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Tent Camping near Spruce Pine, NC

16 campgrounds with availability next weekend

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    Tent campsites throughout the Pisgah National Forest region near Spruce Pine, North Carolina range from free dispersed sites to backcountry tent campgrounds accessible only by trail. Notable locations include Black Bear Campground and Bear Creek Mountain Campground, both featuring dedicated tent sites within wooded settings. Steele Creek provides free dispersed camping areas, while Mortimer Campground in the National Forests of North Carolina offers primitive tent camping with minimal amenities approximately 12 miles from Spruce Pine.

    Most tent campgrounds in the region feature basic fire rings and picnic tables, though amenities vary significantly between established and primitive areas. Walk-in tent sites at Black Bear Campground require campers to park and carry gear a short distance to their campsite. A camper noted that "there are lots of near by trails, the river and multiple swimming holes" in the Mortimer Campground area, making it popular despite limited facilities. Water access is inconsistent across sites, with some campgrounds providing potable water while dispersed camping areas require visitors to bring their own supply or filter from nearby streams. Vault toilets are available at established campgrounds but absent at primitive sites.

    Higher elevation backcountry tent camping areas like Maple Camp Bald feature significantly cooler temperatures even during summer months. "An amazing spot to admire sunrises if the weather cooperates," wrote one camper about Maple Camp Bald, which requires a six-mile hike to access. Walk-in tent sites generally provide more seclusion and quiet compared to drive-in options. Forest canopy creates abundant shade at most campgrounds, though some dispersed areas may offer limited protection. Tent campers should note that road access varies considerably; several campgrounds require navigation of gravel or dirt roads that may become difficult after heavy rainfall. Sites along rivers and creeks fill quickly during peak seasons, particularly at Pisgah National Forest dispersed camping areas where water access is a premium feature.

    Best Tent Campgrounds near Spruce Pine (76)

      1. Black Bear Campground

      5.0(5)11mi from Spruce PineTents, Cabins

      "Excellent campground there’s ice and firewood so you don’t have to make special trips to the nearest convenience store. They charge it directly to your card. The host was wonderful."

      "This is a brand new tent and cabin campground built by Duke Energy and run by McDowell county on Lake James."

      from $21 - $36 / night

      Check Availability

      2. Bear Creek Mountain Campground

      5.0(2)7mi from Spruce Pine1 siteTents, Cabins, Glamping

      "Just a beautiful place camped for a weekend with my son and we couldn't have been more happy with the set up. Thanks Michelle!"

      "I have a few cabins, one glamping tent, and a self-brought tent camping area."

      from $25 - $30 / night

      Check Availability

      3. Mortimer Campground — National Forests In North Carolina

      4.3(10)17mi from Spruce Pine17 sitesTents

      "The 5 upfront are walk in, and more private. The about to be 12 in the back are pull in and much closer together. Two shower houses, one on both ends, no hookups."

      "Had some friends stay next to us in a class b. A small trailer would fit, nothing big. No W/E/S but great place. Come early to reserve. You must set up camp immediately. No reservations."

      from $20 - $30 / night

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      4. Steele Creek

      4.5(4)11mi from Spruce PineTents

      "I have stayed at all the free campsites around and left my review for each. This is by far the quietest, nicest, cleanest , site yet !"

      "There’s a nice big spot at the end of the trail where you could rooftop tent/car camp, but the actual site is about 100’ away."

      5. Pisgah National Forest Dispersed

      4.3(13)20mi from Spruce PineTents

      "Definitely some disrespectful neighbors but sites aren't closely packed. Get there early as possible as people can post up for a week there. Great launch pad for hiking and mountain biking."

      "It wasn't officially designated but it was used as a campsite. You'll need four wheel drive to get in and out of it though."

      6. Paddy's Creek — Lake James State Park

      5.0(3)14mi from Spruce Pine33 sitesTents

      "I needed some lake time and it didn't disappoint! The campground is a 2-minute drive (6-minute bike ride) down to the beach and there is a huge swimming area there."

      "We visited the Paddy Creek campground at Lake James last year. The campsite was impeccably maintained with the cleanest bath/shower house I have ever experienced camping."

      from $27 / night

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      7. Maple Camp Bald

      5.0(3)14mi from Spruce PineTents

      "A little below where we set up camp, we found a natural spring for water and theres a decent amount of firewood around. We parked at the top of Mt."

      "It’s a 6 mile hike up Maple Camp Ridge on trail 191 (Buncombe Horse Range) starting from a small parking lot close to Carolina Hemlocks Campground."

      8. Plumtree Campground & Retreat

      5.0(1)10mi from Spruce Pine2 sitesRVs, Tents

      Available next weekend

      from $30 / night

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      9. Camper Mountain on Roaring Creek

      5.0(2)13mi from Spruce Pine5 sitesTents, Cabins, Glamping

      "It’s a bit of a drive out there with little to no cell service but wifi is available over the whole site! Definitely worth it with amazing views all around."

      from $29 - $69 / night

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      10. Briar Bottom Group Campground

      5.0(2)14mi from Spruce Pine6 sitesTents

      "Briar Bottom Campground is located in the heart of Pisgah National Forest, close to several hiking trails."

      "Bathrooms are shared with other group sites. Outdoor spicier at every site along with picnic tables under shelter and a campfire ring. Great spot to take the family. We went for 6 years straight."

      Campground full next weekend

      Get a text when available

      from $125 / night

      Check Availability

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    Tent Camping Reviews near Spruce Pine, NC

    1379 Reviews of 76 Spruce Pine Campgrounds

    • Windy W.
      Oct. 23, 2026

      Doe River Landing

      Beautiful Place, Ugly host, Oct 2026

      Let me first start by saying that this campground is absolutely beautiful. I have lived in this area my entire life and the Doe is one of my favorites. I am a avid camper and have camped all over this area. I decided to give this place a try, I own a small pop-up camper and knew it was going to get cold 10/20/2026-10/22/2026, so me and my sister rented the RV at Doe River. #1 check in is not until 3pm, I always order a load of wood from a local guy who delivers to camp sites, I do all my cooking in a Dutch oven over the fire or burgers and dogs in the fire, what is a camping trip without a nice warm fire. The owner came over to my campsite and asked if I had ordered this wood and I replied yes, she then asked what I was going to do with it all, I replied I am going to burn it. So, I told Carl (the wood guy) where to stack it, the owner then said that I need to leave it in my truck bc if I didn't use it all I would have to put it back on my truck and take it home with me, I said really? It's just a unspoken rule that if you don't use all your wood that you pay it forward and leave it for the next camper?? She said absolutely not, So we moved the wood from his truck and into mine. She then asked again why I needed so much wood and that most ppl just buy small bundles from her. And just like that I understood! Carl the wood man and his wife also made a comment about how rude she was about the wood. It does not end there, Not only does she have camaras on some of the out blds which I get, but I don't get why they are pointing directly at camp sites, We felt like we were in a fish bowl the entire time. Every single time we went to the bathroom she showed up abt 5 mins later, There is a camara right above the bathroom door, One on the pavilion, and one on each side of the bathhouse, at the entrances and who know where else. So much for privacy in the great outdoors. I didn't even feel comfortable hiking, we felt like we were being watched constantly. She was constantly there, walking her dog which was not friendly and so big she could hardly control him on the leash which was really scary, she also was driving through several times throughout the day. Then came the kicker, about 1 o'clock in the morning we were freezing, I had turned the heat on in the camper before going to bed and heard it come on, Well the propane ran out between 11pm and 1am, I called her at least 10 times we had every blanket and was still freezing, We decided we would go to the bath house bc it had a mini split hanging on the wall, Out of luck there, it was set on air conditioning with no way to change it, so we found a blow dryer trying to get warm, still the entire time trying to call the owners, We finally ended up in our car until the husband arrived. He acted so annoyed at us and said all u have to do is fip the switch on the propane tanks outside! We had never stayed in a travel trailer before and according to them all we had to do was show up and start glamping!! So, I was supposed to know to go outside at 1 am and switch over propane tanks?? No, It should have been FULL when I got there!!! With attitude he said,"Its Basic Camping" No sir it's not, what I do is basic camping, I was told on the phone that I was glamping, She, the owner also said we should have called 911 when we could not get hold of them so that Carter County police officers could come and wake them up!!! Not sure if that is putting our tax dollars to good use?? Like I said it is truly a beautiful place and has great potential, we left that second night at 11pm because again the heat was not working, we have not asked for any refund we just took the loss. it would be to much of a hassle. We just know better next time.   With owners like that they can keep it. Windy Wells/Debra Price

    • a
      Oct. 23, 2026

      Lake Powhatan Glamping — National Forests In North Carolina

      This place is a nice campground, quiet and the guests (during our stay) respect others by keeping the noise down. The spaces are set up to maximize privacy between sites. There is no cell phone service (to do this report we are in a picnic area by a small lake and I can get cell as well as internet on my travelfi device) sos is the only access. I normally listen to audio books but not while here. On my computer I could see three others with low signals; they might have had a better device/provider. The spots tend to the small back in typically found in campsites built before RVs got really big, type. There is another camping area I haven’t been to yet and I did see a large over lander (looks indestructible and tall/long) towable head that way and the campground attendant didn’t predict any problems so perhaps there are larger spots elsewhere. This place has single person shower rooms and nice flush toilets. The whole place is set in woodland so it isn’t like a commercial RV place that was more concerned with volume over aesthetics. This is a lovely spot with ample amenities (my space had no hookups) for our type of camping (toilets, trash, quiet neighbors, semi private spaces) just zero phone or internet.

    • Bonnie H.
      Oct. 21, 2026

      Doe River Landing

      Kylie T & Andrew W. Review not accurate

      My husband and I arrived at Doe River Landing for 3 nights and enjoyed everything the resort offered. While there we read the 2 reviews posted by Kylie T, and by Andrew W, who gave the resort a 1 star rating. Not knowing the facts that caused the rating by them, and occurred prior to us, we approach the owner and asked.

      The owner showed us videos from their security cameras. These adults has stated in Kylie T review and confirm by Andrew W review that they were a group of 20 adults and "every single one of us is over 21 and family". So why are these adults playing "hide and seek" under the pavilion as they stated? Andrew W stated, "It was not blocked off", yet they had to crawl on the ground and around bushes to get under the pavilion. When the owner yelled at them approximately 10 adults that were under the pavilion crawled out which was captured on the security cameras. Andrew W stated in his review the owner called them hooligans, which is rowdy, destructive persons and from the security cameras, that description is correct. There was no mention of damages in their reviews such as the Adirondack chair they broke or possible damage to the water pipes and electric wires under the pavilion, which the owner was currently checking.

      Once we read these two reviews by Kylie T and Andrew W and saw the owners security videos, we felt future customers deserved to know another opinion based on our findings.

      These entitled adults justified their review of a 1 star by stating they paid money to use the campground.

      I would ask these adults "why do you think it is OK to treat someone else's property in this destructive way?"

    • SThe Dyrt Pro User
      Oct. 21, 2026

      Spacious Skies Bear Den

      Seems to be a well established campground in an off the beaten path location. Roads alternately paved and gravel. The campsite is gravel in a wooded setting. Fair amount of space between sites. The bathhouse is clean but dated.

    • Kyle T.
      Oct. 20, 2026

      Doe River Landing

      Unprofessional hosts that ruins a place with good potential

      We brought our whole family out and rented almost every cabin on the property, plus the event center, for the weekend— we gave this place a lot of business. And honestly, the stay itself was great— nice place, no complaints about the cabins. The owner is the problem. He came flying in in his blue F-150 doing 20–30 mph where the posted speed limit is 5, and started screaming at us over something that could've been handled with a simple conversation. His exact words:"Where are your parents? This is a family establishment. I will not have hooligans running around here." Every single one of us is over 21 and family. All we were doing was playing hide and seek— which isn't against any of the property's rules— and there were no other guests to disturb, since we had the entire area rented. He still threatened to call the police, even though it wasn't even quiet hours. Before anyone could get a word in, he peeled out so fast the gravel sprayed up at us and our cars. Then on his way out he drove the wrong way down the property's one-way road, so apparently the rules only apply to guests. It's sad, because the property itself is great, and we were never anything but nice to the owners the whole weekend. To be treated in such an unprofessional manner— screamed at, threatened, and never given so much as an apology afterward— put a real dent in the weekend. We won't be back

    • A
      Oct. 20, 2026

      Doe River Landing

      Beautiful place ruined by unprofessional ownership

      Our group of about 20 rented nearly every cabin at Doe River Landing for my friend's wedding weekend, with the reception held on site. The cabins were nice and well-equipped, and the only other guests were in a cabin half a mile away through the woods. Unfortunately, the hosts ruined the stay. One night, some of us were playing hide and seek in an area that wasn't blocked off or against any rule. The host's husband came speeding in at roughly 30 mph(the posted limit is 5), jumped out of his truck screaming that he"will not have child hooligans running around the campground," told us to"go back to the motel we crawled out of," and demanded to see our parents— despite all of us being adults in our twenties. He then peeled out so aggressively he sprayed gravel at us and our cars. It wasn't even quiet hours, and we weren't disturbing anyone. Afterward, the host called us again, passive-aggressive, and questioned our ages— even though you have to be 21 just to rent a cabin there. The property is lovely, but the hosts' behavior put a real damper on what should have been a joyful wedding celebration. It's a shame they treat people paying good money this way. We won't be back.

    • K W.The Dyrt Pro User
      Oct. 16, 2026

      Wash Creek Dispersed Pull-Off

      Pull off along well used access road

      Great spot to pull in last minute. There are multiple spots along this stretch of road. Would not recommend if you want to post up somewhere private, decent amount of traffic pulling through for a mountain road.

    • April V.
      Oct. 11, 2026

      Lakeview RV Resort

      Nice little campground

      Clean nice little campground for the weekend.

    Guide to Spruce Pine

    Tent camping near Spruce Pine, North Carolina offers access to high-elevation forest environments ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 feet in the Pisgah National Forest. Summer temperatures average 10-15 degrees cooler than surrounding lowland areas, with night temperatures dropping into the 50s even during July and August. Fall brings vibrant color changes starting in early October, while spring campers should prepare for significant temperature fluctuations and possible frost until late May.

    What to do

    Waterfall exploration: 0.5 mile from campsite. Mortimer Campground provides direct access to scenic falls within walking distance. "Beautiful, clean grounds with access to a 1/2 mile round trip hike to a waterfall on the property! Definitely plan ahead on provisioning bc it's about 45 mins drive into the national forrest," notes camper Tanner G.

    River tubing: 10-minute drive from sites. Visitors at campgrounds in Wilson Creek area can enjoy gentle float trips on warm summer days. "There is a spot nearby where a lot of people like to float on tubes kind of like a lazy river type thing. It's a unique place," explains Tony E. who stayed at Mortimer Campground.

    Mountain hiking: 6-mile trail with water access. For experienced hikers, Maple Camp Bald offers challenging terrain with eastern views of Mount Mitchell. "It's a 6 mile hike up Maple Camp Ridge on trail 191 (Buncombe Horse Range) starting from a small parking lot close to Carolina Hemlocks Campground... 0.4 miles from the bald is a nice water source," shares Francis C.

    What campers like

    Privacy between sites: 20-25 feet of separation. Black Bear Campground provides well-designed spacing that campers appreciate. "Host was great, camp site are far enough away from each other some are close enough for couple families together, bathrooms are clean and private beautiful area must try," reports Lisa D.

    Clean bathroom facilities: Individual shower stalls. Campgrounds with maintained facilities stand out among the options. "They have clean bathrooms and individual showers. The layouts are nice, there is a table, fire pit and most places can squeeze 2 tents," notes John L. about his stay at Black Bear Campground.

    Water-adjacent sites: Creek sounds for sleeping. The sound of running water enhances the camping experience at creek-side locations. "This is my favorite spot in the pisgah national forest... There are plenty of sites to pick from all along the creek, all of which appear to be well maintained, each with a fire ring," writes kylie B. about her experience at Steele Creek.

    What you should know

    Road conditions: 9 miles of dirt access. Many campgrounds require navigating unpaved roads that can become challenging after rain. "9 miles, minimum, of dirt roads getting in, so pack accordingly. Quick trips don't happen," warns Clementine K. about Mortimer Campground.

    Limited provisions: 45-minute drive to stores. Campers should arrive with all necessary supplies as stores are distant from most sites. "This campground is down a pretty long gravel road, so it's best to have what you need when you arrive. No quick trips to Wally World for resupply here," advises Tony E.

    Cell service limitations: No coverage at most sites. Plumtree Campground & Retreat is one of the few locations with some connectivity. Most forest campgrounds have no service. "It's a bit of a drive out there with little to no cell service but wifi is available over the whole site!" reports Clover C. about Camper Mountain on Roaring Creek.

    Tips for camping with families

    Check site layouts: Some require carrying gear. Many tent sites involve short walks from parking areas. "The 5 upfront are walk in, and more private. The about to be 12 in the back are pull in and much closer together," explains Clementine K. about Mortimer Campground layout.

    Look for swimming holes: Natural water play areas. Pisgah National Forest Dispersed offers multiple creek access points for family swimming. "My favorite part is definitely The creek, it is a great spot to swim so we are excited about that. There is a walking trail at the end of the road about 100 feet from our site, that had the best swimming hole at the end of it, where you can jump in," shares kylie B. about Steele Creek.

    Consider wildlife safety: Food storage critical. Bear activity requires proper precautions, especially with children present. "Great place for group camping... Great spot to take the family. We went for 6 years straight. Make sure to lock up all your food the black bears will come take it if not," advises Mark W. about his experience at Briar Bottom Group Campground.

    Tips from RVers

    Site size limitations: Most sites fit small rigs only. Large RVs will struggle at most campgrounds in the area. "Maybe I missed this in the reviews, but all but 1 site were best for tents. I drove in to camp in my car and there was only 1 spot, which is by the creek crossing, and it was already taken," reports Michael W. about Steele Creek.

    Camp arrival timing: Early afternoon best for site selection. Popular dispersed camping areas fill quickly, especially on weekends. "I got here late, around 5 pm on Saturday, so I had difficulty finding a spot. There was lots of sites but they wrrrr all filled up," notes Brenna M. about her Steele Creek experience.

    Weather preparedness: Temperature drops after dark. Even summer camping requires warm clothing for evenings. "We got lucky with great weather in early March. Having followed the weather for a bit after going, I think I'd be planning for April if we did it again," suggests John L. based on his experience at Maple Camp Bald.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which is the most popular tent campsite near Spruce Pine, NC?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Spruce Pine, NC is Black Bear Campground with a 5-star rating from 5 reviews.

    What is the best site to find tent camping near Spruce Pine, NC?

    TheDyrt.com has all 76 tent camping locations near Spruce Pine, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.