49104 Morrow Mountain Road, Albemarle, NC 28001
(704) 982-4402
morrow.mountain@ncmail.net

Backpack Camping at Morrow Mountain

Click here to download a backpack camping application.

For people who like remote wilderness camping, Morrow Mountain offers backpack campsites. The backpack area has four campsites located south of Sugarloaf Mountain and west of Tater Top Mountain. Camping is permitted only in designated campsites.

Access is available only on foot by a gently rolling 1.7-mile trail from the museum. A permit must be secured before departing and may be obtained at the park office. When the office is closed, please locate a ranger for a permit. Permit cost is $9.00 a night, and up to six people may occupy a site. Each site's boundaries are marked with white dots on trees, and sites are roughly 100 yards apart. Once permitted, park your vehicle at the end of the parking lot that is near the trailhead. Please place your permit where it will be visible through the windshield; this lets park staff know that the vehicle is authorized to be there. Follow the assigned marker given on our trail map in the park brochure to the campsites.

The backpack camping area is a low-impact area. Everything, including trash, must be packed in and packed out. Fires are not permitted. Camp stoves may be used. A pit toilet is central in the area. No drinking water is available. The nearest drinking water is at the museum or, in the winter, at the lodge/office building.

You may pre-register for a backpack campsite in advance by mail or in person; however, you must provide all the needed information (name, address, vehicle license and description, dates of stay, and number of people) and the required fee. Also, please include your daytime telephone number. Note: A $25.00 processing fee will be charged for a returned check.

Emergencies: In case of an emergency, go to the lodge/office building for help. If no staff are in the office, follow the instructions posted by the pay phone on the front porch of the lodge/office building.

Rangers patrol this area. All North Carolina State Park regulations apply in the backcountry.

Of particular note:

• Pets must be controlled by a leash.
• Alcoholic beverages are not permitted.
• Horses and bicycles are not permitted.
• Vehicles must be parked in a parking lot and not elsewhere in the park.
• Take only photographs; do not collect anything.
• Leave trees and plants undamaged.