Stayed a night out here while traveling, scary narrow rocky trails, but beautiful streams and mountains

Pros: Free, many sites with water access for kayaking/fishing, fire rings, parking lot close to sites. Cons: Lots of road noise-- you're sitting in a valley bordered by highway on 3 sides, and the echo is serious. Trash everywhere making some sites unusable. Lots of poison ivy.

So, if it's worth it to you for a free spot go ahead. You'll basically be camping in someone else's backyard, there are several residents.

Just on the edge of Watauga Lake sits this free dispersed camping area that is perfect for tent camping only. This is a park outside the gate and walk your gear in type of place, some bring your IKEA bags or a wagon. Opportunities for fishing and boating are abundant. Most of campsites are large, very shaded, and have at least one fire ring. A handful of sites have direct water access, and are more private. 

There is no drinking water, picnic tables, or even pit toilet, so come prepared. The only major problem is that folks tend to leave a ton of trash around, so we spent about an hour cleaning the entire campground. Please Leave No Trace! Also, we would not recommend camping here on a busy weekend because the road is very close and the trucks are very loud! 

The nearest town is Butler, which is small but offers the basics such as groceries and gas.