiful secluded spot. We absolutely loved our stay at the wanderer. The summer heat didn't even phase us as we were floating in the river. Cell service was minimal, which is just what we needed to disconnect. I can't wait to go back.

Recommends

· July 2024

18 ft pop-up camper · With kids ·

Perfect spot for the night, and would have loved to stay longer. Right on the river, shaded, and private. Enjoyed coffee by the river and the kids played and swam. Will definitely be back!

Recommends

· July 2024

Great hideaway.

14 ft pop-up camper · Group trip ·

Nice place with a nice host. Spot has great shade and cool stream that runs by it.

Recommends

· June 2024

Great group site

Tent · With pets ·

Camping spot was great! Lots of space for 3 tents and easy access to the river. At first the other campsite across the way seemed pretty close, but the river drowns out any noise. The only confusion we had was the firewood. To me (also new to HipCamp), "firewood provided" and being told it was stacked meant that there would be precut firewood provided and stacked at the campsite. When I reached out once we were there and didn't see any, I was told that it was collect your own and you can use whatever was left at the site. This is totally fine, it would have just been nice to know ahead of time. Just to make it easier we got ahold of someone to pick up a bundle on their way to the site. I would just use caution going late in the summer incase the woods are picked over or if you are physically limited from going to collect/cut your own; just bring a bundle or 2 with you. Also, the directions to get there could have been a little clearer, the details provided made it a bit confusing even though it's a pretty straight drive in. Other than that, it was a great site.

Recommends

· May 2024

Camping with kids and a dog!!

Tent · With kids ·

Big open spot on the river with plenty of space between the one other site!! Kids and dog all had a great time exploring and playing games. I would bring firewood in or stop at Food Lion near by. There is wood to supplement or get you started but not enough if you are hoping for a big fire all weekend. We will be back😃

Recommends

· May 2024

Great spot!

Tent · With pets ·

Really nice spot along the creek! Only one other campsite nearby, so quiet and able to really enjoy the nature. A bucket for water, a bucket toilet, tp, and a saw were provided which was great! If you're not into foraging your own firewood, you may want to bring your own.

Recommends

· May 2024

Perfect Place for Restoration!

Tent · With kids ·

Our family of 6 enjoyed the Hideaway so much even though it rained the first night. Most of our time was spent at the river which is right next to the campsite. When we arrived it had just rained the night before so there was some muddy tracks to avoid while we backed both our vehicles into the campsite. There is additional parking further away. We brought some folding tables but there was a 5’ table provided. Bucket toilet with one plus TP provided. We brought extra waste bags with gel and a little pop-up privacy tent for the girls. The ground is very level at the campsite and we’ll cleared so tent campers have good options. This site was closer to the fun part of the river (more rocks and tiny rapids) which we spent floating down on tubes and walking back up to do it again. The other campsite has deeper and calmer water good for kayaking. I hung up my hammock right next to the river and took a nap! Bruce was a wonderful host and was great to talk with. He checked on us to tell us the forecast since we didn’t get cell coverage at the campsite. My husband and I went to a grocery store about 6 miles away to purchase some firewood for some drier wood since we like to keep a fire going for cooking and long burn fires. There’s a Walmart about 8 miles away. The area feels very private and the campsite next to us was far enough away to not hear conversations. We would love to come back! Thank you Bruce and Jessica! This restful time was needed for our family!

Recommends

· May 2024

Few nights with friends

Tent · With kids ·

We enjoyed our stay at the Wanderer. The river is right off the campsite for easy access and the water is clean/clear and we enjoyed swimming and playing in it. The owner of the site met us and provided items for our stay. He was very accommodating. Very well maintained property and it is very peaceful day/night.

Recommends

· May 2024

Family camp

Tent · With kids ·

Very happy for the experience of spending two days on the banks of a beautiful river where when you wake up you meet directly with nature also excellent attention from the host providing everything to make us feel at home thank you on behalf of my family and I hope you don't miss this beautiful experience

Recommends

· April 2024

Tent ·

What a perfect spot! Great view of the river as we sat fireside and a picturesque sunset over the hills. Our original spot was unavailable but the hosts upgraded us for free to one of their cabin sites to accomodate. We still tent camped so we could hear the river but the inside of the cabin had everything you could ever need! Site was easy to find and there was plenty of wood. Would certainly reccomend!! Thanks!

Recommends

· April 2024

16 ft campervan · With kids ·

What an incredible spot!! I will definitely be coming back!! Brucen was such a great host. Had everything we needed!!

Recommends

· April 2024

21 ft Class B · With pets ·

Awesome spot. Avoid wet spots with your vehicle after heavy rain though

Recommends

· March 2024

Tent ·

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful evening at this little hideaway. The directions were clear and we found the plot easily. There was plenty of wood and fire starter materials to use along with a camp toilet bucket w/ toilet paper. The river was right next to us which made it so extremely peaceful at night. Overall, we had a great evening, thanks BrucenJess!

Recommends

· October 2023

The Hideaway 🏕️

Tent ·

We had an absolutely wonderful stay! They were gracious to lead us to our campsite. They were very communicative and helpful with directing us. The area was beautiful, well kept and had amenities that made our cooking setup easy! Not much noise and beautiful nature sounds. We brought our telescope to see the full moon and lunar eclipse and it was beautiful viewing with no light pollution. It was a beautiful day out in nature and unwinding. 5 ⭐️!

Mixed feelings

· October 2023

Good for tent - not camper

20 ft travel trailer · With pets ·

Not camper friendly!!! We arrived later than we expected and it was pitch dark out. Cell services as non-existent for about 10 miles on Old Hwy 18 so save the special directions ahead of time. Luckily I had read them to my husband on the way there and we remembered just enough to find the campsite. It was starting to rain and there was no way we could get the camper through the trees to the campsite so we just parked at the bottom of the hilil and left the camper hooked overnight. The next morning, it took 90 minutes to back the camper close to the fire pit and in a fairly level spot. It is pretty, quiet site. I would not recommend taking a camper there due to the amount of trees and tight fit. Tent camping would be great! We had fun and did appreciate the beauty of it.

Recommends

· September 2023

Lovely Secret Spot

Tent ·

Awesome little spot right on the river. Bruce and Jessica were kind and helpful. Orchard down the road was beautiful, South Mountains park was only 30 minutes away to great hiking. Such a cool secret camp spot, would definitely come back! Thank you guys! :)

Recommends

· September 2023

16 ft car · With kids ·

Nice little private area with plenty of space. Bring fire wood as there were only a few pieces there. Horseshoe pit was fun, and my daughter enjoyed the tubes and kayak! Bruce was super nice and checked on us both days.

Recommends

· August 2023

Tent ·