Best Tent Camping near Lake Toxaway, NC

Recent Tent Reviews near Lake Toxaway, North Carolina

2209 Reviews of 102 Lake Toxaway Campgrounds

• 

  Cindy M.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 21, 2022

  Craig's Cherokee Campground

  Pretty nice

  good experience owners help are very friendly facilities were clean pleasant atmosphere they have cabins that you can rent out and then there's tent sites and RV sites to camp from. There are even sites for tent camping along the creek. Tent site right next to the creek was my favorite because you hear the water come down the tiny fall that's there in the same to the birds chirp. I would definitely stay here again. ❤️

• S

  Shannon T.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 16, 2016

  Moonshine Creek Campground

  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!

• 

  Kenny T.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 1, 2023

  Lake Hartwell State Park Campground

  Cabin stay

  The cabins are nice, but small and no plumbing. If you're used to tent camping then the cabins are one step above that. Bonus is the air conditioning. Great view in Cabins 1 and 2. Gentle slope to a nice beach as well for those two cabins.

  Tent sites are on the water as well but are right on top of each other. I could almost touch two of the tent pads at the same time.

• T

  Tracy S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 31, 2019

  Lazy J Campground

  We love this place

  Good people run this place. Bath houses are very clean. We have tent camped and now taken our RV. Tent sites right on the river. You can tube down and get out right at your site. Three Falls waterfall is just up the road. You can get tubes at the office. Chickens and horses on site. Playground and lots of fun. Sites are wooded and quaint. Roads are a little narrow, but passable. One of our favorite sites.

• 

  Jill G.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 5, 2021

  Campfire Lodgings

  Excellent location, views, & amenities for tent campers

  We stayed at Tent Site #3 in late May and early June. We have stayed at the campground twice before. We love coming back here because of the great amenities, location, and access to activities. 

  1. The amenities are great for the kind of tent camping we like to do: electric & water at each site, central bath house with individual bath suites that are cleaned regularly, and a dish washing station. 

  2. The location is excellent - you can get to downtown Asheville in 10 minutes! 

  3. The views are amazing - so many mountains and the French Broad River!

  Our pup loved the trails at the campground. I would recommend you not picking tent site #3 (the picnic table was not level) or #4 because they are right across from each other and there isn't a lot of privacy between the two. I would definitely pick tent site #2 if you want to be closer to the bath house or #5 if you want to be farthest away from the other sites.

• 

  Kirsten J.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 16, 2018

  Lazy J Campground

  Rural campground on a creek

  This campground is located in Rosman NC, west of Brevard. We camped here as a base camp for day hikes in the area. It is very wooded, in a valley with a creek running alongside the tent camping sites. The scenery is gorgeous and horses and chickens were sweet. The tent sites are small, smaller than average park campsites. We woke to the smell of our neighbor smoking and coughing throughout the night.

  The facilities are good, nice hot water in sinks and showers. Clean bathrooms etc. We also had a spigot and plug near our campsite if we needed them. The people were extremely friendly and kind.

  We like for our kids to be able to run, play and explore while camping and this was not the site for that. Across the creek is a busy road which was not busy during the night, but had constant travel during the day.

• 

  Nate C.

  Guide

  

  May. 17, 2020

  Moonshine Creek Campground

  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.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  

  May. 31, 2021

  Appalachian Pond Campground

  Back to Nature Campground to Get Away from it All

  For tent campers, I would rate this campground with five stars. For RV campers, I would rate it with one star. There are no hookups for RV campers, but there is a place to park a small RV camper that is self-contained. I loved this campground. It is everything you need for tent camping. It is remote in the mountains of western North Carolina and has lots of shade. It has a small pond, it is quiet, and the owners are very nice. One of the owners apologized for the grass being so high, but I assured him it was all right(and it wasn’t really that high). 

  There are several tent sites back in the woods, but they are spacious and not on top of each other. Some of them have access to running water, and at least one has electricity.  There is also a small cottage by the pond, and a camper that can be rented.   At night, all you will hear are crickets, the wind through the trees, birds, and frogs—just the way I like it. This campground truly is off the beaten path. 

  As far as facilities, it has a shower. There is a portable toilet across the path. Although it sounds primitive, which it is, the quaintness of the shower house and the fact that it has both a shower and a portable toilet is good enough unless you are looking for luxury accommodations. This campground may be remote, but it is not far from many hiking trails and sites, including but not limited to Purchase Knob, Hemphill Bald, the old Ferguson Cabin, Cataloochee Valley, the Great Smoky Mountains, and much more. 

  An additional feature is the old barn owned by the same people, which can accommodate special events, such as weddings and other venues in a beautiful rural setting. Would I recommend this campground? Absolutely!!!!… especially for tent campers.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 1, 2020

  Keowee-Toxaway State Park

  Good State Park Campground for Water Activities

  My favorite part of staying at this park was not actually camping, although I always love camping. My favorite part was hiking the trails, especially the Natural Bridge/Palmetto Trail. It is a loop trail, but you can opt to get on a longer trail along the loop. The hike seems easy at first, especially going down to the“natural bridge.” However, when you hike down, you have to hike up, and there were sections on the return that were steep. Along the way, not only do you see the natural bridge, but there is a small waterfall as well. As far as camping, there are RV sites and tent sites. I chose tent camping this time, and there was a large gravel pad. The sites seemed a little too close for me, but at least they were not on top of each other. The day that I went, the other tent sites were all reserved as far as I could tell. I found that surprising for a Tuesday night. Unfortunately, with so many people camping that close together, you never really get to sleep early since some people are up late talking. Nevertheless, once the talking died down, I went to sleep listening to the tree frogs. The bath house is a short walk away and is AIR CONDITIONED!!! Since I went in July, this was important. I was hoping to get in some canoeing, but there were strong thunderstorms and rain. As a matter of fact, I waited for a break so I could put up my tent. There is a camp store, and I enjoyed looking at the relief map in the visitor’s center. It also has displays in the visitor’s center with local history. There is also a boat ramp a short drive away from the campground. Even though I didn’t get to take full advantage of it, it is a lot better than many of the boat ramps I have seen. The biggest attraction for this park, other than the hiking trails, is obviously its access to Lake Keowee. Overall, it is a pretty good place to camp. I’m not fond of how close the sites were, but it’s a lot better than many campgrounds I have been to.

• 

  Crystal C.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 12, 2018

  Cherokee-Great Smokies KOA

  Everything but the kitchen sink

  If you are looking to dabble in the Smoky Mountains without losing all cell service, camping at this location is perfect for you! I found that while traveling when you want to be removed from civilization but still able to touch base you can't beat a good KOA. This one is a great example of just that, offering amenities for you to enjoy but proximity to easily drive to an adventure just ahead.

  This place was pretty nice to say the least, it had that rustic mountain feel but with modern amenities. You could stay here in a cabin or RV or take it down to the tent camp, like I usually enjoy doing. The cabins here though were a little touch of magic and I would recommend these for a holiday away or a Christmas cabin, they were just so cute.

  Unlike a lot of KOA camps this one has year round access to pool and hot tub as well as sauna room. But the list of perks doesn't stop there, this is more of a resort feel than campground. They offer bike rentals, shuttle tours to the mountains, fishing, giant checkers and game boards, a clubhouse area, children's activities and both wifi and cable.

  So what is the catch to this near perfect sounding place? The only one I could find is that tent sites are limited. Yep, only thing I could find!

  There are 4 different cabin options, tons of rv spaces but less than a dozen tent sites in this HUGE mega park. They even offer a grill at this location... you can't beat all that!!

  So back to the tent sites.... there are two types available in very limited quantities and they vary vastly despite being placed in the same section of the park only feet from one another. Deluxe sites are $52.99 a night a little to much for me, and while they looked nice with a sandy tent pad and bear boxes along with electricity and water, I was content with my grassy pad and no water or electric at a $30 savings. Sorry KOA you can't have $30 just so I can sleep on sand instead of grass that is what a sleeping pad is for.

  So as you can see by my rating even though there was that sharp gouge in price from one site to the next I still gave them a 5 stars. Why you might ask? Well because this campground literally was a resort on a paupers budget staying in my grassy tent site. I had access to every amenity there was to offer, staff was friendly, nothing was left a mess by other campers (or if it had been staff cleaned it up before I knew it) and facilities were very nice.

  This KOA set the bar high for others of the same brand and made me realize sometimes why I just enjoy doing the commercial camping thing... sometimes you want rugged... then sometimes you want to have a nice comfortable night that reminds you of home or a hotel...lol

• 

  Julia K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 23, 2022

  Campfire Lodgings

  Rude Property Manager and BEWARE of BEARS

  This campground DOES have bears who visit the campground for food. There are no bear boxes provided and the property manager, Jason, will assure you it’s your fault if they come into your campsite and you left something out that is square in shape. Anything square apparently, so store everything in your car. He also does NOT want this information shared. He accused my family of chasing away business when we were honest about having seen bears but in fact had encouraged the fellow camper’s they were safe. 

  Tent Campsites leave a lot to be desired.

  Campground is well maintained and view from BATHHOUSE is beautiful, but not from tent sites. 

  Bathrooms leave a lot to be desired. Old, Stained and Mildewed, low lighting and poor ventilation. 

  Note: We left out a cube shaped plastic water jug and lost our tent as a result. We didn’t even complain to management or say a word, but still were treated horribly because when asked, we were honest and told a fellow camper the truth about bears destroying our campsite because of the cube shaped waterjug. We assured them it was our fault. Still the property manager accused us of driving away business. Very Rude. Never listened to us. We packed up and left a day early as that is not the kind of place we wanted to be, or people we wanted to be around.

• R

  Ruth P.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 15, 2023

  Campfire Lodgings

  Best overlook area

  This campground has one of the best overlook areas I’ve seen. I could sit for hours and stare at the mountains and the French Broad River. Well-worth a stop here just for this. Details: this is a small campground - about 15(?)ish RV sites, plus a few tent sites, some yurts and a rental house. The Premium sites are paved and have fantastic long-range views. The downside to these is that they get the full brunt of the afternoon sun - not a huge downside in winter but absolutely a consideration during the summer! The gravel Deluxe sites are shaded and slightly larger. They’re only a few seconds walk to the community overlook area, which is equipped with seating. The yurts are down a hill and in the woods, so excellent for privacy. The tent sites aren’t the best, in my opinion, and are the furthest from the small (and dated) bathhouse. I don’t think I would choose to tent camp here. They are expanding and adding another dozen rv sites - though I haven’t heard if they also plan to add another bathhouse or expand what they currently have. The wifi works okay, but we stuck to using our hotspot. T-mobile signal was adequate, ATT signal less so. The campground location is very good - 15 min drive will get you into Montfort or downtown Asheville - or into Weaverville in the other direction. It’s also close by the River District. Head over to High Five Riverside Dr to get great coffee or a beer and sit at a table next to the French Broad while you drink it. If you have dogs, there’s a little dog bar down the road called Wag Bar - it was some nice off-leash time for our dogs. An important note: the campground is at the top of a small Knob, so the road up is steep and a little curvy - it is gravel and narrow, so they ask you not to arrive until after 2p in order to ensure that arriving rigs don’t meet up with departing rigs on the road - when that happens, one rig driver will be really unhappy when they have to back up on that road. There is not enough room for two RVs to pass! This was our 3rd trip, and we will return again. We love the peace and quiet and natural feel.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Dec. 31, 2022

  Black Rock Mountain State Park Campground

  Beautiful views but wonky campground layout

  General: Many options including 4 backcountry primitive sites, 12 walk-in tent sites, 48 electric/water sites, and 10 cabins. Access to this park is up a steep and winding road. I honestly don’t know how some of the larger 5th wheels and RVs we saw navigated it! We were warned that this park is an active bear area and while we did not see any, a woman I spoke with said she had seen a baby bear scoot through the campground (without Mama). An interesting thing about Georgia state parks is that when you arrive and check-in, you become eligible for a senior or military/veteran “rebate” which is not available when reserving. 

  Site Quality: The sites are (too) close together with little or no separation between them. In my opinion, the sites in Section 2 are a bit nicer. Driveways are gravel and vary in length. Some are very long while others are much shorter. Unless you have a small car and are tent camping, I would avoid Site 26! Even though there was plenty of room for our 18-foot van, it took us at least a half dozen attempts to back into the site due to the very steep and narrow road where the pavement drops off. Site 37 is no more than a parallel parking space alongside Site 38. 

  Bathhouse: It was heated and clean. The flush lever was different for each toilet and instructions were posted by each. The showers looked to be very clean, but I did not use so cannot comment on their quality. 

  Activities/Amenities: Fishing, boating, and hiking. The Nantahala Lookout provides gorgeous views. There is a conference center. Laundry facilities are by the bathhouse, but we were told the appliances were due to be upgraded and were not in the best shape. 

  This is a beautiful park but due to the sites being close together and our challenges accessing Site 26, my rating is three stars.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 31, 2020

  Table Rock State Park Campground

  State Park with Beautiful Views

  Table Rock State Park is a large park with at least three“campgrounds.” One is a primitive campground, and one is a traditional campground. I did not get to explore the third campground, but I believe it is a traditional campground as well. The site I stayed at, site 56, was level, except for the approach; however, the pad was rough gravel. I put down two tarps under my tent to help eliminate the roughness inside the tent. The site was shaded and wasn’t too close to my camping neighbors, but the biggest problem was dealing with the ants—big black ants, small black ants, and other tiny ants. There was no lantern pole, but there was a fire pit and a picnic table. The bath house was only a short walking distance away. There is no lack of things to do, and the trail system is extraordinary. The main attraction, I would guess, is Table Rock Mountain, but there are other things to do. There is a swimming beach and a diving platform. Beside the beach are picnic tables, including a picnic shelter with a standing grill. The visitors center/store was well stocked with souvenirs and supplies, and there is a laundry next to it. Sometime during the night when I had to go to the restroom, I discovered that there was not water. The next morning, I turned on the faucet at my campsite, and it sputtered out brown water at first and then it came out clear. I said that to say this. There was a problem and they dealt with it quickly. That impressed me. The heat and humidity was almost unbearable, but nothing can be done about that during the summer. If you camp in a tent during the summer, make sure to take and extension cord and a fan. Overall, this is a great place to camp during vacation, but the cost is a little more than I expected to pay for a tent site. Costwise, I’m not sure I would want to pay that much for camping for a whole week. It rivals the national campground franchises. However, if cost doesn’t concern you, it really is a good place to camp.

• 

  Jenny C.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 4, 2018

  North Mills River

  Great place to tent camp!

  Great place to go tent camping. There are large flat grassy areas are available with places to build a fire . There is also a clean flowing river right beside the tent camping sites. I thoroughly enjoy bringing my dog and spending time here. Know that there are fees for parking and camping.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 1, 2019

  Winngray Family Campground

  Great Campground for RVs and Great Views for Tents

  I had wanted to stay at this campground for several years, and I finally got the opportunity to do so. It looked inviting every time I passed by it. When I looked on the website, it showed tent sites, but most of the sites are for RVs. I was surprised to see that the best sites are along Jonathan Creek. These do not have water or electricity, but that didn’t matter to me. There are tent sites that have water and electricity, but they are behind the office, which is part of the main building. I am guessing that there are well over 100 RV sites. Most sites(if not all) have water, electricity, and sewer hookups. There are not many tangible amenities; there is no pool or playground, basketball court, etc. However, this campground is all about location. Not too far from the campground is Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Hemphill Bald(mountain and trail), the Cataloochee Divide Trail, and the natural beauty of the mountains. There is also Jonathan Creek, which is known for trout fishing. The tent sites along the creek are beautifully arranged in a line with enough space not to be crowded. Unfortunately, most of them do not have fire rings, but I found one at T5 that did have. I am guessing that the picnic tables at the entrance to the tent sites are for the tents since only one or two tent sites had picnic tables and it is close to the end of the season. My favorite part about the tent sites is that you can sit facing the creek and look at the mountains in the background, although you will see a few houses in the mountains. Another advantage of the tent sites by the creek is that you hear the creek all night long, which drowns out any road noise. This campground is privately owned and not part of a franchise. It is good to see that they still welcome tent campers.

• 

  Anna R.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 16, 2018

  Creekside Mountain Camping

  Nice amenities

  This is a good family option with a pool, store, and laundry. The tent sites are removed enough that you can feel private if you need to. Snag a tent site by the creek and enjoy fishing and hopping in the clear water. My son spent hours hopping along the rocks in the creek.

• c

  cam M.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 25, 2021

  Ash Grove

  Wonderful Campground

  Tent camping comfort with mulched level sites…WiFi available…Owners live onsite,and always available…clean restrooms,hot shower…

• C

  Chelsea Y.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 4, 2016

  Asheville East KOA

  Asheville East KOA

  Very friendly staff! We tent camped and had a wonderful experience! No complaints on this campsite at all.

• 

  Suzanne O.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 9, 2018

  Cosby Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  wonderful. hidden gem.

  great tent sites. clean and big bathrooms.

• T

  Tommy R.

  Scout

  

  May. 20, 2022

  Moonshine Creek Campground

  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.

• J

  Joshua G.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 2, 2018

  Wildcat 1

  primitive

  this place was a great place for fishing, exploring and hiking, great place to back pack into and tent camp.

• Z

  Zack F.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 9, 2020

  Hickory Nut Falls Family Campground

  Great Family Owned Campground

  This is a great family owned camp ground everyone is very friendly but would love to see larger tent camping sites

• 

  John G.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 20, 2019

  Campfire Lodgings

  Best sunset view from an Asheville campground

  The campground is situated on a mountainside overlooking the French Broad river. Most of the sites are for RVs but they do have an assortment of tent sites. The premium RV sites have the awesome views. The tent site we stayed at had a nice carpet of grass and a good deal of space to spread out. Overall the campground was clean, quiet and a great place to chill out after a long day of hiking, rafting or whatever.

• 

  Erin D.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 8, 2019

  Indian Creek Campground

  Creekside Camping

  Indian Creek offers the most relaxing creekside camping in North Carolina.

  Every campsite is lush with greenery, private and well maintained after each occupancy. The bathhouse is the cleanest I have found and the campsite store carries all of your forgotten necessities, and more!

  My husband and I love coming back to this campground, because how of well we and our kids sleep! The sound of the creek at night melts all of your worries away and takes you off to peaceful slumber.

  This campground is always in rotation for a visit.

• 

  Natalie B.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 15, 2017

  Black Rock Mountain State Park Campground

  Great place but pricey

  Lots of hiking trails, 11 miles or so. Great spot for tent camping down below from the RV spots which is nice. Showers bathrooms and water easy access from the tent primitive camping.

• 

  Courtney B.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 1, 2020

  Devils Fork State Park Campground

  Loved it so much, we've planned another trip there!

  We had a wonderful time camping at Devil's Fork State Park. Our group took up rustic tent sites T1, T3, and T5. On the map, these sites seem not ideal, as they are not on the water. However, they are more isolated, more wooded (plenty of trees for hammocking), and seemingly larger than the other tent sites. They are a short walk from the tent-camper parking area, a short walk from the two water spigots in the parking area, and a short walk from the restrooms. The bonus is that, behind sites T1 and T3, is a jumping rock into a gorgeous cove of Lake Jocassee with beautiful blue-green water. It's a great place to enjoy kayaks, rafts, and other inflatables. 

  While site T13 books up quick because of its waterfront location on the point, the walk from the parking lot is no joke. 

  Notes about the rustic tent sites: They have been recently renovated. Each has a picnic table and a fire ring. Only 1 vehicle is allowed to park, per site, unless you pay for the extra vehicle and park in the overflow lot. There is no electricity, and two water spigots located in the parking area. The entire camping area (25 tent sites and 59 RV sites) share 2 restrooms (which were muddy and gross while we were there). No generators are allowed in the tent area. We did have a bear visit us multiple times in one night, putting teeth puncture marks in our cooler. And if the bear don't get ya, the raccoons will!