Agency-listedUSFSFee
Rock Creek Recreation Area
Drive-up · U.S. Forest Service · TN · 36.13791, -82.35060
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 as a developed campground. Expect marked sites, a fee station or a reservation, and the usual campground rules. The dispersed-camping freedom of the surrounding forest does not apply inside it. 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 Rock Creek Recreation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 2,268 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Rock Creek Recreation AreaNIFC · 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 Rock Creek Recreation Area · Cherokee National Forest · TN
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- FFuel3 mi
- GGrocery3 mi
- +Urgent care3 mi
- RxPharmacy3 mi
- HHardware4 mi
- @Mail4 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- LLaundry12 mi
- MMechanic12 mi
- OOutfitter14 mi
- WWater15 mi
- ShShower18 mi
- AAir-up26 mi
- DDump48 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 3 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 — Rock Creek Recreation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
U.S. Forest Service
Elevation
2,268 ft
State
TN
Coordinates
36.13791, -82.35060
Cost
Fee
Nearby & resupply — around Rock Creek Recreation Area · Cherokee National Forest · TN (OpenStreetMap)
- Nearest townErwin · ~3.5 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelExxon · ~2.9 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesGrocery · ~3.0 mi
- PharmacyCVS Pharmacy · ~3.4 mi
- Hospital / clinicHospital · ~3.3 mi
- HardwareTrue Value · ~3.7 mi
EV charging — from Rock Creek Recreation Area · Cherokee National Forest · TN — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.4 mi straight-line N — Johnson City, TN - Tesla Supercharger (at a grocery store) · Tesla · NACS (Tesla) · 8 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-04-21 · hours: 24 hours daily. NACS partner enabled. · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach9 within 25 mi · 63 within 50 · 210 within 100 · 400 within 150
- Nearest listing CCS12.3 mi — BRIGHTRIDGE EV STATION 2 (R), Johnson City
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO12.3 mi — BRIGHTRIDGE EV STATION 1 (L), Johnson City
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)11.6 mi — EEDEV MILLIGAN UNIV, Johnson City, 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 450790 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Rock Creek Recreation Area · Cherokee National Forest · TN — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Flush restroomRock Creek Recreation Area · at this camp · USFS
- Vault / pit toiletChestoa Launch · ~5.9 mi SW · USFS
- Highway rest areaNHS Welcome Center, I-26 · ~10.7 mi SW
- Flush restroomDennis Cove Recreation Area · ~15.7 mi NE · USFS
Open Rock Creek Recreation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Rock Creek Recreation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Unicoi County~2.2 mi
- A.T. Curley Maple Gap Shelter~3.5 mi
- A.T. No Business Knob Shelter~6.8 mi
- A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter~10.6 mi
The unit that manages Rock Creek Recreation Area
Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Rock Creek Recreation Area are set by Cherokee National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.
How we know this — Rock Creek Recreation Area
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
Developed FEE campground (not free) - review | auto:usfs-fee 2026-08-20: US Forest Service developed campground, agency coordinates, agency states a fee. No dollar amount in the agency record -- expect a charge and confirm the current rate before you go. Not field-verified.
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 Rock Creek Recreation Area
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 — Rock Creek Recreation Area
Finding water out here →What “dispersed” means here →Dumping grey & black →Gear & rig loadout →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 →