Agency-listedUSFSFree
Ammons Branch Camp
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · NC · 35.02200, -83.14557
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 Ammons Branch Camp
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 3,129 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Ammons Branch CampNIFC · 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 Ammons Branch Camp · National Forests in North Carolina · NC
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- GGrocery4 mi
- FFuel4 mi
- HHardware4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- WWater6 mi
- OOutfitter7 mi
- MMechanic7 mi
- DDump12 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- RxPharmacy17 mi
- EVEV fast charger17 mi
- LLaundry20 mi
- ShShower24 mi
- AAir-up40 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 4 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 — Ammons Branch Camp
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
3,129 ft
State
NC
Coordinates
35.02200, -83.14557
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Ammons Branch Camp · National Forests in North Carolina · NC (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townHighlands · ~3.7 mi
- Drinking waterWater · ~6.5 mi
- FuelShell · ~3.7 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~11.9 mi
- GroceriesMountain Fresh Grocery · ~3.5 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~17.0 mi
- Hospital / clinicToxaway Health Center · ~13.0 mi
- HardwareAce Hardware · ~3.8 mi
EV charging — from Ammons Branch Camp · National Forests in North Carolina · NC — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.1 mi straight-line NW — 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 reach8 within 25 mi · 70 within 50 · 272 within 100 · 683 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS17.3 mi — Town of Franklin-95 E Main St, Franklin
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO17.3 mi — Town of Franklin-95 E Main St, Franklin
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)3.6 mi — Ugly Dog Tavern, Highlands, NC (at a restaurant) · ENVIROSPARK · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2025-11-13 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveLevel 2, restricted access — Lodge and Falls Cottages, Highlands, 3.6 mi · J1772 · hours: 24 hours daily; for guest use only · AFDC lists it “Free”
- 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 Ammons Branch Camp · National Forests in North Carolina · NC — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Vault / pit toiletBurrells Ford · ~4.0 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletChattooga Pa · ~4.9 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletSloan Bridge · ~5.3 mi E · USFS
- Flush restroomCherry Hill · ~6.4 mi SE · USFS
Open Ammons Branch Camp elsewhere
Other camps near Ammons Branch Camp
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Burrells Ford~4.0 mi
- USFS dispersed camp — Macon County, NC~4.7 mi
- Blue Valley Camp~4.8 mi
- West Fork Campground~6.0 mi · fee
The unit that manages Ammons Branch Camp
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Ammons Branch Camp are set by National Forests in North Carolina, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Ammons Branch Camp
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
Free but developed (not dispersed) - review
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 Ammons Branch Camp
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 — Ammons Branch Camp
What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →Fire rules & restrictions →Camping with a dog →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 →