Best Camping in and near Cherokee National Forest

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Top-rated campgrounds near Cherokee National Forest

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OnTop.camp - NW NC Ashe Co

5 sites · Tents100 acres · Jefferson, NC

www.ontop.camp STATUS of OT DOT CAMP 10.09.2024 All is well! A few ruts and downed trees is all. You’re welcome to come enjoy the mountain with us! Feel free to message me with any questions. October - Gold, Purple, Gold, Blue... wild flowers are making a show. The seasons are shifting. Since the hurricane the leaves started their change. It’s here! Share the open air and space with us. Welcome! Our farm is vast and sparse, focusing on sustainability while giving back to the community. We are a safe haven for animals and humans alike. Situated on and between two peaks of Little Phoenix Mountain range in Jefferson Ashe County. Our sites’ altitudes range from 3100 feet to over 3600 feet, which is a lot of slope and hillside to say the least. As a guest you will be offered insane long views and limited exposure to the oldest registered breed of bovine in the world. Our Scottish Highland Cattle are majestic and fit in quite well in the NC mountainside. Located in the Blue Ridge mountains, we have natural water springs popping out, some of which are tapped to drink from. (10.1.23 currently farm springs are not accessible to guests, shatley springs up the road approx 4miles north has a public spring that we highly recommend) If you are looking for a camping spot that is only 5-10 minutes from town (Jefferson NC or the quaint Downtown West Jefferson) but feels like you're in the middle of no where, then we have it! The Blue Ridge Parkway is less than 20 minutes away and the New River equally close. Looking Forward: July update. We are currently working on provided an all downhill mountain bike trail from 3600 to 3150ft. This path will be double wide for the most part and wide open at first to soak in the se view. Will update when completed! *a ride back up for your bike and yourself will be scheduled if requested OnTopOfTheWorld.camp *firewood is available if you pay on site you will have to use Venmo/Paypal *We do not allow any harvesting of campfire wood or burning of our property outside of the designated fire ring. We use any downed wood on our property for our family to keep warm and to cut and split ourselves to sell to our guest. A “full nights worth” of campfire wood is roughly a 3 x 2 stacked pile of wood keeping you warm all night. Please let us know ahead so we can prepare it for you OnTop.camp

Blue Bear Mountain Camp

46 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents150 acres · Boone, NC

Blue Bear Mountain Camp offers year-round camping experiences for every type of outdoor enthusiast. Car-accessible tent and RV sites in a natural setting. Hike-in sites for those looking for a little more adventure and privacy. Stargazer Domes and Cabin rentals for guests wanting a rustic, mountain getaway while staying in comfort. Located just 8 miles north of Boone, NC on over 150 acres of pristine mountain land, miles of hiking trails, a trout pond, and spacious low-density sites allow the guest to get away from it all in a rustic, remote setting. In the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains. At 4,000 feet elevation, come enjoy cool mountain breezes and mild temperatures. Blue Bear Mountain is a scenic location for large events such as weddings, corporate events, and family reunions. Come Get away from it all at Blue Bear Mountain! Blue Bear Mountain offers spacious, Low-Density RV camping, spacious, private, rustic car-accessible tent camping, and spacious, private remote tent camping. Blue Bear Mountain also offers luxury Stargazer Domes and Cabin rentals to provide you with more choices of how to experience your mountain getaway. In a beautiful mountain setting with incredible views, the Stargazer Domes are a great way to enjoy the camping experience without really roughing it. Great for a romantic getaway or bringing the family. Furnished with a queen size bed, complete with high-quality linens, a bistro table, and chairs, you will stay in complete comfort. Conveniently located near the bathhouse with private bathrooms, a Laundry room, and a dishwashing station. You can drive right up to the handcrafted stargazer dome. Relax and take in the views while sitting around your stone fire ring. A park grill, picnic table, and free bundle of firewood are also provided to complete your glamping getaway.

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Blue Ridge Ranch

21 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents440 acres · Ferguson, NC

Blue Ridge Ranch, established in December of 2020, is located on 440 acres nestled between two mountain ridges in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The property features an established pasture, mountain ridges, barns, and a homestead. In addition, the ranch is home to five ponds (some stocked and one trophy), more than a mile of trout streams, waterfalls, and hiking trails. Together, they provide the perfect foundation for the establishment of farming, livestock, camping, and community events. All profits of Blue Ridge Ranch go to Hope for His Children, Inc., a 501(c)(3) that conducts youth camps at the ranch. Tours of the ranch are available for $10/person (to offset fuel expense) and includes interaction with some farm animals. We pride ourselves in doing everything possible to help our guests have a great experience. We offer coffee during morning hours in our farm store! We are sorry, but we are not able to allow guests to bring ATV's and motorcycles to operate on the property. There are many acres of hay that we must protect and our agritourism insurer does not allow guests to operate ATV's and motorcycles on property.

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Dark Ridge Hide Out (Adults Only)

16 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents20 acres · Elk Park, NC

"Adults only" doesn't mean anything other than just "no children", so as to preserve the natural peace and quiet, and assurance that there won't be loud and unruly children on the property. Inquiries and booking requests received after 9: pm may not be answered until the next morning. Dark Ridge Hide Out, is a 20 acre parcel in the Blue Ridge Mountain's on the back side of the Beech Mt Ski Resort in a secluded quiet and safe community with less than a dozen homes in a one mile radius. Away from light and sound pollution. Except for an occasional passing vehicle "and often none at all from 10pm to 6am" all you will hear is the sound of the creek which runs through the lower section by the RV sites, cricket's and frogs at the nearby fish pond and only the light from the moon and star's in the clear mountain sky and fire flies. It is my home place with a tobacco barn and a big combination cattle/tobacco barn built almost entirely just by my Mom and Dad in early 1940"s. My parents and grand parents lived off of the land here and raised cash crops like cabbage, corn and tobacco, we also raised sugar cane and made molasses, we had free range chickens, as many as 50 honey bee hives and over 50 head of cattle, two or three hog's and of course a horse. There was four main fields; two for cow pasture, one meadow to grow hay "now Christmas trees" and the main one on my part where all crops were grown is where the camp sites are. I grew up helping with the crops and other farm chores, one was to go to the pasture and bring the milk cows in and do the milking every day before and after school, feed the hogs and chickens, gather the egg's, let the chickens out in the morning and close the chicken house in the evening to protect them from critters like opossums, raccoons and wildcats. This is where I grew up, my dad grew up and, near where my mother and both of my grandparents grew up. My house was built in 1905 the same year my dad was born. The campsites are on my 20 acre section section of the original 82 acres with the house and barns, the remainder went to my brother but now is out of the family. The section of Elk River with the Compression Falls "45 ft high" and Twisting Falls which is part of Pisgah National Forest is less than two miles from here, and an old logging road going around the mountain above the river for about three miles to another Falls "Elk River Falls, 65 ft high" is a great place to hike or mountain bike. You will be free to explore and hike any part of my property except the house and out building's. The pond's are full of Trout and Blue Gill fish that are like pet's they love little pieces of bread. You can feed the fish but no fishing.

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Tri Mountain View

15 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents27 acres · Shady Valley, TN

Tri Mountain View Campground is located in the Northeast corner of Tennessee in the town of Shady Valley. With an elevation of 2,800 feet, Shady Valley is the second highest town in Tennessee. It is just 26 miles from the Bristol Raceway and the Bristol Caverns. It is just a 15 minute drive to Backbone rock and a short drive to the Appalachian Trail. The property was a Dairy Farm and went out of business in the late 90’s and since then there has been over 3,000 trees planted. Some of these trees include the rare Butternut and Hazelnut, but mostly White Pine, Walnut and Oaks. The property has approximately 1,000 feet of fishing on Beaver dam creek, so we recommend bringing waders. There is also a shower house, washer and dryer. https://trimountainview.com/ trimountainview.com

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Tiny House in Happy Valley

1 site · Lodging300 acres · Lenoir, NC

I moved here from San Francisco, to simplify my life, and accomplish my dreams. The Tiny house was designed and built by architect, Jesse Plaster. It's a unique cozy loft style design, set back in the woods on our property. It's purposely placed next to a creek, with a nice stone fire ring to really enjoy the outdoors. In the cold months, it's heated by a wood burning stove. Also next to the house are logging roads that allow you to hike the Ripshin Mountains. The Yadkin River is near by, and so is Boone and Blowing Rock. If you like mountain biking, bring your bike to ride Kerr Scott, or Zacks Fork trails. Also, check out the workshops at Pattersonschoolfoundation.org They offer sustainable living classes such as cheese making, mushroom foraging, blacksmithing, soap making, kimchi making, etc... Also ask about our private Yoga sessions. Last but not least, there is a wood burning private sauna that your able to reserve.Come enjoy our Happy Valley! Mi casa es su casa!

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TangleWood Creekside Campsites

23 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents170 acres · Marion, NC

A rocky creek winds through the woods at the base of several hikable peaks hidden just minutes from the Blue Ridge Parkway. Wildlife enthusiasts are encouraged to explore, on foot or mountain-bike, anywhere within our 170 acres (or the adjoining 250 acres owned by the US Forestry Service off our Western border) and are likely to catch glimpses of turkey, beaver, deer, fox, eastern box turtle and the many species of songbird and raptor. The location is convenient to tons of local attractions for sightseeing and outdoor activities as well as shopping, dining, even wine tasting. We would be happy to supply a comprehensive list of the various local attractions upon request but the following are a few of our favorite things to do within a short drive: visit Linville Falls, Caverns, Gorge and/or Winery; drive the Blue Ridge parkway; tube/kayak down the Catawba river; hike beautiful Crabtree Falls; cross Grandfather Mountains mile high bridge and explore the nearby towns of Spruce Pines or Little Switzerland. The scenic drives to Asheville, Blowing Rock or Banner Elk make them each wonderful day-trip destinations.

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Mountain Farm Camping & Glamping

33 sites · Lodging, Tents200 acres · Moravian Falls, NC

Nestled in North Carolina's Brushy Mountains, Growing Faith Farms & Retreat offers a tranquil escape from modern life, just 90 minutes from Charlotte. Perched atop the mountain, our retreat overlooks vast stretches of mountaintops, rolling hills, and verdant landscapes. Here, we cultivate more than just crops; we nurture a profound sense of tranquility and community. Our space is designed to encourage guests to pause, breathe deeply, and reconnect with the beauty and simplicity of nature. Our campsites provide a variety of camping options, from predefined sites to walk-in spots throughout our expansive 200-acre mountain. You can choose to camp by the creek, in a sunny field, or deep in the woods. In 2024, we introduced our private Shower House, featuring three fully equipped bathrooms with showers, sinks, and toilets, plus heating and air conditioning. We also offer pre-furnished bell tents, camping platforms, and at site water and electricity (select sites) for your convenience. If you want to immerse yourself in outdoor camping without sacrificing the comforts of home, our glamping tent features a queen-size bed with linens, as well as a twin bed that converts into a second bed for added convenience. Stay cozy with a heated indoor wood stove, and enjoy a kitchen table, dresser, and chair for your convenience. You'll also have access to a private bathroom complete with a fully functioning toilet, indoor/outdoor hot shower, and sink. Outside, a private covered kitchen awaits, equipped with a kitchen sink, cooler, pots and pans and cooking utensils. Relax in your lounge chairs on the porch and take in the views, and indulge in outdoor cooking with a gas grill, picnic table, and outdoor fire pit area. During your stay at our farm, guests can unwind amidst natural surroundings, visit with our animals, enjoy on farm activities and explore the wide variety of local attractions that the surrounding area has to offer. Just 30 minutes west, you’ll find the Blue Ridge Parkway. Kerr Scott Lake is only 10 minutes away, where you can swim, rent kayaks and pontoon boats, fish, or enjoy mountain biking and hiking on extensive trails. Prayer Mountain is about 2 miles up the road. To the east, explore several wineries and a local moonshine distillery. A half-hour away, visit the Amish community with shops like Shiloh Bakery and General Store (closed Sundays and Mondays). For fantastic hiking, head northeast to Stone Mountain, about 45 minutes away, which also features a renovated homestead. To the south, Rocky Face Park offers hiking and rock climbing, while Emerald Hollow Mine allows you to search for and keep precious stones. There are always concerts, movies and festivals happening in the area too for entertainment. Check the activities section below for more details!

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Haw Ridge

5 sites · Tents1 acre · Mars Hill, NC

****READ THROUGH ENTIRE LISTING BEFORE BOOKING**** Haw Ridge is a mountain top camp site with a total of only two campsites. At a 4,550 foot elevation and with nearly 360 degree views, there is a perfect sunrise and sunset experience. With no light pollution the stargazing is amazing. You must have a 4WD with high clearance to reach the site. Please list what vehicle/vehicles you will be taking to site when you are booking. There is no parking at the bottom or anywhere else - only at the sites. On foggy mornings, the mist rolls right over the ridge top. There are 2 sites on one acre so plenty of space for social distancing! Rocky Fork State Park Tn. is just a short drive away for some great additional hiking , swimming and fishing. Enjoy the view and your stay!!

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Campgrounds at Little Switzerland

15 sites · Lodging, RVs, Tents7 acres · Spruce Pine, NC

Welcome to the beautiful mountains of Western North Carolina! At approximately 3,455 feet elevation we enjoy mountain breezes all summer long, especially in the evening! We have a total of 13 tent sites available with a fire pit at almost every site. The Raised bed style flat tent sites divert water during rain storms so there is no water or mud flowing into your tents. PLEASE DO NOT ‘photo book’! We ask guests to please read through the details BEFORE booking a site and do not book by photos alone. For example: not all tent sites are park at sites. Some of our more secluded sites in the woods are far from bathrooms etc. PLEASE Do your research!!! Sites near the winery/bathrooms are not secluded and you can see/hear ‘people’. The ‘wildlife’ sites require parking in guest parking lot and a 5 minute walk. As of Jan 2025 we change to an age 13+ campground. No one under the age of thirteen years old is permitted to camp overnight. Younger children will still be permitted to visit the winery next door to the campground during open hours but must have an adult (18 years plus) with them at ALL times! Due to an incident that could have ended in tragedy we have a zero tolerance policy of unsupervised children. You will be asked to leave if your young child is unattended by an adult. During the summer months we often have free range chicken eggs and organic produce and herbs available for our campers. We are next to our own winery/cidery that features home brew wines and beer. We also offer coffee and sodas. Firewood is for sale. You may bring your own firewood as long as it’s not from out of state. We have a few primitive sites in our woods for those who love more seclusion and places to hang hammocks. Again, PLEASE read through all the descriptions of each particular site to make certain you choose the right fit for your camping needs. Do not book by ‘photos’ alone! We cannot stress this enough and it has been problematic to many hipcamp hosts. We offer Hiking/jogging trails at the campground with more trails on the nearby blue ridge parkway. We are just around the corner from the famous Emerald Village Mines and only a 5 minute drive to downtown Little Switzerland. We are also only a 5 minutes drive to the famous Diamondback scenic mountain road. Approximately 20 minutes drive to Crabtree Falls on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Many weekends we have live music from local musicians. Our cantina next door at 539 blue ridge gem mine road is now open for the season and serving home brew beers and small batch ciders for ages 21 and older. Photo ID required. Sodas available for purchase as well. We now have a well lit covered porch area and club house with free WiFi and available 24 hours to our campers. Note: absolutely no outside alcohol or underage alcohol consumption permitted on premises. Anyone not in compliance with North Carolina state laws and federal laws will be evicted from campgrounds without refunds. If the campgrounds happen to be under a burn ban please understand that we can’t and will not break the law for you! All campers must obey the burn ban if in effect or face possible penalties under state law! This is for your own safety as well. Anything sold by us may be legally consumed at your campsite and is covered under our winery ABC permit. The Latest check in permitted is 11:30 pm at night out of courtesy to our neighbors and other campers. Camp host can’t go to bed until all campers are checked in so no late night arrivals please! Thank you for your understanding. Adult horseback trail rides are available at nearby Springmaid Mountain Retreat. Maps provided to Springmaid Mountain. All minors must have ADULT supervision at all times at the winery next door (older siblings do not qualify as adult supervision). With farm animals and 140 acres of woods nearby and three deep ponds in those woods it can be a dangerous situation for young, unsupervised children. If we are babysitting your children to keep them out of danger or from damaging our property you’ll be asked to leave. We want everyone to be safe. Up to 2 dogs are allowed per campsite. Dogs Must remain on leash at all times and have proof of up to date rabies vaccination. A rabies tag or photo of certificate is fine. We have chickens and horses on our mini farm so please keep dogs under control at all times. Also, please do not feed our chickens, horses or any of the wildlife on our property. It is the responsibility of our campers to check the weather conditions, noting any burn bans for the area or rain etc, looking at all the rules and property details, before booking is the campers responsibility. Please do not blame the host! HipCamp now offers rainy day insurance. Watch for our special events like ghost story campfire tales/walk with local guest authors, mountain yoga, herbal remedies classes, trail treasure hunts with prizes, mushroom identification classes etc. Our next campfire ghost stories event is September 15th and 16th 2024. Additional parking is available for added cars in the guest parking lot area if campers have no more room at their campsite for visitors or any extra cars. We have a hot/cold shower and modern style flush toilets available in large cargo container. We also now have free Starlink WiFi in the Cantina/clubhouse area and some of the closer tent sites. Our clubhouse stays open for campers 24/7 with a microwave available, games, television and comfortable seating areas. Note: The One quarter mile of gravel drive is steep but I drive my two wheel drive car up and down it every day. However, if you have a vehicle that chugs and struggles up hills (older RV etc) you may find it a challenge. We are working on getting that section paved to help out the older RVs and buses. Note: The gray building and pond area is NOT our property. Please be respectful of our neighbors and the family that lives there. Do not wander around our neighbors pond /barn area. Thank you! All campers are expected to read and follow the HipCamp guidelines. This is not just a ‘business’, it is also a family home that we are graciously sharing with you for a small fee so we expect campers to respectful of our land, our neighbors and your fellow campers. Anyone who can’t show integrity, maturity and be responsible and respectful of this will be asked to leave and/or permanently banned from both the winery and our campgrounds. No fighting! This includes couples fighting. Settle it 'off property'. We are pretty mellow, yet take bad behavior and disrespect for others very seriously. Unsupervised children has been a huge problem lately and we simply won’t tolerate very young children wandering the woods, running across other folks campsites, deliberately damaging our property etc. It is up to the parents to fully supervise their children and keep them safe! Caught without a last minute hotel room and rather not park your family in Walmart lot? We offer car camping in our parking lot for $15.00 a night. You’ll have access to bathrooms and a hot shower! We also have tents, sleeping bags and camping mats for rent. Summer of 2025 will be our third year open and there have been many wonderful improvements! ❤️ We made it through Hurricane Helene with minimal damage and with the help of some kind volunteers we have some great updates!

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Loafers Joy Meadow

3 sites · RVs, Tents6 acres · Zionville, NC

10/9/2024 NOTICE: We had some damage to our road due to Hurricane Helene that made it impassable. It has since been repaired and is opened to traffic. There are still some remaining rough areas, but the road is easily passable by passenger vehicles and RV's up to 28ft. We also had some damage to the electrical power due to the storm, so we have temporarily shut off the power to the RV pad. We are currently working to have it repaired. Our site was once part of a much larger farm growing tobacco and raising cattle and other farm animals. The existing tobacco barn was built in the early 1960's. The concrete pad used for RV camping was used to store silage for the cows. The non-potable water source is a mountain spring that has been used on the farm since the 1930's. While many tobacco barns in the area have been torn down for their rusted tin roofing and rustic siding, we have worked to restore the barn and preserve its history.

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Creag Creek Farm

4 sites · Lodging, Tents20 acres · Bakersville, NC

A high elevation working farm with a cabin (sleeps up to 8), barn with hayloft and tent sites for rent by individuals and small groups. Located at 3,500 feet in elevation on north flank of Roan Mountain.Three miles from the Appalachian Trail, five miles to Buladean, North Carolina and a 40-minute drive to Carvers Gap, our 18-acre, high elevation, wooded and meadowed Christmas tree farm is a wonderful jumping-off point for some of the best hiking, apple picking, and bird watching the Southeast has to offer. Unplug during your stay while you soak in the mountain views, peaceful sunsets, and local wildlife. Our guests love staying here: "Loved it. A thoroughly beautiful building in an equally beautiful location. It had everything we needed and more. We'd planned to use the cabin as a base to go hiking from but it was so beautiful there that we ended up not leaving for the entire time - we just stayed and watched the hummingbirds on the balcony. Will look forward to returning."

The best camping near Cherokee National Forest guide

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Follow us to Tennessee and dive into the grandeur of the Cherokee National Forest! It’s filled to the brim with scenic forested trails, rushing rivers, and rainbow trout. During the day you can go rafting, and at night you can bask yourself in moonshine (of various sorts) and brush up on your constellations. If you are in pursuit of some Appalachian Mountain bliss, this is the right place to start. Don’t forget your camera, you're going to want to show these vistas off!