Agency-listedUSFS · dispersedFree
North River Dispersed Campsites
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · TN · 35.32801, -84.13300
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 North River Dispersed Campsites
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,942 ft.
Fire & smoke — around North River Dispersed CampsitesNIFC · 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 North River Dispersed Campsites · Cherokee National Forest · TN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- DDump1 mi
- FFuel9 mi
- GGrocery10 mi
- @Mail10 mi
- ShShower15 mi
- HHardware16 mi
- +Urgent care17 mi
- MMechanic17 mi
- LLaundry17 mi
- RxPharmacy18 mi
- EVEV fast charger18 mi
- OOutfitter19 mi
- WWater21 mi
- AAir-up26 mi
- PPropane39 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 21-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 9 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 — North River Dispersed Campsites
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service · dispersed
Elevation
1,942 ft
State
TN
Coordinates
35.32801, -84.13300
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around North River Dispersed Campsites · Cherokee National Forest · TN (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureNorth River (river) · nearby
- Nearest townWaucheesi · ~3.1 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~9.4 mi
- Propane / LPGAmeriGas · ~28.1 mi
- Dump stationNorth River Checking Station · ~1.1 mi
- GroceriesDollar General Market · ~9.9 mi
- PharmacyPharmacy · ~17.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicMurphy Medical Center · ~20.0 mi
- HardwareSloan's Hardware · ~21.9 mi
EV charging — from North River Dispersed Campsites · Cherokee National Forest · TN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger17.5 mi straight-line S — DOWNTOWN MURPHY MPB STATION 1 · ChargePoint Network · CHAdeMO, CCS · 1 fast port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach2 within 25 mi · 41 within 50 · 255 within 100 · 581 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)17.5 mi — DOWNTOWN MURPHY MBP STATION 2, Murphy
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)19.0 mi — Fort Loudoun State Park, Vonore, TN (at a public site) · RIVIAN_WAYPOINTS · J1772 · 2 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Also listed, not counted aboveNACS-only Level 2 — Snowbird Mountain Lodge - Tesla Destination, Robbinsville, 13.7 mi · NACS (Tesla) · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to Teslas 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 355858 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around North River Dispersed Campsites · Cherokee National Forest · TN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Portable toiletMcnabb Group Camp · ~0.2 mi E · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth River Cg · ~0.8 mi SE · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletNorth River Checking Station · ~1.0 mi S · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletWalnut Grove Picnic Area · ~1.6 mi W · USFS
Open North River Dispersed Campsites elsewhere
Other camps near North River Dispersed Campsites
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Mcnabb Group Camp~0.2 mi · fee
- North River Cg~0.8 mi · fee
- Spivey Cove Cg~2.0 mi · fee
- Sourwood Campground~2.6 mi
The unit that manages North River Dispersed Campsites
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at North River Dispersed Campsites are set by Cherokee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — North River Dispersed Campsites
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 North River Dispersed Campsites
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 — North River Dispersed Campsites
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Reading a forest MVUM →First-night troubleshooting →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 →