Camping near Murphy, NC

Recent Reviews near Murphy, NC

2440 Reviews of 725 Murphy Campgrounds

• 

  Adrian C.

  Guide

  Oct. 23, 2026

  North River Campground

  Peaceful, low cost small campground with some creekside sites

  This is one of several USFS campgrounds that are within a few miles of each other. The cost is only $8/night, first come first served. The sites are fairly large with about half of them on a wide, clear creek. There is no running water, but there are bear proof trash cans and vault toilets that were fairly clean, but didn't smell great. 

  There is free potable water and an RV dump station about a mile away at the North River Game Checking Station on River Road near the Spivey Cove campground..

  The campsite was clean with picnic table, fire ring, and a lantern post. The fire ring was almost full of ashes and it appears that campers have to clean them out themselves. 

  The Green Cove Angler store is a couple miles away and has ice, firewood and other camper things.

  Unfortunately, while we were there, it was bear hunting season and another camper had multiple barking and baying dogs that went on and on for hours.

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• J

  Jill M.

  Scout

  Oct. 23, 2026

  Tallulah Gorge State Park Campground

  Walk to trail sites, clean bathrooms, sites close together…water and electric at site. Sites are sloped gravel.

• 

  Mark 'Tony' Z.

  Traveler

  Oct. 17, 2026

  Poteete Creek Campground

  Friendly host, crowded camp

  Water was very low and poor quality. Host was friendly but don’t buy his wood - it doesn’t burn well. County water tasted funny, probably minimal treatment. We had quite a hike to the restroom, which wasn’t regularly cleaned.

• 

  Alicia B.

  Scout

  Oct. 16, 2026

  Turkey Creek Campground

  NOT FAMILY FRIENDLY

  Beautiful Campground, but Absolutely NOT Family-Friendly! I rarely leave negative reviews this strongly, but our experience at Turkey Creek Campground was so disappointing that I feel compelled to warn other families. First, I’ll give credit where it’s due. The campground is beautifully maintained, and the creekside sites are incredibly peaceful and serene. It’s a lovely setting, and during the day, the owner is friendly enough and seemingly hospitable. Unfortunately, the hospitality comes to a screeching halt the moment the clock strikes 10 PM. 

  We were two families camping together with six well-behaved kids who absolutely love the outdoors. We understand and respect campground quiet hours. We weren’t looking to throw parties, blast music, or disturb anyone. But apparently, at Turkey Creek,“quiet hours” doesn’t mean keeping noise to a respectful minimum. It means absolute silence, complete darkness, and seemingly no normal human activity whatsoever. 

  I’m not exaggerating.

  * We were told to turn off ALL our lights at 10 PM.

  * We were confronted for opening our vehicle’s trunk because it made a brief beeping sound.

  * Our children were startled by a large spider near the bathhouse, and the owner actually yelled at them to be quiet.

  * One evening around 11 PM, we were talking quietly INSIDE OUR OWN TENT, barely above a whisper, when the owner approached our tent door to reprimand us for talking.

  * On another occasion, he approached us to complain that our children had left TWO STICKS on the ground near the bathrooms. Two sticks! At a campground surrounded by woods, where the kids had just walked down a wooded trail to reach the bathhouse! 

  And don’t even think about enjoying a little background music while sitting around your campsite. Music of any kind played through a speaker is prohibited, regardless of volume. Apparently, even a little John Denver played quietly while enjoying the mountains is too much to ask. I fully appreciate that some people camp specifically for peace and quiet. We respect that, too. But there is a massive difference between enforcing reasonable quiet hours and making paying guests feel like they’re constantly being watched, monitored, and reprimanded for simply existing. The owner’s enforcement of these rules felt excessive, confrontational, and completely out of proportion to what was actually happening. 

  Instead of relaxing and enjoying our family vacation, we found ourselves walking on eggshells, worried that the smallest sound, light, or ordinary childhood behavior would result in another confrontation. What makes this particularly frustrating is that our kids were doing exactly what we’d hope children would do on a camping trip: spending time outside, exploring nature, enjoying each other’s company, and making memories away from screens. Yet somehow, even that seemed unwelcome. If we hadn’t already paid for five nights, we would have packed up and left after the very first night. That’s how uncomfortable the experience became. 

  If you are someone who wants a meticulously maintained campground where everyone retires to complete silence and darkness by 10 PM, Turkey Creek might be perfect for you. But if you’re a family hoping to enjoy a campfire, share some laughs, quietly socialize in the evening, and let your children experience the simple joys of camping, I cannot recommend this place strongly enough AGAINST it. 

  There are so many beautiful campgrounds in this area, and I cannot imagine choosing to return somewhere that made our families feel so unwelcome. Beautiful property. Extremely disappointing hospitality. Absolutely terrible experience for families. We will never return.

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• L

  Laura F.

  Scout

  Oct. 16, 2026

  gee creek

  Called the day of to ask if we could camp and set up after hours for that day and the next the lady told me yes i could pay in the morning i got here set up that night woke up around 8 am to go pay and reserve my campsite for the day and she told me they were booked even though she had told me the day before she had plenty of campsites. Then tried to tell me the only one she had was a $75 site for 4 people which is absolutely insane. She made snarky remarks and was overall incompetent in making sure the guests receive the right information the first time. Absolutely zero care that we set up not even 12 hours before to make us take it down and leave.

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• 

  Gary R.

  Scout

  Oct. 16, 2026

  Fort Mountain State Park Backcountry Campsites

  Fort Mountain SP offers some great adventures for the outdoorsman. Hiking and Biking are the mainstays. The overlooks are absolutely astounding from the Cool Springs Overlook, which is easily accessible to anyone even the disabled. The overlook on the trail to the wall and tower is equally amazing. The campground is electric and water only, no fhu. All spots are gravel and fairly level. The bathhouses are older and could use updating . We have zero T-Mobile service at the campground, but it works well in other areas of the park. We have Starlink for our 5th Wheel but the heavy tree canopy in our site made it sketchy. The staff is very friendly.

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• 

  Rowan T.

  Scout

  Oct. 12, 2026

  USFS 7165

  Pretty but next to the road

  Very pretty site but its right on the road

• M

  M H.

  Scout

  Oct. 12, 2026

  Lotterdale Cove Campground

  Tent Riverfront

  This was a very nice campground! The tent areas are partially gravel so it helped the area be less muddy after rain. Beautiful view of the river and would be a great place to fish! Bathrooms are very nice! Comes with a nice fire pit and didn’t have to use own grate! Pet friendly! Staff was very nice and helpful!

  Only complaint was some of their quiet hours were confusing. The quiet hours on the email said 10pm to 7am but then sign posted at bathroom was 11pm-7am for quiet hours.

• 

  Adrian C.

  Guide

  Oct. 11, 2026

  Cable Cove Recreation Area

  Permanently closed

  This is a beautiful campground but is unfortunately permanently closed. It's sad.