The best EQUESTRIAN camping near
Clyde , NORTH CAROLINA

We did a spontaneous trip to the mountains and we found this nice camp site along the North Fork French Broad River and we camped right along the river. It felt like we were camping deep in the woods and the Fall leaves were still clinging to the trees and made it absolutely beautiful. We fished right next to our camp site and then relaxed with a camp fire listening to the sound of the River.

HWY 215 runs along the camp site but since it was the weekend there was very little traffic. Hosts were very friendly, bath house was clean, and had chickens running around the camp site. Only reason I gave the camp site a four star is because there is clutter around a old cabin and old camper, has a broken down sink and if cleaned up would look much better.

Camp site is close to the Blue Ridge Parkway and other areas of interest.

Spacious and on the river. Close to the biking trails and Cades cove. Spots are clean, fire pits are great, well maintained pavers patio and nicely landscaped

My wife and I went for our 5th anniversary. The campground is great and within a mile or 2 of a lot of trail heads in the Smokies. It was beautiful in October, but if you go in peak season I would recommend staying in the national park due to the insane amounts of traffic getting into Gatlinburg.

The staff is extremely accommodating and very helpful. The bathrooms/showers were clean and the campground was well laid out. Awesome time to be in the smokies even if it is close to home for us.

Quiet campsite run by NPS. Beautiful in the fall. Great fire pit and gravel elevated platform for tents and activities

Tis campground is a little hard to find because it is off of the beaten path but close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. We went during the peak leaf season and of course, had to book the site super early. But we snagged the belle of the ball with the Laurel group site. The maximum number of people in the site is 50 (pre Covid) but we were a group of 3 families with 11 people and it was the perfect size for this size group. There were steps leading down to the river with a small spot for a 2 person tent. There were also a number of dispersed tent sites with room to spread out. We had our own very clean restroom that was not in the way but accessible. There are a number of trails to access from the site including Setrock Falls. Even though the campground was full, we felt completely private in our site. The Toe River is the real gift of this site. The constant sounds around you and the river loop trail allowed you to explore further. This is a perfect site for kids because it is open and the river is shallow enough. I would highly recommend this site any time of year because of the river but fall adds a special quality with the leaves all around.

Pretty clean bathrooms. Easy to find sites. PLENTY of rangers. Heads up: if you have a cooler or water jug it needs to be in your car while you’re sleeping or away from the CG. Nothing food or prep related can be left unattended. I have a large Pelican bear resistant cooler that lives on my hitch rack. It’s locked to my car frame, ratcheted down to both sides of the rack and locked shut. Upon telling the ranger it did not fit in my car, he inspected it, said “mm it seems rugged enough” and let us be. Would stay again for sure.

The campground itself is nice. Great location off of newfound gap road, with tent sites along a rushing creek. Large sites, although not very private. Flush toilets and running water, but no showers. The office staff was friendly. A few trails start from the campground with plenty more a quick drive away.

My arrival left a bad taste in my mouth. Long story short, my reserved site had equipment set up when I arrived after hours (8pm) and a call to the ranger gave me three options: move that person’s tent, take someone else’s reserved spot (campground was full) or leave and go to another campground. I was told there was no ranger or camp host to assist. I grabbed a reserved spot and luckily no one showed up. The next morning, I asked the office if I could just keep my new spot, rather than set up everything again and was told that I could not. However, the office told me that the person on my spot should not be there, but they did nothing to move him. I had to wait until he left on his own so I could move my stuff, wasting a lot of the morning.

This was my fifth trip to the Smokies this year, and it is obvious that the most visited national park is also the most understaffed. Very little ranger presence and consequently plenty of disregard for the rules, especially after 5pm.

The campground is right off loop road. Spots are a little close, and not very private, but you cant beat the location in the park. We saw 3 bears, a red wolf, and numerous dear and elk during our stay.

Great location and well kept amenities. The spacing is crowded, you feel ur neighbor is in ur campsite. Don’t waste ur money on an upgrade site it’s not worth it.