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Established Camping

Harmon Den Horse Campground

Harmon Den Horse Campground is located near Mars Hill in the National Forests of North Carolina. The area features forested terrain with trails suitable for horseback riding and hiking. Nearby attractions include the Appalachian Trail and Max Patch, offering scenic views and outdoor activities.

Description

US Forest Service

Pisgah National Forest

Overview

Harmon Den Campground is nestled on a mountainside beneath a forest of mixed hardwoods in the Pisgah National Forest. The camp is in a secluded area off of Cold Springs rd. in Haywood County, and the individual sites provide ample privacy. The upper loop is reserved for horse campers while the lower loop is reserved for tent camping and small trailers. There are no hookups, no dump station, and no drinking water at this time. There is a vault toilet facility for each camping loop as well as bear-proof garbage cans. The area trails are horse and hiking use only, NO bikes. The campground is an ideal base for exploring the miles of nearby trails and enjoying the beautiful mountain scenery, with nearby access to I-40, Max Patch, and Hot Springs, NC

Recreation

Local attractions include more than 14 miles of trails designated for hiking and horseback riding and about 40 miles for hiking. Equestrians may ride other open roads unless signed closed to horses with caution due to traffic during busy recreational seasons. Trails include the 5.4-mile Buckeye Ridge, 2.6-mile Cherry Ridge, 2.5 mile Robert Gap and 3.6-mile Cold Springs Trails. Hunting and fishing are other popular activities in the area.

Facilities

Harmon Den Campground has an upper loop for Horse campers and a lower loop for tent or dry trailer campers. Facilities provided include horse stalls and mangers that accommodate a maximum of 4 horses and 8 people at each site with a picnic table, tent pad, lantern post, fire ring and parking for a single vehicle with horse trailer. Also located within the campground are 2 vault toilets, a self-service livestock manure station and watering tank (non-potable) for livestock.

Natural Features

The Harmon Den Area is located on the Appalachian Ranger District, an area that stretches westward from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park's eastern boundary to Craggy Gardens on the Blue Ridge Parkway to Roan Mountain near Tennessee. Elevations range from 1,900 feet at Max Patch to 6,684 feet at Mount Mitchell. Visitors to the area will find waterfalls, lush forest undergrowth, forested peaks and miles of cold mountain streams. Wildlife in the area include bear, deer, grouse and wild turkey.

Nearby Attractions

Great Smoky Mountains National Park makes an ideal day trip from Harmon Den. Max Patch is an open bald area with panaramic views and other trials for hiking include the Appalachian Trail, Cherry Creek and Groundhog Creek.

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Location

Harmon Den Horse Campground is located in North Carolina

Detail location of campground

Directions

From Hot Springs, North Carolina, take Highway 209 south for approximately 7 miles. Turn right onto Meadowfork Road NCSR# 1175. After 6 miles turn right onto Little Creek Road NCSR# 1181 for 3 miles. Take a left onto Max Patch Road NCSR# 1182, then travel approximately 0.75 miles and turn right onto Cold Springs Road NFSR# 148. Travel southwest for about 3 miles to the intersection of Fall Branch Road NFSR#3526, the continue a half-mile to entrance of the campground on the left. Also access from Interstate 40 Exit 7 Harmon Den, travel east 3.0 miles on Cold Springs road NFSR#148 to Falls Branch road NFSR#3526 and 0.5 mile to entrance.

Address

632 Manor RD
Mars hill, NC 28754

Coordinates

35.7586111 N
82.9766667 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Good
  • Verizon
    Fair
  • AT&T
    Poor
  • T-Mobile
    Good

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Equestrian

Features

For Campers

  • Trash
  • Reservable
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets

For Vehicles

  • Water Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

Contact

General Info

Reservations

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Reviews

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3.5

out of 5

2 Reviews

Reviewed Jul. 11, 2025

Almost a dispersed campground

This place is nice. It is in the middle of nowhere. Since there were reported construction delays on I 40, I took the alternative route offered by google maps. Do not go that way. The roads were very bad and when I was 1 mile from making one of my last two turns, the road was closed. I went around the signs and came to an area of the road washed out by the hurricaine. They was a crew working on the road. I asked if I could get through to make my turn a mile ahead and a very nice fellow said I could, but at my own risk. I had barely enogh room to drive my van past the washed out area that was about 500 feet above a river with a sheer drop. The gate to this camp is locked but they email you the combination with your booking confirmation. The lock is a little hard to open. You have to pull and push on it once you have the right numbers dialed in. There is a horse camp here to the right at an intersection, the regular campground is to the left. Very nice picnic tables in the sites . I believe there is a trash dump here someplace, but have not looked for it yet. You need to be self contained to camp out here. The nice thing is , the camp is at 3144 feet in elevation according to my altimiter app so it is nice and cool. If not for the picnic table and trash dump, this would be about the same as a dispersed camping area. Price was good, $7.50/night with lifetime pass. A very remote campground but it is very, very quiet, at least it was last night which was a Thursday.

SiteT-17
Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Apr. 1, 2021

Remote Campground for Horseback Riders

One of my best friends invited me to go camping with him here, although I knew it was a horse camp and we didn’t have horses. There are lots of trails for horses, and there are places to tie up the horses. Knowing it was a horse camp, I expected there to be horse manure, but manure was everywhere—even on the tent pads. Other than that, which as I said I expected, it was a good place to camp. The sites are spacious and fairly private with woods between each site. You have to reserve in advance to get a code to get through the gate, so you don’t have curiosity seekers coming in. There was supposed to be access to water, but the only pump in the campground was not working. Fortunately, I brought water with me. There was a pit toilet, but when I first went to it, it smelled terrible and was in need of a big time cleaning. The next morning, when I went, it had been“cleaned”(if you want to call it that). My buddy and I decided to go to Max Patch, a mountain bald, a few miles up the road. Max Patch is a beautiful grassy bald with 360° views, and the Appalachian Trail runs across it. Unfortunately, it is popular. By that I mean TOO POPULAR. When we made it there, the parking lot was full, and there were cars lined up for about a half mile down the road. Having been on Max Patch before, I knew it was not going to be a pleasant experience. Overall, the campground is probably okay for horse campers except that there was no water. The pit toilet needed more attention than it was given, but it was a toilet. There’s a good chance I will not go back to this campground. It’s not that I do not recommend it in general. I just don’t recommend it if you are just camping in a tent without horses. However, I do recommend one of the dispersed camping areas not too far down the road, especially if you want to be close to Max Patch. Just don’t go in the more popular seasons.

Site6
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Harmon Den Horse Campground by Myron C., April 1, 2021
  • Review photo of Harmon Den Horse Campground by Myron C., April 1, 2021
  • Review photo of Harmon Den Horse Campground by Myron C., April 1, 2021
  • (17) View All

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Harmon Den Horse Campground have RV hookups?

According to TheDyrt.com, Harmon Den Horse Campground has water hookups.

What is the max vehicle length at Harmon Den Horse Campground?

Harmon Den Horse Campground allows vehicles up to 30 feet.

How hard is it to get a campsite at Harmon Den Horse Campground?

Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Harmon Den Horse Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Harmon Den Horse Campground, try setting up a text message Alert at TheDyrt.com/alerts

Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Harmon Den Horse Campground?

There are 22 campsites at Harmon Den Horse Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert at TheDyrt.com/alerts