North Cumberland WMA - Dispersed Camping (Royal Blue Unit access)

public land records

Thin — A single weak source put this here. Treat the location itself as unconfirmed, not just the details.

THE SINGLE BIGGEST PIECE OF GENUINELY PUBLIC FREE CAMPING IN TENNESSEE, and it was entirely missing from our map. North Cumberland is the largest actively managed WMA in the state - approximately 205,000 acres across Morgan, Scott, Anderson, Campbell and Claiborne counties in the Cumberland Mountains, in six units (New River, Royal Blue, Sundquist, Ed Carter, Highcliff, Otey Mills Refuge). TWRA states, verbatim and without a hunter restriction: "Camping is permitted on the entire area." and "The WMA is open year-round with an area that is open 24 hours a day, including camping." and lists camping among the WMA's recreational activities alongside hunting, fishing, OHV trails and hiking. Unlike almost every other Tennessee WMA, the camping permission here is area-wide, not confined to a designated campground. THIS COORDINATE IS AN ACCESS POINT, NOT A CAMPSITE - hence dispersed=1 and confidence=low. TWRA maps no campsites on North Cumberland, so there is nothing to pin. The value used is TWRA's own published Royal Blue Unit access: "Titus Hollow Road and Hwy 63 - Lat 36.38391, Long:-84.25569". Other TWRA-published access points on the same WMA, for a reviewer who wants to place additional pins: Sundquist Unit at Hatfield Knob 36.44899, -84.1227 (elk viewing tower). A reviewer should treat this as an AREA, not a site. HAZARD, in TWRA's own words: "All users should be aware that hazards associated with mining (deep and strip) exist in this area." BLAZE ORANGE: "During daylight hours all users (except waterfowl hunters) outside of an enclosed vehicle or outside of camp must wear 500 square inches of fluorescent orange/pink during the deer and elk gun and muzzleloader seasons." Alcohol possession on the WMA is prohibited. OHV use needs a North Cumberland OHV riding permit; horses and bicycles need a High Impact Habitat Conservation Permit. Sources: https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife-management-areas/east-tennessee-r4/north-cumberland-wma.html (read 2026-08-16). FEE BASIS: TWRA's own licence price list (https://www.tn.gov/twra/license-sales.html, read 2026-08-16) lists no camping fee for any Tennessee WMA or state forest. The only camping line on the whole price list sits under the heading "Land Between the Lakes" - "Annual Hunt/Camp Permit (Age 18 and over) ... $50.00" - which is the federal LBL permit, not a state charge. Rule 1660-01-14-.13 sets WMA camping rules and prescribes no fee. This is an absence-of-fee finding, not a published "free" statement. STATEWIDE WMA RULE, Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1660-01-14-.13 (https://publications.tnsosfiles.com/rules/1660/1660-01/1660-01-14.20240415.pdf, read 2026-08-16), verbatim: "Overnight camping may be permitted on designated areas by permission from the Area Manager"; "Camping shall not exceed 3 weeks in length from the beginning to the end of the camping stay"; "Owner's contact information (name, phone number, address) or TWRA ID number and date of arrival must be displayed on camper, tent, vehicle, etc."; "No warming, camping or any type fire shall be allowed except at designated camping areas." == NIGHTSHIFT RE-VERIFIED 2026-08-20 (fire 1180, leftover backlog pass 6: TX/TN/MO/SC/VT) == HOLDS UP, AND THE PAGE IS EVEN CLEARER THAN WE RECORDED. I re-read https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife-management-areas/east-tennessee-r4/north-cumberland-wma.html on 2026-08-20. TWRA still says, verbatim and with no hunter restriction: "The WMA is open year-round with an area that is open 24 hours a day, including camping."; "Camping is permitted on the entire area."; "Camping - Allowed area-wide. Do not block roads, trails, or gates."; and "Public use is permitted during all hunts." The access coordinate on this row is still printed verbatim on the page: "Titus Hollow Road and Hwy 63 - Lat 36.38391, Long:-84.25569" - an exact match to this row, to five decimals. Acreage and counties confirmed: "approximately 205,000 acres of mountainous terrain expanding across five East Tennessee counties: Morgan, Scott, Anderson, Campbell, and Claiborne", six units (New River, Royal Blue, Sundquist, Ed Carter, Highcliff, Otey Mills Refuge). NEW CAVEAT FOUND THIS FIRE, NOT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED - THE AREA-WIDE PERMISSION HAS ONE HOLE: the Otey Mills Refuge unit is, verbatim, "Closed to all forms of use and trespass except as noted during big game and small game seasons" with "Prohibited Activities: OHV riding, horseback riding, mountain bike riding, hiking, camping, and ginseng hunting." So camping is NOT allowed in the Otey Mills Refuge unit. The Royal Blue access this row pins is a different unit and is unaffected. Hazards and rules re-confirmed verbatim: "All users should be aware that hazards associated with mining (deep and strip) exist in this area."; 500 square inches of blaze orange/pink outside a vehicle or camp during deer and elk gun and muzzleloader seasons; "Use or possession of alcohol on the WMA is prohibited."; a North Cumberland OHV Riding Permit is required for OHV trail use (and from 1 July 2026 Sportsman/Lifetime Sportsman holders must buy a supplemental NCWMA OHV riding permit); horses and bicycles need a High Impact Habitat Conservation Permit. DECISION: approved. This remains an AREA pin at a published access point, not a campsite.

Read from the agency's own season / closure text in this record (data/conditions.py) and checked against the calendar. The words we read are printed under the verdict at the top of the page.

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.

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.