Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · TN · 36.14854, -82.16128
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →U.S. Forest Service lists this site. On most of their ground you can camp away from developed sites pretty much anywhere — so treat this as a known-good spot, not the only one allowed. The unit sets stay limits and how far off road and water you must be. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 4,427 ft.
Fire & smoke — around A.T. Clyde Smith ShelterNIFC · 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 A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter · Cherokee National Forest · TN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- MMechanic6 mi
- +Urgent care6 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- GGrocery6 mi
- RxPharmacy6 mi
- HHardware7 mi
- OOutfitter9 mi
- LLaundry14 mi
- EVEV fast charger14 mi
- WWater14 mi
- ShShower18 mi
- AAir-up28 mi
- DDump51 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 mi out.
Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
4,427 ft
State
TN
Coordinates
36.14854, -82.16128
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter · Cherokee National Forest · TN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureTiger Creek (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townBackwoods · ~2.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelHopson Express · ~6.0 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~11.4 mi
- GroceriesRediMart Supermarket · ~6.3 mi
- PharmacyHampton Pharmacy · ~9.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicRoan Mountain Medical Center · ~5.9 mi
- HardwarePlumber's Hardware · ~6.6 mi
EV charging — from A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter · Cherokee National Forest · TN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger13.9 mi straight-line NW — Elizabethton Ford (at a public site) · FORD_CHARGE · CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: Mon: 8:00am-7:00pm; Tue: 8:00am-7:00pm; Wed: 8:00am-7:00pm; Thu: 8:00am-7:00pm; Fri: 8:00am-7:00pm; Sat: 8:00am-7:00pm · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach8 within 25 mi · 61 within 50 · 221 within 100 · 417 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)14.5 mi — Johnson City, TN - Tesla Supercharger, Johnson City
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO15.6 mi — BRIGHTRIDGE EV STATION 1 (L), Johnson City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)3.9 mi — Roan Mountain State Park (at a public site) · RIVIAN_WAYPOINTS · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 416859 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter · Cherokee National Forest · TN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomDennis Cove Recreation Area · ~8.0 mi N · USFS
- Flush restroomRock Creek Recreation Area · ~10.6 mi W · USFS
- Flush restroomCardens Bluff Cg · ~11.6 mi N · USFS
- Flush restroomWatauga Point Recreation Area · ~12.6 mi N · USFS
Open A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- A.T. Roan High Knob Shelter~3.7 mi
- A.T. Stan Murray Shelter~5.9 mi
- A.T. Overmountain Shelter~6.2 mi
- A.T. Moreland Gap Shelter~6.4 mi
The unit that manages A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter are set by Cherokee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter
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).
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter
A land record can put you within a few meters 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
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Picking a spot →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 →