Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
A.T. Vandeventer Shelter
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · TN · 36.36707, -82.05877
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. Vandeventer Shelter
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,559 ft.
Fire & smoke — around A.T. Vandeventer 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. Vandeventer Shelter · Cherokee National Forest · TN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail2 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- MMechanic5 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- OOutfitter8 mi
- RxPharmacy8 mi
- HHardware8 mi
- +Urgent care9 mi
- LLaundry9 mi
- WWater11 mi
- EVEV fast charger12 mi
- ShShower23 mi
- AAir-up23 mi
- DDump40 mi
- PPropane51 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 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. Vandeventer Shelter
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
3,559 ft
State
TN
Coordinates
36.36707, -82.05877
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around A.T. Vandeventer Shelter · Cherokee National Forest · TN (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townButler · ~1.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelAddco · ~3.5 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesRoadrunner · ~6.7 mi
- PharmacyHampton Pharmacy · ~8.3 mi
- Hospital / clinicFamily EyeCare Center · ~8.6 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~8.5 mi
EV charging — from A.T. Vandeventer Shelter · Cherokee National Forest · TN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.8 mi straight-line W — 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 reach23 within 25 mi · 45 within 50 · 181 within 100 · 429 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)15.8 mi — GPM INVESTMENTS 3416 DC 2, Mountain City
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO15.8 mi — GPM INVESTMENTS 3416 DC 1, Mountain City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)9.0 mi — EEDEV ELIZ DOWNTOWN, Elizabethton, TN · ChargePoint Network · 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. Vandeventer Shelter · Cherokee National Forest · TN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomWatauga Point Recreation Area · ~3.6 mi SW · USFS
- Flush restroomCardens Bluff Cg · ~5.0 mi SW · USFS
- Flush restroomDennis Cove Recreation Area · ~8.1 mi S · USFS
- Flush restroomLittle Oak Campground · ~10.7 mi N · USFS
Open A.T. Vandeventer Shelter elsewhere
Other camps near A.T. Vandeventer Shelter
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Little Stoney Creek Camp~3.7 mi
- Carter County~4.9 mi · fee
- A.T. Iron Mountain Shelter~6.0 mi
- Low Gap Camp~6.3 mi
The unit that manages A.T. Vandeventer Shelter
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at A.T. Vandeventer Shelter are set by Cherokee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — A.T. Vandeventer 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. Vandeventer 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. Vandeventer 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 →