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Water

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Facilities

Verified

Established Camping

Moonshine Creek Campground

15 Reviews

About

Cool, secluded, traditional camping is the style here. The peace and quiet of the outdoors is enhanced by the tranquil sounds of the stream behind your campsite, deck, or weather shelter. We offer a variety of campsites and rental cabins to accommodate all types of campers, from the rustic adventurers to the relaxing escapists.

Our campground offers a great deal of amenities such as immaculate restrooms, a country store, cable TV, and Limited WIFI, to make your stay more comfortable.

Enjoy activities such as relaxing in the cool and crisp climate, seasonal wildflower & bird watching, lawn games, cookouts, sitting around the campfire roasting marshmallows, and stream fishing. As well as hiking trails and waterfalls.

We are an excellent base camp to see all the local attractions the "Smokies" have to offer. Nearby find river rafting, tubing, gem mining, golf, trout fishing, and antique and craft shopping. We are an easy drive to Asheville, Cherokee, Franklin, or Maggie Valley and are only 2 1/2 miles to the entrance of the Blue Ridge Parkway!

Location

Moonshine Creek Campground is located in North Carolina

Directions

IMPORTANT! DO NOT USE GPS, Google Maps, MapQuest, etc. they will bring you down an old logging road not the asphalt entrance. Please use the directions below from either Waynesville or Sylva. The Campground is just 7 miles south of Waynesville and 8 miles north of Sylva, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway in Jackson County, North Carolina. From Waynesville: Stay on US 23S/ US 74W Go Past Exit 98 Go Past Rest Area on the Right (3.3 miles past Exit 98) Go Past Entrance to Blue Ridge Parkway on the Right (4.5 miles past Exit 98) IMMEDIATELY GET IN THE LEFT LANE! .5 Miles Go Left on Candlestick Lane (Just past Mile Marker 93.7) Take the first Right only 322 ft. on to Old Balsam Depot Road at the Moonshine Creek Bill Board Go up a hill, over the RR tracks, pass the Post Office on the Left, Follow the RR tracks .3 miles AT THE FORK IN THE ROAD STAY TO THE RIGHT! Cross the RR tracks a 2nd time on to Old Balsam Depot Road The Balsam Mountain Inn will be on your Left Stay on this Road 1.5 miles it will turn into Dark Ridge Road, the Campground will be on the left. From Sylva: Note: If coming 441 from Franklin when you get to Dillsboro stay straight. Do not go right and through Dillsboro to get to Sylva. Go straight through the light and up the hill, follow the signs for US 23N/ US 74E Stay on US 23N/ US 74E Go approximately 8.5 miles (Just past Mile Marker 93) Look for Green Balsam Highway sign on the right. Take the next right on to Candlestick Lane Take the first Right only 322 ft. on to Old Balsam Depot Road at the Moonshine Creek Bill Board Go up a hill, over the RR Tracks, pass the Post Office on the Left, Follow the RR tracks .3 miles AT THE FORK IN THE ROAD STAY TO THE RIGHT! Cross the RR tracks a 2nd time on to Old Balsam Depot Road The Balsam Mountain Inn will be on your Left Stay on this Road 1.5 miles it will turn into Dark Ridge Road, the Campground will be on the left. From Blue Ridge Parkway: Just Past Mile Marker #443 get off Parkway at Balsam or at US 23/ US 74 Go Right on US 23/US 74 and immediately get into the left hand lane. .5 Miles Go Left on Candlestick Lane (Just past Mile Marker 93.7) Follow Directions from above from Candlestick Lane. Physical Address: 2486 Dark Ridge Road Sylva,NC 28779

Address

2486 Dark Ridge Road
Sylva, NC 28779

Coordinates

35.430133273900665 N
83.08493521474514 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Stay Connected

WiFi
Unknown
Verizon
Available
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Unknown

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Group
Cabins
Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

Market
ADA Access
Trash
Picnic Table
Firewood Available
Phone Service
Reservable
WiFi
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Sewer Hookups
Water Hookups

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Reservations

(828) 586-6666

Stephanie S.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 3, 2022

Excellent, friendly service

I couldn’t say anything bad about the camp hosts. They were so kind and helpful!! This is a pretty little campground hidden away from the busy towns. You can hear the stream flowing and a train passes through once at about 9am (if it came more often I never heard it). The spots are small so you will get to know your neighbors. Also should know how to back your rig!! They are more than helpful but it does take some effort. Overall, we would stop again if passing through!

Month of VisitAugust

Tommy R.

Scout

Reviewed May. 20, 2022

Great little campground

Tent sites have a short walk from the parking to the tent sites across the creek. Some are quite remote. They have a few with some lean-to's to get tables or tent out of the weather. A lot of the trailer sites are taken by seasonal campers. The bath-house is very nice and clean, it includes washers and dryers (quarters required). The owner has done a great job restoring the beauty of the creek and planting additional trees natural to the area.

SiteT3

Month of VisitJune

Marion M.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 25, 2021

It’s a 10

Love this campground, only thing lacking is good wi-fi.

Site1

Month of VisitAugust

Erica K.

Traveler

Reviewed Apr. 30, 2021

Private and peaceful

Our group of six all loved this campground. We had two lots right across from each other situated on a downward slope, and even across the campground we could hear the creek. The lots all feel very private and have plenty of space for your car to not be on top of your tent. Facilities were top notch and plenty of activities nearby. Would absolutely return!!

Month of VisitAugust

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Jane H.

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 6, 2021

Best laid out and maintained park

The park is very well maintained. You can tell the owner takes pride in the park. The place is laid out so that almost every site is creekside. Bathrooms are placed all throughout the park. plenty of parking. extremely nice bath house with 4 showers and dressing area separate as well as 4 toilet rooms also had 3 washers and 4 dryers, looked very new. plenty of hot water. we stayed in a camping cabin which had a full bed and sleeping loft. the loft is very large, 3 10-12 yrs old as well as 3 3-4 yr olds fit up there nice and comfy. they have camping cabins, fully equipped cabins, rv sites as well as tent sites. every site has a grill/fire pit and picnic table. they gave a camp store with firewood and just about anything else you need or forgot to bring. the town of sylva nc is only 15 minutes away and it has fast food, restaurants and, grocery and a walmart.

Will A.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 11, 2020

Get it in writing!

All I can say is, be VERY careful at this campground. We called ahead of our trip and reserved 2 tent sites, one with a shelter and one without. Soon after making the reservation we had a voice message saying they had a better option for our party of 4 adults, 2 children and 2 dogs. The message said it will save us money if they put us in their "large group" site. Upon arrival the owner showed us where to park and said we were free to use both the large and adjacent small group site since neither would be used during our stay.

On the day of departure we had the last bit of camping gear loaded at 11:05 am. We still had garage to take up to the dumpster, so my wife walked to the office to get a cart. After getting back to our campsite, loading the garbage into the cart, walking the considerable distance to the dumpster, returning the cart, and walking back to our vehicles, it was 11:25 am. With everything already loaded we were saying our goodbyes when a Park employee rolled up in golf cart and said in a surprisingly rude tone, "it's after 11 O'clock, you need to get out of here NOW!" Keep in mind, there's nothing of ours in the campsite. Everything is in our 2 vehicles, with our car doors open, and we're doing what most families do when parting ways.

On the drive home my wife wrote an honest review on their website, also saying the rude tone of the employee really spoiled our impression of the park. We were also unhappy they placed us RIGHT at the entrance to the park, so we constantly had vehicles driving past, very close to our tents, even late at night after going to bed. A few days later we noticed a second full charge on our bank card. We called to dispute the second charge and the owner denied saying we could use both sites, plus he claimed we had an extra person. When making the reservation we accurately described the size of our party. I believe the owner charged us a second time in retaliation for the review mentioning the rude employee and frustration with our site. If you're told or promised anything, record it on video or get it in writing. While it's a nice looking park, beware!

Nate C.

Guide

Reviewed May. 17, 2020

Nice spot for families

Moonshine creek is a nice campground with something for everyone. Minutes from the parkway for hiking, 2 miles away from a creek on the WNC fly fishing trail, and plenty of space to get out and walk around the grounds. Nice, well stocked camp market, many bathrooms around the grounds, and laundry/shower facilities that were very clean. The creek runs right through the middle of the campground and can be heard from any site you are on.

Multiple options for tent camping, but we chose the ones away from the creek due to them having shelters over the tent pads to set up under. We stayed at site 62 which had plenty of room for the tent shelter and two vehicles. We brought an 8 person tent that was a little big for the shelter, so we had to turn it sideways leaving the tent exposed to the elements. Unfortunately the fire pit was directly behind the shelter, and we chose not to have a fire on our site because of the fire hazard it posed. Even if we had we chose to start a fire there would’ve been little chance that 6 of us could’ve gathered around it. The pit was small and was backed by a steep embankment, and the side had a large tree in the way. There were other tent sites near the the creek that had shelters, but we had a truck with roof top tent that we wanted on the same site, and that just wasn’t possible with the parking situation for standard tent sites. For those, there is an unloading area with wagons to load in with. The tent sites are on opposite sides of the creek than the parking and unloading areas. All of the tent sites seemed to have water and electric which was nice, but not necessary.

The ‘waterfall’ on property is kinda silly. It’s a culvert pipe coming underneath the train tracks. I’m sure it sounds nice at night, but it isn’t pretty to look at. Also, there is a playground that had the kids excited, but it only consisted of a couple of baby swings.

The badminton/volleyball area was nice. It’s right near the group camping area which was wide open. Gave the kids plenty of room to play. The camp office had racquets and volleyballs to use. The creek was nice for the kids to play in. The pond is not for fishing or swimming.

All in all it was a nice place. Very clean and family friendly. Would like to return again, but hope the fire pit situation could be remedied.

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Shelly S.

Legend

Reviewed Sep. 27, 2019

In the hills

I visited Moonshine Creek Campground with a group of friends. There had been mudslides over the winter so there were renovations going on. The sites are close together BUT so skillfully incorporated into the architecture that you really don’t notice. Cute cabins to rent and secluded tent sites, all with a stream running through the middle of the campground. My site was right next to the stream and little covered bridge. It sounded like it was always raining. We used the pavilion for get togethers, it has a nice kitchen area with a grill. Right outside the pavilion is a pit campfire for groups. There are cabins and sites up along the hillside which have a view and a little more privacy. Town is close by and window shopping is a must. There are several hiking opportunities in the area.

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Ashley M.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 17, 2019

Beautiful Campground

My husband and I stayed here for my birthday in one of the camping cabins. We will definitely be back now that we have our A-frame camper. The campground is beautiful with a mountain stream flowing through the entire campground. Immaculate bathhouses and wonderful owners. Great store onsite and lots to do in the surrounding area.

(6) View All

Betsy B.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 9, 2019

This place is beautiful

Beautiful sites with or without shelter. All sites included power and water. The creek runs through the middle of the campground and has plenty of places to play in the water or sit on the benches provided in the water. The staff is so sweet and very accommodating. The bathhouse is very nice and clean and includes washers and dryers

John P.

Ranger

Reviewed May. 20, 2019

Cozy little hideaway

Perfect little campground not far from downtown Sylva. Lots of amenities beautiful views.

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Curtis B.

Traveler

Reviewed Aug. 4, 2017

Very nice place

Honestly a very nice place, clean and well maintained. Very different than what we are used to, we would call this "glamping, but it seems to be the norm in the area. The staff was extremely nice andx accommodating to our needs. Sites were very close together, but also seemed to be thge norm. Only drawback was the guy weed eating the creek 10 ft from our site pelting us with weeds at 8 am while we cooked breakfast.

SiteLarge group

Month of VisitSeptember

Chelsie A.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 27, 2017

Beautiful area and fun campground

This was our first camping trip and we loved it. The site we were at was right behind the volleyball net field so we were able to play badminton as much as we wanted. The creek was so soothing, and the staff were very friendly and helpful. The only things we weren't big on were how close the sites were to each other, (which is normal at a lot of camp sites, just not our cup of tea), and there was a group of young adults that showed up the last two nights we were there and they were extremely loud. Them and their kids were screaming and playing music until around 3am. Otherwise it was a very fun experience. They also have a small store with some supplies and firewood on site. There are so many great places to visit around this campground, it is in a great location. We went to Waterrock Knob for the day and it was a really awesome hike that led to a great view. We also took a trip over to tube on the Tuckasegee River and that was a blast.

SiteSite T1

Month of VisitAugust

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Shannon T.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 16, 2016

Moonshine Creek Campground

Owners are very friendly. Our tent campsite was very secluded, included a fire pit, picnic table, over looking deck, running water and electric. Loved hearing the running creek from our tent site. Very clean bathrooms. Highly recommended!

Fain H.

Ranger

Reviewed Sep. 2, 2016

Surrounded by greatness

Plenty to do in this area, camping, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, rafting or kayaking and its not far from skiing in the winter. The site we camped at (2) was right on the creek but to be a tent site we felt a little close to our neighbors, luckily the were super cool. Here's a break down of our itinerary -Hiked to the top of Waterrock Knob, about 15 min drive from camp. -visited one of our favorite breweries in Sylva (Innovation) 10 min from camp. -visited a number of overlooks on the Blue Ridge Parkway witch is only about 5 min from camp. With so much to do in the area this may become one of the Henderson Herds frequent spots.

(6) View All