Best RV Parks & Resorts near Balsam, NC

Husband and I wanted to get away and found this campground- it is such a gem! You can't see it well from the road, but there is a huge sign out by the road. Trust it! You're in the right place. You drive across a small bridge across the Little River when you get to the campground, but it can handle big rigs. We saw many massive Class A campers while we were here for 6 nights. We pull a 30 ft travel trailer and used a pull through site- very large spot as far as rv sites go. They have back in spots for campers and tents literally on the bank of the river and you're allowed to swim, play, tube, etc in the river at your own risk. Camp store has firewood and a few essentials, but they don't sell propane. We got ours filled at the Tractor Supply in Alcoa, TN nearby. They had crafts and hayrides while we were here. Wifi is free but not great. Verizon cell service was good enough at 3 bars the whole time. No on-site laundry services, so we had to go into town to use laundromat (nearby town of Townsend is adorable but no laundromat). The grounds offer tent, cabin, and rv sites with various levels of electric, water, cable and sewer access. Our site had 30amp, water, sewer and cable. Nice and level site, large fire pit, sturdy plastic and metal picnic table and large beautiful mature trees. The bathhouse is seriously impressive and is, by far, the nicest campground bathhouse I've ever used! One of my favorite features was random and I never knew I was missing it in my life until now.. the bathrooms have strong AC pumping right into each bathroom, making everything nice and cool when you come in from the hot campsite.. wonderful! Good view of the mountains in the distance and minutes away from Great Smoky Mountain National Park entrance. This is a wonderful find!

Husband and I wanted to get away and found this campground- it is such a gem! You can't see it well from the road, but there is a huge sign out by the road. Trust it! You're in the right place. You drive across a small bridge across the Little River when you get to the campground, but it can handle big rigs. We saw many massive Class A campers while we were here for 6 nights. We pull a 30 ft travel trailer and used a pull through site- very large spot as far as rv sites go. They have back in spots for campers and tents literally on the bank of the river and you're allowed to swim, play, tube, etc in the river at your own risk. Camp store has firewood and a few essentials, but they don't sell propane. We got ours filled at the Tractor Supply in Alcoa, TN nearby. They had crafts and hayrides while we were here. Wifi is free but not great. Verizon cell service was good enough at 3 bars the whole time. No on-site laundry services, so we had to go into town to use laundromat (nearby town of Townsend is adorable but no laundromat). The grounds offer tent, cabin, and rv sites with various levels of electric, water, cable and sewer access. Our site had 30amp, water, sewer and cable. Nice and level site, large fire pit, sturdy plastic and metal picnic table and large beautiful mature trees. The bathhouse is seriously impressive and is, by far, the nicest campground bathhouse I've ever used! One of my favorite features was random and I never knew I was missing it in my life until now.. the bathrooms have strong AC pumping right into each bathroom, making everything nice and cool when you come in from the hot campsite.. wonderful! Good view of the mountains in the distance and minutes away from Great Smoky Mountain National Park entrance. This is a wonderful find!

OVERVIEW

• No Water/Sewer Hookups on Any Site

• Electric Hookup Sites Limited 

• WiFi/Cell Signal Limited[Booster Recommended]

• Kid Friendly

• Dog Friendly

• Bath Facilities On-site

LOCATION

The location is incredible! We enjoyed the accessibility of hiking, biking and fishing right from the campground. ART LOEB trailhead is right outside the campground entrance and is excellent for hiking and mountain biking. Several loops and even sites provide access to the river for fishing. Just outside the campground are endless trails and several beautiful waterfalls that can be accessed within a 5-15 min car ride. Convenient to a few restaurants, grocery stores and even a Walmart (which is slightly dodgy so be warned).

SITE

014 WOAK site is an RV site. It’s spacious and very private. We loved how much room we had to spread out and entertain as we were traveling with several other camping families. Our site was the go to spot! Backing in wasn’t difficult. It was convenient that the pull through site across from us was vacant, this made backing in super easy. There are no hookups on this site. So be sure you have a generator! One bonus on the location of this site is the water access just feet away. We needed to fill up and had forgot to do so when we pulled in to the campground. What a relief to see a water access just steps from the campsite! The only downside was that generator hours are very limited. If you are traveling during warmer months or must have AC, this is not the site for you. We felt that the tree coverage really provided us protection from the heat and did very well without AC in early August.

ACTIVITIES

• Slide Rock is a natural water slide that is fun for the whole family. Yes… it’s COLD and honestly worth every moment of chilly suffering.

• Hiking is abundant and all levels are accessible within minutes to a few miles of the campsite. Our favorites are: Looking Glass Falls (steps going down make this a breeze), Moore Cove Falls is a MUST and an easy trail that leads to the perfect waterfall for a good photo, Looking Glass Rock is a moderate to difficult hike and worth it. Looking Glass Rock is a long hike so be prepared to go early and bring a rain jacket.

• Fishing right within the campground makes it perfect for an early morning or late afternoon activity. The hatchery is nearby and offers some wonderful opportunities to catch and release. Be sure to look in to a guided tour for a hands on experience filled with lots of educational info on local fish.

• Biking is a top activity for lots of overnight and day campers. The Art Loeb Trail provides endless miles that proves fun for the whole family.

• Ice Cream at Dolly’s should make your list if you love a refreshing treat. This iconic little stop if right by the entrance to the Pisgah Forest and just around the corner from the campground. Also a great spot for a cell signal!

• Breweries aren’t hard to find nearby. Small microbreweries are within a few minutes and Sierra Nevada Brewery is 25 minutes away.

DON’T FORGET

• Generator (in case your site doesn’t offer electric)
• Headlamps and Flashlights (tree coverage is heavy so it gets darker faster)
• Fishing Poles
• Rain Jackets (it rained almost daily in the afternoon)
• Cordless Leaf Blower (for removing leaves from slide outs)

Amazingly clean campgrounds 10 minutes from the entrance of the National Park and 20 minutes from the Visitor's Center.

You have a choice of "rustic" tent sites, tent sites with water/electric/cable hook-ups, RV, or Cabins. All sites are pet-friendly including cabins. All camp sites include fire pit and picnic table.

Lots of amenities are included in your stay. 2 bathroom areas, 1 shower area, pool, wi-fi, etc.

There's a general store in front of the campgrounds with gas station and small cafe attached. The general store will even deliver your purchased firewood to your site.

This Koa is near a lot recreational places and some restaurants. Also near towns like Gatlinburg, Pidgeon Forge and Knoxville.

A nice vacation spot.

This is not exactly the camping in the woods without hookups atmosphere. This is more of a every want/need met glamping RV Resort. And it’s awesome!

The RV sites are large and level, full hookup. There are gorgeous cabins that look more like tiny homes, and the atmosphere at this park is a great way to retreat. 100 ft max for RVs.

Very kid friendly, pet friendly (Kamp K9), lots in the area to go do and see. Pools, hot tub, kitchen, firewood for sale, fishing access, snack bar, cable tv, and WiFi.

The staff here is awesome, very helpful and knowledgeable. The park is very clean and well kept.

Cellular service for TMobile was not very strong but AT&T provided plenty for streaming and working.

Having lived in South Carolina most my life, I haven't seen it all.. but have seen a lot of it. Mile Creek Campground is a string of 3 islands connect by narrow straights and surrounded by water. It's hard to get a spot here without great views of Lake Keowee and the Blueridge Mountains.

The spaces a are a mix of full concrete pads or gravel sites. We've stayed in several sites and while some are very close together (that RV park feeling), there are many which have lots of breathing room, and things feel more natural. The pics in this review are for site 51, which is on the "3rd island," which is the furthest out and offers the best views. This is a very level concrete spot and we only had to use the electric tongue jack on our trailer to level front to back. Got set up in under 5 minutes.

There is one oddity to some of the concrete sites. Because it's concrete, your fire pit is off to the side. And since most of the sites are raised, your fire pit may be level with the concrete pad, but you can't sit next to it as there is too much slope.

It's a county park and is well maintained. Bath houses are clean. With it having a public day use area with a nice boat dock, you can expect almost every morning @ 6am to hear the diehard fishing folks blasting out of the boat launch area. 

We have Verizon and our cell signal has always been 4 to 5 bars on the outside third island.

All sites have 30amp electric and water hookups. Dump station at the front of campground entrance up on a hill. BE AWARE, pulling into the dump station is easy, but the steeper exit will have longer RV's and Trailers dragging their bag end on the asphalt.

We've always felt safe and relaxed here. And though we prefer more dispersed camping with less neighbors, this is still one of the best and most affordable ($25 in off season) places in South Carolina to camp. 

We rarely give 5-stars, but due to the awesome views,  trees between the sites and being well wooded & surrounded by water... it really is a very nice place.

From what I can tell, all but two sites are back in. We had no problem backing in our 23'8" (total length) camper in.