Best Tent Camping near Long Creek, SC

Gateway to the Smokies is a small family owned and operated campground with two very large and private campsites on over an acre of land. It is located right off of US Highway 441 just 7 miles to the North Carolina Entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There is a Dollar General located right across the highway which was very convenient for refilling coolers with ice. They also sold propane, charcoal for the grill, drinks, snacks and any thing you'd need for camping! Site 1 sits along the creek and is a walk-in Tents Only campsite with a 16' tent pad. Site 2 is up the hill on a nice grassy area large enough to turn around a 1/2 ton size pickup truck and 20' travel trailer without having to back up. Both sites have a fire pit, park style grill, and a picnic table. There is also a shared portable toilet located near the site 1 parking area. There is no potable water and no hookups but I'm sure you could boil water from the creek. Generators are allowed with no restrictions unless there is other campers on property then quiet times are from 10pm- 7am. Verizon service worked fine w 3 bars of service. Great spot for exploring the NC side of the Smoky Mountains. Saved money using Dyrt Pro Discount compared to other apps the property is listed on.

We had a wonderful time camping at Devil's Fork State Park. Our group took up rustic tent sites T1, T3, and T5. On the map, these sites seem not ideal, as they are not on the water. However, they are more isolated, more wooded (plenty of trees for hammocking), and seemingly larger than the other tent sites. They are a short walk from the tent-camper parking area, a short walk from the two water spigots in the parking area, and a short walk from the restrooms. The bonus is that, behind sites T1 and T3, is a jumping rock into a gorgeous cove of Lake Jocassee with beautiful blue-green water. It's a great place to enjoy kayaks, rafts, and other inflatables. 

While site T13 books up quick because of its waterfront location on the point, the walk from the parking lot is no joke. 

Notes about the rustic tent sites: They have been recently renovated. Each has a picnic table and a fire ring. Only 1 vehicle is allowed to park, per site, unless you pay for the extra vehicle and park in the overflow lot. There is no electricity, and two water spigots located in the parking area. The entire camping area (25 tent sites and 59 RV sites) share 2 restrooms (which were muddy and gross while we were there). No generators are allowed in the tent area. We did have a bear visit us multiple times in one night, putting teeth puncture marks in our cooler. And if the bear don't get ya, the raccoons will!

Smaller camp grounds, that best suited for smaller campers, or tent camping. The driveway coming into the campground is steep, so drive slow, and I would highly recommend showing up before dark, not an entrance I would want to make after dark. They have affordable firewood and ice on site, free coffee in the office, and Wi-Fi. Currently I’m using the Wi-Fi from my spot, since cellular service in this area isn’t reliable. Make sure you download a google map “offline mode” map of the area before coming, since service is limited for ATT and Verizon. If your doing tent camping, they made these elevated large squares out of crushed gravel to put your tent on, that are perfectly level, and with the gravel, should stay dry in event of rain. Some of the spots have “river” access, I would call it more of a small creek, but still nice. All the gravel roads seem to be in great condition. Washer and dryers are available, and showers and bathrooms are way better than average.

This location is kind of famous. You read about it in the AT books and the owner has actually written a book about all the hikers he's met that happen through his shop. Neels Gap is not only a place to throw down for some sleep (they have a campground and a hostel), but it's a total resupply stop. We stayed at Neels Gap Camp because it fit our mileage plans and it was convenient for the night and it was a great place to catch up with folks we met on the trail and meet some new ones.

The hostel here is mainly for through hikers. They charge $20/night and that includes a shower and a bed. We stayed at the campground behind the building. There's nothing wrong with the campground, other than the fact that it's on such a slant (building camps on the sides of mountains and rocks does this...) that you are going to end up sleeping on top of your tent buddy if you don't aim your tent the right direction, and there are not many pads that allow the "right direction". You are truly best off in a hammock at this campground.

There are plenty of hammock trees, and it's kind of cool that the AT goes right past the tent pads so in the morning, you can watch the hikers filter out and head north on their journey. Old faces and new faces greet you as you sip your coffee and eat your oatmeal.

There is a fire ring, and since the fire ban ends on the other side of the highway (Neels sits on the highway), we were on the right side of the road to have a fire! A welcome addition to the chilly night air. There is a fire pit made of stone and everyone shares.

There were not many good spots to hang bear bags that were away from the tents, but we found one that sufficed. They do not have a bear box (and claim that bears don't really come to this campground, but can you really tell them not to?). They do, however, have mice, and one little bugger ate into my pack and buried a peanut inside. So best to put your pack in your tent, if possible. They're cute, but not that cute.

Portable pottys were located out front of the store, and there were about 5 that were fairly clean and maintained. There is a water faucet out front with drinkable water (yay!) that didn't need to be purified and picnic tables for cooking your food. A beautiful overlook while you ate was awesome too! There is a road/highway that passes by, so there is road noise, but not unbearable. Just kind of annoying if you are used to the sounds of the woods.

The store has anything you could possibly need for re-supply, which makes it totally awesome! Gear (packs, sleeping bags, shoes, socks, etc), cooking supplies (food, stoves, fuel), books, water bottles, you name it! They also accept resupply boxes that you have mailed to yourself and a system to hand them out that seems to work really well.

Overall, not a bad spot for camping. Everything you need in one spot.

Campground Review:

In March 2017, our family of 6 went on our 1st overnight backpacking trip. A friend had recommended the Chattooga River Trail in South Carolina. After acquiring some extra gear for the kids, we headed up from Florida. The forecast was showing 30's as low and we were a little worried. Our plan was to start on the north end of River trail and hike for a few days camping in between. The Ranger there sold us a map of the trail since the ones online were not so great. We were anxious to see some of the beautiful waterfalls along the way(not well marked). Day 1 was a nice walk from Fish Hatchery Parking lot to Burrell's Ford campground, mostly along the river. We noticed that the temps seemed to be dropping along our walk and there was actually a little snow/sleet falling on us.... uh oh! We set up camp after about 4.5 miles at Burrell's Ford.It was primitive of course with a picnic table, fire ring and high wire system for storing food, etc. from the animals. All the sites were fairly level and clear for tents. There was a vault toilet at the top of the hill and a parking lot about .5 miles away for easy access. (Of course, we parked in the lot 4.5 miles away)

Before we could get our tents set up, dinner made and gear stowed up high for the night, we were freezing! It dropped to 17 degrees and our plan to stay in 2 tents quickly changed to everybody in the 4-man / 3-season tent that we had just purchased. The wind was whistling down the river next to us and we debated making the trip back to the parking lot over and over. In the end, we stuck it out and hunkered down for a long, cold night. Morning couldn't come soon enough. I think that I slept a total of 2 hours on and off. My husband had fallen the night before and injured his leg so walking back to the Fish Hatchery lot wasn't really an option. At daybreak, he asked for a ride from a nearby camper fishing on the river. He consulted with his group and they said "yes". Overjoyed that we would be rescued from the cold soon, I quickly began packing up camp; ignoring my frozen fingers and toes. After he hadn't returned in what seemed like several hours, I began to worry. I grabbed my 2 little guys (8 & 9 years old) and as much as we could carry and began walking the 1/2 mile to the nearest parking lot at Burrell's Ford. Soon after, he pulled in the lot and we were rescued from the cold!

Long story short..... this was a beautiful hike spoiled by a crazy weather pattern and we will definitely be going back for a do-over!

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested some [Cold Pruf](http://Cold Pruf) base layers: women's honeycomb pant and performance crew. I was very pleased with the softness of the ployester/spandex blend fabric. It was comfortable and lightweight. No scratchy areas on seams and it is tagless. This kept my core warm in 17 degree weather. Very thankful to have worn them. It was a necessity in this situation and I recommend to always be prepared for the cold.

http://www.coldpruf.com/products/performance-womens-crew/

http://www.coldpruf.com/products/honeycomb-womens-pant/

These cabins may not be for everyone. They are pretty bare bones. The cabins have electricity, but the water pump is outside and the bathrooms and showers are communal (but clean). There is a full size bed and two bunk beds in each one. Outside, there is a a picnic table and a fire ring for each cabin. I think the mattresses are hard, so I usually bring a sleeping bag to pad it. So it can be seen as a step up from tent camping for people who don't like that kind of roughing it.

There is a heated swimming pool and they do lots of things for kids like ice cream socials. They have a little shop in case you forget some necessities.

This campground is close to Dupont Forest, with lots of mountain biking, hiking, and waterfalls. For $50 a night, it's a pretty good deal.

Victoria Bryant State Park is probably one of my most frequented camping spots in the last few years. All of the tent sites are sheltered platforms, with electricity, potable water and an overhead light. Rain or shine, you can have a good time (and stay dry) at Victoria Bryant. There are only about 8 platforms, and one is ADA only, so they book up quick. They are all spaced pretty far apart, privacy isn't too hard to maintain (except maybe site 7&8). 1-4 are down a hill, 4 being the furthest away at about 40 feet, down the steepest incline. There are facilities right across the parking lot, that have always been clean and well maintained, and heated in the colder months. Camp hosts and office have firewood. There are several miles of trails that are lower difficulty, save for some hilly spots. In October, the park does a pretty cool little haunted trail. There's obvious reasons we enjoy VBSP, staying dry in the rain, nice, dense forested areas, and awesome campgrounds make it an easy choice.

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.