According to a recent Forest Service press release (and to confirm a lot of rumoring going on before that), part of most of Mortimer Campground has been closed due to the potential for flash flooding in the area. 12 of the 23 campsites, in the lower area of the campground nearer Wilson Creek, are now closed. It is true that a massive flood wiped out the former town of Mortimer here in 1940, and you can see remains of the buildings standing in flat areas near the stream, so there is the potential for something like a 100 year flood to cause problems again. However, it’s disappointing that the only campground in the area now has less than half the sites it once did – and it didn’t have that many to begin with!
We hope the Forest Service can add some new sites in the area at some point to make up for the loss. It’s a nice campground, with trails that start right there and a waterfall just upstream on Thorps Creek. In the mean time, nearby private campgrounds, or public ones like Linville Falls, Julian Price, or Crabtree Meadows on the Blue Ridge Parkway, could fulfill some of the need – albeit at a much greater driving distance to the Wilson Creek area. So get there early to get one of the remaining spots – they don’t take reservations!