Best Campgrounds near Balsam, NC

We ran into this campsite while looking for dispersed sites around Lake Santeelah. Several of the free dispersed sites were already taken so we decided to camp here since there was only one other group of campers. My main disappointment is the price to camp here is $15, but the upper half of the campground is closed and so is the bathroom/bath house. I think $15 is cheap if there’s a restroom facility, but it was the most expensive primitive site we we paid for all week and with the least amount of amenities. That’s the only reason I give this 4 stars. I paid with the envelope system and slept great.

The campsites are fairly close to one another, but everyone was quiet and respectful. The tent pad and fire ring were great!

-absolutely gorgeous campsite #6! -creek running through the culvert under our driveway. Concrete picnic table, rocky terrain, a legit fire ring with two grill options, and a nice packed tent pad

-didn’t get lucky tonight as far as neighbors go, super loud and annoying groups at two of the sites nearby. One group in particular drove up at 10:30pm, it was a couple with, what sounded like, at least 3 little kids. They lit their smoky fire at 11:30pm and were jacked up on candy or something. The kids were so rowdy and disrespectful and kept the whole campgrounds up by YELLING non stop until 1AM. At one point they were all so loud that I yelled across the campground “SHUT THE F*CK UP! PLEASE STOP YELLING!! BE COOL!!” And their sassy kid said back, “We’re just talking!” But I swear, there were pterodactyl childish screams again and again, kids yelling at each other, mom yelling at the kids, at least the dad would calmly tell the kids to settle down, butt whippins, mom yelling “Shut Up!” at the kids, they were seriously the worst neighbors I’ve ever encountered while camping. Finally going to sleep now 1:09am

This place is nice. It is in the middle of nowhere. Since there were reported construction delays on I 40, I took the alternative route offered by google maps. Do not go that way. The roads were very bad and when I was 1 mile from making one of my last two turns, the road was closed. I went around the signs and came to an area of the road washed out by the hurricaine. They was a crew working on the road. I asked if I could get through to make my turn a mile ahead and a very nice fellow said I could, but at my own risk. I had barely enogh room to drive my van past the washed out area that was about 500 feet above a river with a sheer drop. The gate to this camp is locked but they email you the combination with your booking confirmation. The lock is a little hard to open. You have to pull and push on it once you have the right numbers dialed in. There is a horse camp here to the right at an intersection, the regular campground is to the left. Very nice picnic tables in the sites . I believe there is a trash dump here someplace, but have not looked for it yet. You need to be self contained to camp out here. The nice thing is , the camp is at 3144 feet in elevation according to my altimiter app so it is nice and cool. If not for the picnic table and trash dump, this would be about the same as a dispersed camping area. Price was good, $7.50/night with lifetime pass. A very remote campground but it is very, very quiet, at least it was last night which was a Thursday.

Campground has been open at least since June 2025. Nice, secluded campground. Some sites are a bit close, but as long as campers observe quiet hours (10 PM - 6 AM) and are aware that generators are allowed (60 dB max) to be run from 8 AM to 8 PM, all should be good. Wildlife is present and being over a mile high, temperatures can be cool, even in summer, for a great relief from temperatures in lower elevations. There are two sets of restrooms and a dishwashing station. There's no electricity, so no lights or hot water, so be ready to rough it a bit.