Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NC · 35.33087, -83.66688
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. Sassafras Gap Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at the elevation shown above.
Fire & smoke — around A.T. Sassafras 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. Sassafras Gap Shelter · National Forests in North Carolina · NC
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- OOutfitter3 mi
- @Mail6 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- GGrocery8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- +Urgent care8 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- WWater11 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- ShShower17 mi
- EVEV fast charger19 mi
- DDump20 mi
- AAir-up48 mi
- PPropane53 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out.
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. Sassafras Gap Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
State
NC
Coordinates
35.33087, -83.66688
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter · National Forests in North Carolina · NC (OpenStreetMap)
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~7.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump stationCades Cove New Dump Station · ~19.6 mi
- GroceriesIngles · ~7.6 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~7.7 mi
- Hospital / clinicAppalachian Mountain Health · ~7.6 mi
- HardwareElder's Ace Hardware of Robbinsville · ~7.6 mi
EV charging — from A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter · National Forests in North Carolina · NC — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger19.0 mi straight-line SE — Franklin Ford · Blink Network · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach5 within 25 mi · 39 within 50 · 268 within 100 · 580 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)19.3 mi — Franklin, NC - Tesla Supercharger, Franklin
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO19.2 mi — Town of Franklin-95 E Main St, Franklin
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)4.2 mi — Nantahala Outdoor Center, Bryson City, NC (at a parking lot) · 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 354767 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter · National Forests in North Carolina · NC — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- RestroomNHC Wesser Bald Shelter Privy · ~5.8 mi SE · NPS
- Vault / pit toiletLemmons Branch Boat Launch · ~6.7 mi NE · USFS
- Flush restroomTsali Campground · ~6.9 mi NE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletTsali Bike Trail Trailhead · ~7.0 mi NE · USFS
Open A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- A.T. Rufus Morgan Shelter~4.3 mi
- A.T. Brown Fork Gap Shelter~4.8 mi
- A.T. Wesser Bald Shelter~5.8 mi
- Tsali Campground~6.9 mi · fee
The unit that manages A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at A.T. Sassafras 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. Sassafras 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. Sassafras 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. Sassafras Gap Shelter
Water on public land →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Off-grid communication →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 →