Whether traveling with an RV or tent, Standing Indian Campground is a prime place to stop for a night or spend several days in the picturesque Nantahala National Forest. The campground's many amenities provide a comfortable home base for exploring this fun and historic section of the forest. Standing Indian is located within a 20-minute drive of Franklin, North Carolina.
Recreation
The Standing Indian Basin is a premier hiking destination. The campground provides access to numerous trails, including the world-famous Appalachian Trail, which journeys from Georgia to Maine.
Visitors who wish to get their feet wet can experience the Nantahala River, well-known for whitewater rafting, kayaking and trout fishing (fishing license required).
Big and small game hunting is available in the surrounding area.
Facilities
The campground has four loops with sites available first-come, first-served or by reservation. Sites are equipped with campfire rings, grills, lantern posts and picnic tables, and are in close proximity to drinking water, flush toilets and showers. A dump station is nearby. The campground also has a group camping area, Kimsey Creek.
Natural Features
The campground is surrounded by 5,000' peaks and crossed by several natural streams. It sits at an elevation of 3,880 feet at the headwaters of the scenic Nantahala River, amidst lush forests of evergreen trees and rhododendrons.
Charges & Cancellations
There is not a premium type site available but there is some nonelectric double site that is $40.00 per night.
ADA Access: N
The entrance to this park is right across the street to an entrance to the Appalachian Trail. A beautiful trout stream runs through the park, close to all the campsites. Bathrooms and showers are clean. Wonderful place to tent camp, van camp, or tow a SMALL trailer to (a pop-up would be perfect). The road to this campground is very narrow, the hill is very steep, and there is at least one very tight hairpin turn. Unless there is another way into this lovely park that I am unaware of, I would not attempt to tow a 5th wheel or other large trailer to this location. Place is beautiful though. Tow your pop-up or pitch a tent. You'll be glad you came.
I stayed for 3 nights on Loop 5. I would definitely stay again, but only during the week. I like to camp to find a bit of solitude and quiet. The first night I was there, the loop was fairly empty, only a few campers. It was very peaceful and we were able to see a ton of stars. I even heard a pack of coyotes running through the mountains that night.
The next two nights were a Friday and Saturday, and all the site were booked for those nights. You could hear generators running in the distance and lots of dogs barking. The site right next to ours had people up playing music and singing until midnight.
The bathrooms were clean and you had plenty of water pressure. The bathhouse on loop 5 had two stalls, one with a toilet and large shower and the other with just a toilet. Bathrooms in the other loops were all private, (separate area for toilet and your own shower room).
We stayed with friends at Kimsey Creek Group campground, part of Standing Indian Campground, Site A. This was a beautiful, secluded spot for a small group with a rushing creek right beside it and its own bathroom(no showers right there but showers weren't far). We were able to pull our travel trailer easily into the parking area, while our friends tent camped. Other sites- Group sites B and C are on the other side of the creek and require a drive over some running water. C was much more isolated(back of the campground area) than B. Those two sites share a bathroom(again, no shower). Driving around, through the other campground part I really liked loop 1 as it seemed to have the most private sites with large trees.
If you’re looking for a more primitive setting, this is it. Beautiful area with lots of nature to explore. We were tent camping and a little far from restrooms and showers but it wasn’t bad. My only negative thing would be no lighted areas to walk to restrooms in the dark (but it’s primitive so I understand why) and would love to have had an electrical outlet in the bathroom area where we were. Would definitely stay here again though.
Bring tubes for the kids. My 9 and 10 year old kids spent the better part of a hot August day tubing the river that runs by the campground. Mostly RVs in loops 1-3 and tents in 4. Bathrooms were very clean. They only sell wood by the golf cart load or half load, which was more than we wanted for one night.
Russel of creek helps sleep! Bathrooms are clean! Grounds well kept with natural environment preserved! Sign to campground helpful! Small shop with most needs! I would recommend this campground to anyone wanting natural enviorment! Back road is great and lovely!
We could hear the stream from our site at night. Exactly what we were looking for but beware of the walk up sites because they do not update which ones are available online so your spot may be taken when you get there. Strictly first come and you can get there much earlier than I thought. Trails all around the site and longer ones further down the road. Hiked on the Appalachian and went to take the blue trail that takes you to the summit of Standing Indian Mountain but that trail was really overgrown so since I had my 3 littles, we decided to head back after already hiking 1hr 45mins. 😣 Some of the tent sites and nicely secluded. Overall, was a nice place.
No electric, no cell service. Branch of Nantahala river offers trout fishing with NC fishing license.
Beautiful campground. Not extremely private as the sites are beside each other without trees and anything to seperate. Creek runs throughout park. Bathrooms are clean and accessible. I like the area the campground is located in.
This is my favorite campground for escaping the heat in August. If you must have electricity stay home. This is a beautiful family friendly campground with great facilities. I love my hot shower each morning. The headwaters of the Nantaha River flow through the campground providing a gathering place for families to enjoy playing in a cold mountain stream. During late June and most of July the rhododendrons are quite showy. I’ve been camping at Standing Indian since I was a child and plan a two week trip every summer. I’ve also taken numerous friends up there through the years. I don’t think anyone has ever been disappointed. Last summer we had the added thrill of seeing the total eclipse in all it’s splendor from one of the best locations in the US.