This cute little national forest roadside campground is situated in the Nantahala National Forest, just due south of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is well-kept, and allows for access to a variety of outdoor activities* in the greater area. It’s just about a mile from a boat launch on Lake Santeetlah, a beautiful reservoir for fishing, canoeing, SUPing, or sea kayaking, and very close to some great hiking in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. The famous Tail of the Dragon (Highway 129) between here and Tennessee, with twists and turns and beautiful views…very popular among both cyclists and motorcyclists. The closest town is Robbinsville, NC which is about 30 minutes away and has all the basics you need. Nothing fancy or special, though the people are extremely nice. Don’t expect to get a signal in the campground, as you are deep in a gorge.
*If you are a whitewater kayaking enthusiast like my husband, be sure to watch the release schedule for the Cheoah River. The day after we arrived, we saw dozens of vehicles with kayaks and the campground went from empty to completely full overnight!
Most of the creek-side campsites are on the small side and designed for tent camping, but they are the only ones open in the winter months. With some creativity, we were able to get our little adventure rig and truck into the parking area. It’s great to sleep near the creek, though, as it blocks out nearly every sound from the road and other campers. There are about a dozen other sites on the uphill side of the highway which are open during the main season, but only a few large enough for mid-sized RV’s.
Each site is well-maintained with nice flat, well-drained tent pads, cooking areas (1 grill and 1 firepit per site), a picnic table, and not 1 but 2 poles to hang lanterns, shower bags, etc. Lots of trees around for hanging hammocks, too. There are 3 well-kept pit toilets – 1 close to the creek-side sites and two others in the main campground uphill and across the road. During the main season, drinking water is available, but during the winter months, you need to filter from the creek. Camping price is reduced in the winter due to no drinking water, but the creek was actively running.
No reservations necessary, or even possible. This is a first-come, first-served campground with an iron ranger for payments. During the winter, we only paid $5 per night to camp here, which is absolutely amazing given the quality of this little campground. It is normally $10 per night during the main season, but we saw a posted sign about possible fee increases in the future. Check out our blog on The Dyrt's Online Magazine about our experience in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
