Free and paid camping in North Carolina

165 camps in North Carolina: 127 free, 38 charge a fee. Every camp that charges is marked fee in the list below — or press Free only to hide them.

Every camp we have found on public land in North Carolina, grouped by the unit that manages them — that is who sets the stay limit and the fire rules. See them on the map →

National Forests in North Carolina76 camps

• A.T. Brown Fork Gap Shelter
• A.T. Cable Gap Shelter2,878 ft
• A.T. Carter Gap Shelter4,524 ft
• A.T. Cold Spring Shelter4,914 ft
• A.T. Little Laurel Shelter3,638 ft
• A.T. Long Branch Shelter
• A.T. Muskrat Creek Shelter
• A.T. Rock Gap Shelter3,800 ft
• A.T. Rufus Morgan Shelter
• A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter
• A.T. Siler Bald Shelter4,607 ft
• A.T. Stan Murray Shelter5,057 ft
• A.T. Standing Indian Shelter4,925 ft
• A.T. Wayah Bald Shelter4,527 ft
• A.T. Wesser Bald Shelter4,069 ft
• Ammons Branch Camp3,129 ft
• Appletree Group Camp2,757 ft
• Badin Lake Campground525 ft · fee
• Bear Creek Hunt Camp2,094 ft
• Bear Creek Lake Dispersed Campsite2,556 ft
• Big Snowbird Rd USFS Free Campground2,256 ft
• Blackjack Lodge Shelter21 ft
• Blue Valley Camp2,609 ft
• Briar Bottom Campground3,034 ft
• Brown Mountain Cua Roadside Campsites1,104 ft
• Buckhorn Gap Shelter3,658 ft
• Butter Gap Shelter3,179 ft
• Cable Cove Campground1,828 ft
• Camp 3787 ft
• Camp 5912 ft
• Camp 7804 ft
• Canebrake Horse Camp502 ft
• Canebrake Horse Camp Overflow469 ft
• Commissary Hill Backcountry Campsite5,766 ft
• Copperhead Landing Shelter16 ft
• Curtis Creek Campground1,859 ft
• Curtis Creek Roadside Campsites1,475 ft
• Deep Creek Hunt Camp1,872 ft
• Deep Gap Backcountry Campsite5,703 ft
• Deep Gap Shelter4,683 ft
• Deep Water Camp474 ft
• Dogwood Shelter12 ft
• East Morris Mountain Hunt Camp826 ft
• Fires Creek Campground1,815 ft
• Fishers Landing25 ft
• Hanging Dog Campground1,552 ft
• Headwaters Roadside Campsites3,241 ft
• Hendersonville Reservoir Rd Roadside Campsites2,460 ft
• Horse Camp470 ft
• Lake Santeetlah Campsites1,935 ft
• Lickstone Dispersed Campsites3,260 ft
• Little Long Mountain Shelter922 ft
• Nantahala Lake Dispersed Camping Site - Lake Access
• Panthertown Shelter3,861 ft
• Santeetlah Creek Campsites2,405 ft
• Siddie Fields14 ft
• Snowbird Camping
• Tanasee Lake Dispersed Campsites3,106 ft
• Upper Cove Creek Roadside Campsites3,206 ft
• USFS dispersed camp #2 — Transylvania County, NC2,376 ft
• USFS dispersed camp #3 — Transylvania County, NC2,270 ft
• USFS dispersed camp #4 — Transylvania County, NC2,242 ft
• USFS dispersed camp — Macon County, NC3,006 ft
• Dispersed camp, National Forests in North Carolina, North Carolina3,226 ft
• Dispersed camp #2, National Forests in North Carolina, North Carolina3,023 ft
• Dispersed camp #3, National Forests in North Carolina, North Carolina3,321 ft
• Dispersed camp #4, National Forests in North Carolina, North Carolina3,153 ft
• USFS dispersed camp — Transylvania County, NC3,522 ft
• Van Hook Glade Campground3,280 ft · fee
• Victor Road Dispersed Camping Site 13,757 ft
• Wash Creek Roadside Campsites2,534 ft
• Wolf Creek Lake Dispersed Campsites3,121 ft
• Wolf Ford Horse Camp3,292 ft
• Yate'S Place781 ft
• Yates Place Camp774 ft
• Yellow Gap Roadside Campsites2,614 ft

NCWRC46 camps

• Bladen Lakes State Forest Game Land camping area #155 ft · notes
• Bladen Lakes State Forest Game Land camping area #264 ft · notes
• Buffalo Cove Game Land camping area #12,464 ft · notes
• Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land camping area #1340 ft · notes
• Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land camping area #2472 ft · notes
• Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Land camping area #3310 ft · notes
• Chowan Swamp Game Land camping area #132 ft · notes
• Goose Creek Game Land camping area #15 ft · notes
• Gull Rock Game Land camping area #13 ft · notes
• Gull Rock Game Land camping area #21 ft · notes
• Gull Rock Game Land camping area #32 ft · notes
• Holly Shelter Game Land camping area #130 ft · notes
• Holly Shelter Game Land camping area #249 ft · notes
• Johns River Game Land camping area #11,010 ft · notes
• Jordan Game Land camping area #1249 ft · notes
• Juniper Creek Game Land camping area #141 ft · notes
• Juniper Creek Game Land camping area #258 ft · notes
• Pee Dee River Game Land camping area #1175 ft · notes
• Pee Dee River Game Land camping area #2175 ft · notes
• Pee Dee River Game Land camping area #3172 ft · notes
• Pee Dee River Game Land camping area #4177 ft · notes
• Pee Dee River Game Land camping area #5172 ft · notes
• Pee Dee River Game Land camping area #6174 ft · notes
• Pee Dee River Game Land camping area #7172 ft · notes
• Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #14,831 ft · notes
• Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #24,706 ft · notes
• Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #34,592 ft · notes
• Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #44,017 ft · notes
• Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #53,686 ft · notes
• R. Wayne Bailey - Caswell Game Land camping area #1657 ft · notes
• Sandhills Game Land camping area #1420 ft · notes
• Sandhills Game Land camping area #2396 ft · notes
• Shocco Creek Game Land camping area #1255 ft · notes
• South Mountains Game Land camping area #12,411 ft · notes
• South Mountains Game Land camping area #22,504 ft · notes
• South Mountains Game Land camping area #31,466 ft · notes
• Suggs Mill Pond Game Land camping area #1109 ft · notes
• Thurmond Chatham Game Land camping area #11,879 ft · notes
• Thurmond Chatham Game Land camping area #21,423 ft · notes
• Toxaway Game Land camping area #11,878 ft · notes
• Toxaway Game Land camping area #21,733 ft · notes
• Toxaway Game Land camping area #31,765 ft · notes
• Toxaway Game Land camping area #41,192 ft · notes
• Toxaway Game Land camping area #51,819 ft · notes
• Toxaway Game Land camping area #61,518 ft · notes
• Whitehall Plantation Game Land camping area #129 ft · notes

U.S. Forest Service37 camps

• Arrowhead Campground587 ft · fee
• Badin Lake Group Campground590 ft · fee
• Big Oak Cove Cg2,526 ft · fee
• Black Mountain Campground3,006 ft · fee
• Briar Bottom Group Camp3,164 ft · fee
• Bristol Horse Camp2,333 ft · fee
• Buncombe County2,243 ft · fee · notes
• Carolina Hemlocks Campground2,750 ft · fee
• Cedar Point Campground2 ft · fee
• Cheoah Point Campground1,989 ft · fee
• Cove Creek Group Campground2,712 ft · fee
• Davidson River Campground2,166 ft · fee
• Flanners Beach Campground28 ft · fee
• Harmon Den Horse Camp2,962 ft · fee
• Holder Cove Campground2,479 ft · fee
• Horse Cove Campground2,037 ft · fee
• Hurricane Creek Horse & Primitive Camp3,512 ft · fee
• Jackrabbit Mountain Campground1,960 ft · fee
• Kimsey Creek Group Campground3,410 ft · fee
• Kuykendall Group Campground2,483 ft · fee
• Lake Powhatan Campground2,192 ft · fee
• Mortimer Campground1,505 ft · fee
• North Mills River Campground2,224 ft · fee
• Oyster Point Campground9 ft
• Rattler Ford Group Camp2,078 ft · fee
• Rocky Bluff Campground1,786 ft · fee
• Rough Ridge Campground2,563 ft · fee
• State Line Cg2,578 ft · fee
• Sunburst Campground3,230 ft · fee
• Tsali Campground1,761 ft · fee
• Uwharrie Hunt Camp364 ft · fee
• Van Hook Glade Campground3,403 ft · fee
• Wash Creek Horse Camp2,509 ft · fee
• West Morris Mtn. Campground445 ft · fee
• White Pine South Group Camp2,200 ft · fee
• Wine Spring Horse Camp4,006 ft · fee
• Wolf Ford Horse Camp3,236 ft · fee

Cherokee National Forest3 camps

• A.T. Bald Mountain Shelter5,058 ft
• A.T. Roan High Knob Shelter
• A.T. Spring Mountain Shelter3,537 ft

Elsewhere in North Carolina3 camps

• Macon County4,736 ft · notes
• McDowell County3,652 ft · notes
• Oak Ridge Town Park - Mountains-to-Sea Trail Campsite925 ft · notes