Tsali Campground

One of my all-time favorite campsites. Great for accessing the mountain bike trails at Tsali. The entire campground is first come first serve, never had a problem finding a spot, but does fill up by the weekend. Roomy camp spots, decent privacy between spots, clean bath houses, all in a beautiful location. Ride right out of your campsite and hit the trails, or easy access to Lake Fontana. Campsite is always well-maintained. All the spots have dedicated tent area, picnic tables and fire rings. Multiple bear proof trash cans and water spickets on both loops and easy to access. Only downside is it closes mid October until April.

This is one of our favorite local campgrounds. Sites are first come, first serve, most sites are in the open with a few more private sites around the edge. A great spot for mountain biking on the Tsali trail system, close to the Appalachian Trail, close to the Nantahalad river for kayaking and rafting. Good access to Lake Fontana for kayaking, SUPing and swimming.

First come, first serve here. There were plenty spots available in late September. This campground is extremely well maintained. Fire ring with grate, picnic table, bbq grill, a bear pole and a lantern pole at each site. Heard coyotes on each side of us the night we were here. That was fun. Make sure you don’t park under a black walnut tree. Black walnuts fall constantly, and will add fashionable dents to your vehicle. Quiet hours are definitely not proactively enforced. Campsite spacing varies. Some sites have more privacy than others. Overall, a great place to stay. Based on the proximity to Fontana Lake, we would stay here again.

We needed a Lake getaway and this is the sweet spot in the tip of North Cakalac and only an hour away in the middle of the country.No money out here just freedom👍💯🎯🍻

Cant beat this campground for 20$ a night (10$ with the ATB pass) we had a 30ft camper and site 18 was the only one i would attempt to get in. Its great for smaller campers and tenters. Bath houses was clean and host was super nice.

Per call with Cheoah Ranger District office on 3/22/2022, the Tsali campground will open 4/15/2022, and close 10/31/2022.  The status note at the top of this page is incorrect.  

Great place to go to ride and camp!  Typically crowded on a summer weekend...have to arrive early since it has historically been first-come/first-serve.

Good camping without hookups. There are water spigots, but not at camping sites. Shower and bathrooms on each loop. Great biking/hiking from the campsite. Short walk or drive to boat ramp. Limited cell service for AT&T.

Great location right on Trail system. Hot showers, clean toilets.

Has one of the best views of the lake and GSMNP that I know of...

This is the campground to stay if you want to mountain bike. The Tsali system starts right from the campground. You can ride to & from your campsite and never have to load up. The campsites are a good size as we were able to get several tents in one site. They are also not very expensive. The bathrooms & showers are a little lacking, but who cares.

Awesome Native culture at every turn!

We went to Tsali with our Boy Scout Troop in May and had a great time. There are plenty of trails, which are well managed to avoid conflicts with other users (read the signs!).

The campground is first come, first served, which is a bit of a challenge when you show up as a group. Plan accordingly.

BTW, the legend of Tsali (the man) makes for a great campfire story!

I've been going here for the last 25 years and enjoying the intermediate Mountain trails. As a flatlander I love to come to tsali to get my legs into shape for the mountains. After a week here you'll be ready for even more challenging Trails. The campground is large, the facilities are clean, and the people are wonderful. Enjoy your stay. :-)