Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
A.T. Rock Gap Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NC · 35.09157, -83.52299
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. Rock Gap Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,800 ft.
Fire & smoke — around A.T. Rock Gap 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. Rock Gap Shelter · National Forests in North Carolina · NC
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- WWater5 mi
- GGrocery9 mi
- HHardware9 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- EVEV fast charger9 mi
- RxPharmacy9 mi
- +Urgent care10 mi
- OOutfitter10 mi
- @Mail15 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- LLaundry16 mi
- DDump23 mi
- ShShower25 mi
- AAir-up50 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is basically at camp, fuel & food sit about 9 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. Rock Gap Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
3,800 ft
State
NC
Coordinates
35.09157, -83.52299
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around A.T. Rock Gap Shelter · National Forests in North Carolina · NC (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLittle Rock Branch (stream) · nearby
- Nearest townRainbow Springs · ~2.4 mi
- Drinking waterDrinking water · ~1.1 mi
- FuelShell · ~8.9 mi
- Propane / LPGPropane · ~17.1 mi
- Dump station~23.1 mi
- GroceriesSav-Mor Foods · ~8.6 mi
- PharmacySmart Pharmacy · ~9.6 mi
- Hospital / clinicFranklin VA Clinic · ~10.2 mi
- HardwareHarbor Freight Tools · ~8.7 mi
EV charging — from A.T. Rock Gap Shelter · National Forests in North Carolina · NC — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger8.9 mi straight-line NE — Franklin, NC - Tesla Supercharger (at a shopping center) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 12 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-06-18 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach5 within 25 mi · 32 within 50 · 326 within 100 · 626 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS10.3 mi — Town of Franklin-95 E Main St, Franklin
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO10.3 mi — Town of Franklin-95 E Main St, Franklin
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)8.7 mi — Ingles Market, Franklin, NC (at a grocery store) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · 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 331818 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around A.T. Rock Gap Shelter · National Forests in North Carolina · NC — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomNHC Wayah Bald Vault Privy · ~6.4 mi N · NPS
- Highway rest areaMacon County Rest Area · ~7.6 mi E
- Vault / pit toiletTate Branch Campground · ~9.6 mi S · USFS
- Portable toiletTallulah River · ~11.4 mi S · USFS
Open A.T. Rock Gap Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near A.T. Rock Gap Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Kimsey Creek Group Campground~1.4 mi · fee
- A.T. Long Branch Shelter~2.0 mi
- Hurricane Creek Horse & Primitive Camp~2.6 mi · fee
- Macon County~4.3 mi
The unit that manages A.T. Rock Gap Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at A.T. Rock Gap Shelter are set by National Forests in North Carolina, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — A.T. Rock Gap 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. Rock Gap 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. Rock Gap Shelter
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Gear & rig loadout →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 →