Best Tent Camping near Murphy, NC

They have a very nice set up and are very polite. Great prices. We did tent camping with water and electricity. The tent sites are all either beside a creek or next to the pond. Large campsites fo tents, we could have easily had 3 tents comfortably. Highly recommend them!

We had 3 couples who spent the long weekend for 4th of July (2016) on two sites in the walk-in tent camping area. There are (non-flush) potties at the tent camping area, but if you're grossed out by those, it's a couple of minutes drive to the closest bath house. The bath house was very satisfactory and pretty clean, plus plenty of hot water. There's a (steep!) trail from the tent camping area down to the lake with some good places for swimming. It would probably be tough to walk a kayak down to the water from tent sites, though. We found the gravel tent pads well maintained and clean.

The location near Ellijay is great. We visited a couple of area wineries, and there's a fun mountain bike trail at Woodring Branch rec area (directly across the lake from Doll Mtn. Campground, but no direct route to get there, so it's about a 45 minute drive.)

Polite campers in rvs watched over my tent camp site while I enjoyed a couple of the trails. All in all a wonderful place to stay. Plus you're right by the river.

The property is well maintained and beautiful with waterfalls, streams, and a lodge. They have cabins, rv sites, and separate adulting tent camping. We stayed at the adult tent site 74 which is really close to one of the waterfalls. Site 72 is the closest on the side we stayed on but our site had great access to the water and was a little more secluded. The is a spot in front of the waterfall that is public space and we didn’t want people walking up to view the waterfall basically next to our site as the sites are very close together. There is another beautiful sit on the other side that I would say is best for y’all he waterfall. I checked out the other sites as we were the only tent campers as it was during the week. Site 82 is the most private still on the the water and like a little forest dream site. The facilities were nice and well kept however, there was no potable water or restrooms close to the tent camping. The lady that checked us in (not sure if manager or owner) but she was somewhat spastic and forgetful which was not pleasant but was overall friendly. Locations is super close to High Shoals Falls which was a great hike and beautiful as well as close to Helen, Georgia, and Unicoi State Park.

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.

Adventures Unlimited is located in Ocoee, TN, just outside of Chattanooga, and is one of the coolest river towns I’ve been to. The Ocoee River was the site for the 1996 Olympics whitewater events. There are numerous outfitters for everything you can do on the river, and this place is the best we’ve visited. We did the Classic Middle Ocoee Rafting Adventure, with Leon as our guide. He was awesome! He wore a Viking helmet (which looks really cool in our pics!) and had vast knowledge of the river and area, and said he’s been guiding for 20 years, so yeah, the best! I would highly recommend Leon if you take a trip!

The campground is HUGE for tent camping. There are hundreds of great tent sites, and the whole place has a great vibe. I wouldn’t really recommend it for children, it feels more like a grown up place, as the area is filled with kayakers, guides, college kids, etc., and these people have FUN! And there’s the Bus Bar, which I’ll cover in a bit. We stayed in site 13 on the rv sites, and it was nice. All the sites are spacious, most have plenty of shade, except for 6,7,8, they are in the middle and not much shade there. The rv sites have water and electric, and they have a dump station. The bath house is at the front entrance, it was very clean, with 4 restrooms and showers. They also have bungalows, and they looked awesome.

This place has two restaurants, The Cafe was closed, I’m assuming due to covid, I believe they serve breakfast and lunch there. And The Bus Bar- this place is a must! They have literally converted two yellow school busses into a bar! The restrooms are in one of the busses and the other is where the actual bar is. They have live music on weekends, and there is a very eclectic vibe. Great people watching! You will hear music from your campsite until around midnight. We didn’t try the food, but they have pizza and wings on their menu, so what else do you need?!

The office is where you check in for rafting, they also sell ice, water shoes, t-shirts, etc. and the people in there were super friendly. This is one of my favorite “fun” places we’ve stayed, it truly was an adventure! We will definitely be returning!

Nice pull in paved spots for every tent site. Playgrounds and bath houses were kept nice and clean. The loops where the tent sites are can’t be quite busy so keep an eye on the kiddos

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.

We LOVE coming here. It's peaceful. Right on the river and spaced well. We tent camp, but my dad has a camper he brings there. And the Fishing is awesome

We love camping at Fort Mountain. Its usually a good bit cooler due to the elevation, and the private wooded campsites make tent camping in Georgia’s summer heat much more enjoyable. Good hiking and things to do nearby.

This was the first stop on our 10 day July 4th trip. This is a campground that we had visited many times in the past with our kids. In those days we tent camped and it is perfect family tent camping campground.
This was our first time in our travel trailer and it required lots of skills to backend to the sites. Not a lot of room because the roads are slim.

The staff is second to none and will go out of there way to make your stay pleasant.

Facilities are great. We use them sometimes to reduce our blank/gray water. They do have a honey wagon for $15, which was very helpful. This is close to Helen where there is lots to do. Lots of wineries to visit and downtown Cleveland is some nice restaurants and an awesome creamery.

Clean showers and toilets (including running water), easily accessible tent sites for large groups, litter-free, friendly staff, short hiking trails, less than an hour from Nantahala rafting

Loudest noise is the dam above grounds. The hum is soothing and constant. Water flows downriver at different depths before you eyes. The lights on dam at night, mesmerizing. Simple and low key campground. Mostly made of tent camping. Bathhouse is small but clean.