Are you planning a dispersed camping trip to Cosby? We've got you covered. Here you'll find a diverse selection of places to camp, including remote dispersed camping to boondocking, and everything in-between. Search dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots and read camper reviews.
The Pisgah National Forest is a land of mile-high peaks, cascading waterfalls, and heavily forested slopes. Comprised of over 500,000 acres, the Pisgah is primarily a hardwood forest with whitewater rivers, waterfalls and hundreds of miles of trails. This national forest is home of the first tract of land purchased under the Weeks Act of 1911 which led to the creation of the national forests in the eastern United States. It is also home of the first school of forestry in the United States, now preserved at the Cradle of Forestry in America historic site, and boasts two of the first designated wilderness areas in the east. The Pisgah, Grandfather and Appalachian Ranger Districts are scattered along the eastern edge of the mountains of western North Carolina and offer visitors a variety of opportunities for outdoor recreation and enjoying the natural beauty of the mountains. Camping and Day-use Information Enjoy camping or a picnic at one of the many day-use areas. A list of camping and day-use areas in the Pisgah National Forest can be found here Recreation Maps Nantahala & Pisgah National Forest Maps Directions to Frequently Requested Places NC Arobretum and Bent Creek Area Blue Ridge Parkway South Blue Ridge Parkway North Pisgah Ranger District Cradle of Forestry Cradle of Forestry (Scenic Route) The Biltmore House Mt. Mitchell Be Safe The national forests in North Carolina offer a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. From the mountains to the sea, there are many exciting adventures awaiting your visit to these national forests. Please keep in mind that all outdoor recreational activities on the Croatan, Pisgah, Nantahala and Uwharrie national forests, including activities at recreation sites, have inherent risks due to the natural setting in which they occur. Always remember, your safety is your responsibility. Waterfall Safety for the Summer.
Dispersed camping sites available
Dispersed campsites are primitive camping areas that don't have bathrooms or many of the other amenities you will find at developed campgrounds. Dispersed camping is only allowed at designated areas.
For site-specific information, call the local ranger station.
Within the Pisgah Ranger District there are 65 disbursed roadside camping sites that are available on a first come - first serve basis. These campsites are located alongside gravel roads throughout the district and include a parking area, tent pad, and fire ring. Toilet facilities and drinking water are not available. Trash pick-up is not provided. Trash must be collected and disposed of properly. Failure to remove or properly dispose of trash is a crime and law enforcement officers will issue citations for littering if trash is strewn about or not properly disposed of. The following regulations must be adhered to and are strictly enforced by Law Enforcement Officers. • Roadside camping is allowed at designated campsites only. Signs designating a legal campsite show a camping_ symbol and a site number (for example "AC-3" for Avery Creek site 3). • The National Forests in North Carolina have a policy which allows for campers to occupy a roadside campsite for a maximum of 14 days out of a 30 day period. If a camper changes locations or moves to another campsite, it cannot be within 10 miles of previous site, the maximum stay limit of 14 days applies to all sites occupied. • All vehicles must be parked along road shoulders without blocking traffic. • Campfires are allowed only within the metal fire ring provided on the site, Building of additional fire rings is not allowed. AJJ camping equipment and tents must remain on the designated tent pad. • Collecting 'dead and downed' :firewood in the forest is permitted for camp fires. It is illegal to cut, chop, or saw live or standing trees or other live growth. Do not chop into or drive nails into live trees. • It is illegal to establish and set up a campsite for the purpose of reserving a camping place. The campsite must be occupied on the night it is set up by a minimum of one person. • It is illegal to leave a camp unattended for period of more than 24 hours. • It is illegal to fail to remove all camping equipment, personal property, trash, and refuse from a campsite when vacating or leaving that area or site. • It is mandatory that all human waste be buried at least 6 _inches deep and a minimum or 200 feet from a stream. trail, or campsite. • Alcoholic beverages are prohibited on Avery Creek Road (FSR 477) and Lickstone Road (FSR 97). Prohibition is 1000 feet to either side of the road, campsites, trails or roads leading off of either of the aforementioned. Warning: Unattended property and equipment in these areas can be an easy target for criminal activity. Protect your property by locking valuables out of site. Access to these campsites is easy by any vehicle. If you see anyone stealing anything from a roadside campsite or parking area near a public trailhead, picnic, or recreation area please call 911 to report it or call USPS Law Enforcement at the Pisgah District Ranger Station at 828-877-3265
Traveler
Right off 276 on the right as you are going down the mountain. Hard gravel road. As soon as you turn in there is a spot on the left and a little further up there is a bigger spot right on the little creek just before the gate. Not 100% sure it is a spot as it is not marked but signs may have been damaged and it does show a tent symbol on the forest service map. There is a lot of back and forth traffic in the morning but it dies down around 9 pm. There is a fall a few miles up the road and connects to other service roads hence the traffic . We made it down the road in a 30' class A motorhome and made a 180 and was able to level the rig no problem and it's well off the road Did not see any fire rings in this spot or the first one ( pictured in the first image). No cell service, starlink worked enough to stream tv and post this.
Traveler
The sign at the road looks like it was either taken down or blew away. The pin drop doesn’t take you to the turn in on google pr Apple Maps. If you’re coming from Robbinsville it’s on your right after the pin about 1/4 mile. Then at the fork in the gravel road take a right. But all in all it’s a great place. I stayed at 7 in a van. It had level parking and I could walk down to the bank to fish and have a fire.
Scout
I rode all the way over here from Greeneville to check out the area in order to bring a group of friends camping next weekend.
BUT the entire campground is closed. When I pulled up to the iron gate and saw the sign, it read "CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC DUE TO VANDALISM AND UNAUTHORIZED ACTIVITY"
ScoutI drove over an hour to get here to find that it is “closed to public for vandalism”. I was very upset by this but obviously nothing I could do. Just wish I knew how to check before driving all the way. But the drive! Woah! So beautiful, I wish there was a way I could find out when it opens back up because I was very much looking forward to camping here.
Traveler
It's beautiful up there although there's not many campsites. I stayed at the second one up the dirt road. It wasn't officially designated but it was used as a campsite. You'll need four wheel drive to get in and out of it though. The road is long but you'll see a bunch of cool waterfalls and at the end of the road there is a great hiking trail with a beautiful waterfall. The dirt road goes on for a long time but it's in good condition so keep driving and you'll find a spot. There's really only 4 viable spots on that road but man is it gorgeous. Go to ranger road and keep going up. Do not follow google maps it will take you to a private driveway where there's a sign saying "no camping, your app is wrong, turn around now".
Traveler
I actually cannot stop thinking about my weekend camp here. So beautiful and lots of places to camp. Not a hard hike in either. A lot of day hikers through out the day. Lots of flies bc of dog poop but it’s worth it.
Guide
Clean and large. Creek below
TravelerEasy access to water. Not a lot of theft. People with aggressive dogs do come here and think it's okay to have them off a leash. But that's everywhere anymore. The area is beautiful and one of the better places I've stayed.
Scout
Beautiful, quiet campsites
Traveler
Another review recommended an off-road vehicle or a jeep to get here. In dry conditions, I got here just fine in an Outback Wilderness, and 5 minutes later a Prius drove up. There’s a bit of trash but I’ve seen worse. Definitely bring bug repellent. The creek is only a few feet away from the campsite.
Scout
It's a cute cozy spot that is on either side of the road. Every spot has an area for a fire and also your car and tent. The only downside is that sometimes it does get trashy and there are a few people who live here.
Traveler
Road is a little rough but not terrible. 3-4 spots to park around this hairpin with 3 camping spots lotuses in the middle. Little runoff creates a creek that is nice to listen to but only deep enough to get feet in.
ScoutThis is a great first-come-first-serve location with several sites.
ScoutGreat location. Not crowded. But could use a cleaning. PortaJons are nasty.
GuideLots of lil cozy pull offs on an easy gravel road. Lots of longer term people staying it seemed like (or just really full send camping friends lol). Many fire rings and spots by the lake. Unfortunately the other reviews are right - A decent amount of trash. There are trash cans and porta potties. I’ve seen worse porta potties at festivals but there were a few stinky ones.
Traveler
They have a long term camper they refuse to run off and he will steal from you. Camp at your own risk, watch your stuff like a hawk. I'd really recommend Sunburst or Big Ivy instead of North Mills really.
LegendAlthough this is not an official camp site, I arrived later than intended and with no other campsites open, I stayed the night here. There’s a stream that runs along the clearing, making some great natural white noise for sleeping. The forest road is very bumpy and narrow, but high clearance is not needed. Very low light pollution and the bare trees allowed for some great star gazing.
GuideThis was such a nice quiet campground. We arrived around 8am and got the first campsite we saw. This is the most established dispersed campsite that I’ve stayed at as it has a fire circle, a grill and a picnic table. It’s very quiet and very few cars passed. There’s a walking/hiking trail across the lake where we saw some hikers and some people on horseback. The site was very clean minus a few pieces of trash that we later picked up. The dogs loved it because our site was right on the lake. We drove down the gravel road to check out the other campsites and they all seem great if you’re tent camping! We car camped and our campsite was perfect because it had a parking space right in front of it whereas the other sites had parking spaces across the road. Overall a great place. I can’t wait to go back!
GuideGreat Campsite along the Smoky Mountain 1000 Overland route. You need a good off road capable vehicle to access this site but it is very peaceful with a nice stream running by. Tent camping near the jeep or a high clearance overland teardrop should make it back here ok but not recommended for regular RV's.
Traveler
It is a roomy site immediately off the road, a surprisingly well maintained gravel road. My class C had no problems making its way along and fitting in the roomy semicircle next to the tent and fire pit pad. There is a babbling brook next to the site for great ambience. We were able to fit our 30ft motorhome and car into the site with no problem. But avoid blocking the emergency access road to the side. Also, be prepared to completely disconnect from civilization since you can't even make calls here. Beautiful site to relax!
Guide
The national forest service website says there are dispersed camping site throughout the corridor; however, I was only able to locate one and luckily it was vacant. There are several spots along the road that may have been for dispersed camping as some point but are now clearly marked with no camping signs. I did enjoy my stay here but I’m a little disappointed in the website saying there were multiple sites … i has to drive almost 4 hours to get there and would have been super disappointed if I arrived to no spots. Also a lot of trash in the area of the site sadly.
Guide
Such a great find! I was hoping to car camp a little closer to NOC but not in a campground but this is the closest I could find in February. I would definitely stay here again! Very quiet and clean and the sites are very well laid out and maintained! No hook ups of any kind but it’s worth it! Highway Patrol and Park Rangers patrol pretty frequently so I felt really safe as a solo female. I still took all the safety precautions but didn’t feel as necessary as some.
TravelerWe were fortunate to get a site that allowed us to pull the car right into the site for our roof top tent. Not very far to walk to reach the lake and the fishing wasn’t bad at all. Bass and Bluegills. Fairly quiet besides the rice burners heading to Tail of the Dragon. Very good overall.
TravelerGPS coordinates got me exactly to where I wanted to go. Lots of twists and turns going up the dragon with beautiful scenery of the trees changing colors in late October. There are a handful of Lots located right along the lake with a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance. My dog absolutely loved how much space she had to roam around and how clear the water was excellent for swimming.
Some of the plots you can only fit one tent others you could fit up to three or four
ScoutWe drove for what felt like forever at the Big Ivy Trailhead and only ever found one labeled campsite. We gave up and camped in an unofficial spot.
It was gorgeous! But there’s not much there and the drive is long.
TravelerSo we weren't sure what we would end up finding here. I will say that there are a lot of places to camp, many many many options away from the porta potties. If you get within about 20-30 feet of those they are a bit stinky. The one camp site we chose was a great place, tons of space and well manicured. A lot of options for pull up to your campsite or park and walk to campsite spots.
My only complaints are about the campers that stay there. The litter isn't horrible, but it's not great. It is a leave no trace place. Apparently some people have difficulty with throwing away their trash.
When we stayed last night there was a person that kept peeling out up and down the gravel road (3/4 times) in a diesel truck at 10:00 at night. Not very courteous to all of us at the campground.
And I was awakened at 2:00 a.m. by our camping neighbors when they were playing loud music. Also not cool, thankfully they stopped shortly after
Overall we were very pleased with this campground, beautiful views, it was hard choosing one spot. We will be coming back, and hopefully we won't have loud campers next time.
Traveler
Started out after dark and set up hammocks under the fire tower. Nice hike and good view in the morning
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Cosby, TN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Cosby, TN is FS 289 Pull Off with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Cosby, TN?
TheDyrt.com has all 33 dispersed camping locations near Cosby, TN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
