TVA Public Land - Fork Bend, near Norris, Tennessee, is a free camping spot that offers a rustic experience right by the water. With a mix of tent and RV sites, it’s a great place to unwind and soak in the natural beauty, especially during those stunning sunsets and sunrises.

The area is known for its picturesque views of the lake, making it a favorite for those who enjoy a peaceful retreat. Campers have mentioned that the sites are spread out, providing a sense of privacy, and many appreciate the fire rings available for evening gatherings. As one visitor noted, “Beautiful sunsets and sunrises over the water!” 

While the location is beautiful, it’s important to be prepared for a bit of local traffic, as some campers have encountered ATV riders and other visitors enjoying the area. The access road can be bumpy, but most vehicles can make it without a problem. Just keep an eye out for some trash left behind by others, as it’s a popular spot for locals. 

If you’re looking to explore, the surrounding woods offer plenty of opportunities for hiking and wildlife spotting, including snakes and various birds. Whether you’re planning a solo trip or a getaway with friends, Fork Bend provides a laid-back atmosphere to enjoy nature and create lasting memories.

TVA Public Land- Fork Bend

La Follette is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near La Follette, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Tennessee camping adventure.

La Follette

The Best Camping Near La Follette, Tennessee

I recently learned that TVA land is free to camp on, so I sought out some close to me and found Fork Bend. If you want to get away from people, this place is for you. Fork Bend is a heavily wooded forest surrounded by Norris Lake, which is known for being the best lake around the area. 

You can camp anywhere you’d like, so we found a great spot right on the lake. Unfortunately there’s a lot of trash around, it’s truly a shame some people pollute something so beautiful. 

You won’t find restrooms, hookups, picnic tables, or anything like that, this is just public land for recreation. Hunting is allowed also, so be aware of hunting season dates. The road through the land is gravel, but it’s fairly rutted out in spots, so I don’t think I’d take a car through there, you’d be safe to take a truck or Jeep or something similar. 

We enjoy truly being away from it all in nature, and the amazing lake, so we will be using this spot on a regular basis! 

Solitude- Lake and Forest

Beautiful waterfront camp sites. However, I think the locals use this as a weekend party spot, as there was a lot of trash (cans and food containers etc) left around. We also must have picked the local favorite swimming spot for our campsite as a group of people just pulled right into the site we were in and went down to use the lake. There were many other spots they could have accessed the lake so we found this very invasive. Other than that we really enjoyed our nights here. Don’t follow the directions from the link on the site. It will take you to a bible camp. From Demory Rd., take a right on Jim Lee rd, then take the second road on the left to head back to the public land area. Someone had carved in Fork Bend on the back of a road sign. 

Beautiful and Free but expect local trash

My daughter and I went out for an overnight camping trip. We took our dogs with us. It was beautiful and rustic! We brought everything we needed with us. Norris lake is so beautiful. We drove a car and took our time going down the dirt road. There were no problems going in or out. There were some deep ruts but it was easy to avoid them. We're going back out again next weekend and this time we're bringing the fishing rods.

Great place to enjoy nature!

What a gem! I was searching for a primitive spot to camp on for two nights with my dog where I could relax by the water and this checked all the boxes. I stayed here 6/4-6/6/2021.

  

The exact GPS coordinates for my spot were 36.2916742,-84.0133668. I arrived around 5pm on 6/4.

  

There were generally 2 bars of Verizon 4G, which sometimes increased to 3 bars or dropped down to 1X. I was able to text fine but sending/receiving pictures was hit or miss.

  

I am a solo female camper and felt very safe here. (Disclaimer: I pack heat whenever I am alone.)

  

The site was pretty much shaded by the forest canopy throughout the day, with full sun toward the edge of the water. I picked up some trash and there was broken glass from the yahoos, but it wasn't terrible. There was stagnant water from the road ruts, which contributed to the biting insects, so I would definitely recommend bug spray (which I forgot). There is plenty of poison ivy as well so Tecnu up before being exposed. 

  

There was a tiny beach (not pictured) about 100 yards east of my site for wading -- manageable rock ledges and muddy banks everywhere else. This is a major traffic route, and the lake/river gets very noisy from all the watercraft (which doesn't bother me), to the point where I didn't even hear someone stop behind me looking for a spot of their own until my dog barked at them. Couple of kids on dirt bikes skirted my camp, plus several four wheelers and SxSs were exploring the peninsula during the day. Everyone was polite and just having a good time.

  

My site could easily have fit 3 vehicles, and there were 3 fire rings. I was separated from the neighbors by a grove of trees and could sort of see them but it wasn't intrusive. Since I was by myself, I would not have gone down the TVA road (Dogwood Trail) without 4wd, but my neighbor campers had a fwd sedan so it is certainly feasible without it.

  

I would definitely recommend this spot for a solo camper like myself or a group of up to 6 people.

perfect primitive waterfront campsite

Completely free primitive camping. Me and my boyfriend had a difficult time finding the place at first. The coordinates took us to a Bible school. To get to the right place, start on Demory Road take a right onto Jim Lee Road then take the second left to get back into the public land area, follow the dirt road all the way down to the water front where you’ll find numerous campsites all spread out perfectly. The sites are all close to the water with beautiful sunsets on the west side and gorgeous sunrises on the east sites. This spot is my ultimate favorite spot I’ve visited so far. It’s peaceful, private, close to water, has fire circles and free! Only downside is that there was some trash left behind by others and the coordinates are a little difficult to find but I promise the spot is worth it.

Absolutely Stunning ! 

Really loved this location but was absolutely filled with trash, I picked up everything I could around my site and packed it out but even on my way out in the morning there was trash on the road that wasn’t there the night before. Used condoms, beer boxes, fast food cups, and just about every other kind of trash you could imagine. I don’t mind cleaning up a site when I get there but if you are expecting a pristine wilderness spot this likely won’t be it

Amazing location

This spot is Awesome.


Stayed a week, enjoyed the falling leaves, the sunny sky, the beach and many fire rings.

The road back is a gravel/dirt road a few miles into the woods. Although bumpy 4x4 isn't necessary as we were able to get our 85 GMC van back here. There is quite a bit of trash but nothing to make our stay any less enjoyable

Beautiful sunsets and sunrises over the water! 

A long road to a quiet, riverside getaway

Drove about 2 miles to end of Dogwood trail to site overlooking the lake. Very quiet in December. Cell service with Verizon very poor only 1 bar ok to make phone call but unable to send pics or text

Great views of lake very quiet in Dec

Camp anywhere on the long dirt road through the woods. Either in secluded shaded tree areas or at the end with views of the lake.

Great views of lake terrible cell service

Winter views of Fork Bend TVA public land

Winter views of Fork Bend

And by trash, I'm talking broken beer bottles and a truly strange amount of discarded shotgun and rifle casings. 

Now, the campsites are pretty remote, if you are willing to explore/hike there are good camping spots. Locals do roll through on their ATVs/off roading vehicles, but no one ever fired any weapon systems while I was there. It seemed more like a disconnected group of Locals that would show up after work or after dinner for a quick ride through the woods. We crossed paths a couple times, we waved, everything was chill.

It is exceptionally pretty here. Lots of snakes hiding under rocks on the beach, I spent 1 week here. There is a lot of broken glass everyone, no way around it. I sleep in a tent, so that kind of sucked having to rake the ground like that. But, it's the woods. No crazy murder hobos, so, thumbs up.

Photos of TVA Public Land- Fork Bend

Real photos from real campers