Found · unverifiedUSFS · dispersedFree
A.T. Cable Gap Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NC · 35.41531, -83.77342
We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on U.S. Forest Service land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,878 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.
Everything you need — measured from camp
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater3 mi
- FFuel3 mi
- LLaundry3 mi
- @Mail3 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- HHardware6 mi
- OOutfitter6 mi
- RxPharmacy6 mi
- MMechanic6 mi
- +Urgent care7 mi
- ShShower9 mi
- DDump13 mi
- AAir-up43 mi
- PPropane44 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 3 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗
The site
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
2,878 ft
State
NC
Coordinates
35.41531, -83.77342
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureYellow Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townFontana Village · ~2.9 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~2.7 mi
- FuelFontana Village Pitstop · ~3.2 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~23.3 mi
- Dump stationCades Cove New Dump Station · ~12.8 mi
- GroceriesFontana General Store · ~3.2 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~6.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicSwain County Hospital · ~18.6 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~27.2 mi
Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomA.T. Cable Gap Shelter · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletLake Santeetlah Campsites · ~5.4 mi SW · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletCheoah Point Beach · ~6.1 mi SW · USFS
- Flush restroomCheoah Point Campground · ~6.2 mi SW · USFS
Open this spot elsewhere
Other camps nearby
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Cable Cove Campground~1.6 mi
- A.T. Brown Fork Gap Shelter~3.6 mi
- Lake Santeetlah Campsites~5.4 mi
- Deep Creek Hunt Camp~8.1 mi
The unit that manages this camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions are set by the unit, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this
Source
U.S. Forest Service recreation data
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
USFS/BLM authoritative: free & dispersed. Access not field-checked (assumed drive-up).
Field check
Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Likely until someone does.
What we don’t know
A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
Before you go
Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →