Free camping near Bakersville, NC
Within 25 straight-line miles of Bakersville, NC there are 28 camps: 19 free, 7 fee, 2 unpriced. The closest is A.T. Roan High Knob Shelter, 6.5 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is A.T. Roan High Knob Shelter, 6.5 miles out. 3 of them are camps Dave has slept at. The circle crosses a state line: NC and TN.
Who manages them: 25 on the Forest Service; 3 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.T. Roan High Knob Shelter | 6.5 | Free | Holder Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Cove Creek | — |
| A.T. Stan Murray Shelter | 8.5 | Free | Elk Hollow Branch (stream) | 1.3 mi to Partridgeberry | — |
| A.T. Clyde Smith Shelter | 9.2 | Free | Tiger Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Backwoods | — |
| A.T. Overmountain Shelter | 9.5 | Free | Roaring Creek (stream) | 1.0 mi to Partridgeberry | — |
| Unicoi CountyDave slept here | 13 | Free | Right Prong Rock Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Poplar | — |
| Rock Creek Recreation Area | 14 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Erwin | — |
| A.T. Moreland Gap Shelter | 15 | Free | — | 2.5 mi to Roan Mountain | — |
| A.T. Curley Maple Gap Shelter | 15 | Free | Jones Branch (stream) | 1.2 mi to Ephraim Place | — |
| Carolina Hemlocks Campground | 15 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Burnsville | — |
| Deep Gap Backcountry Campsite | 15 | Free | South Fork Cattail Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Cattail Creek Community | — |
| McDowell CountyDave slept here | 15 | Free | — | 7.6 mi to Crossnore | — |
| Victor Road Dispersed Camping Site 1 | 15 | Free | Big Crabtree Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Busick | — |
| A.T. No Business Knob Shelter | 16 | Free | Long Branch (stream) | 2.2 mi to Unaka Springs | — |
| Dennis Cove Recreation Area | 17 | Fee | — | 3.8 mi to Hampton | — |
| A.T. Bald Mountain Shelter | 18 | Free | Tumbling Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Coffee Ridge | — |
| A.T. Laurel Fork Shelter | 18 | Free | Laurel Fork (stream) | 1.1 mi to Braemar | — |
| Black Mountain Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 8.5 mi to Montreat | — |
| Briar Bottom Group Camp | 19 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Montreat | — |
| Commissary Hill Backcountry Campsite | 19 | Free | Lower Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Eskota | — |
| Briar Bottom Campground | 19 | Unpriced | Setrock Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Busick | — |
| Carter CountyDave slept here | 21 | Fee | Shook Branch (stream) | 1.5 mi to Horseshoe | — |
| Little Stoney Creek Camp | 21 | Free | Little Stony Creek (stream) | 0.8 mi to Fish Springs | — |
| Mortimer Campground | 22 | Fee | Thorps Creek (stream) | 0.1 mi to Mortimer | — |
| Curtis Creek Campground | 23 | Unpriced | — | — | — |
| A.T. Flint Mountain Shelter | 25 | Free | Flint Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Rocky Fork | — |
| Brown Mountain Cua Roadside Campsites | 25 | Free | Carroll Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Perkinsville | — |
| Curtis Creek Roadside Campsites | 25 | Free | Paddys Branch (stream) | 1.8 mi to Old Fort | — |
| A.T. Vandeventer Shelter | 25 | Free | — | 1.5 mi to Butler | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Bakersville, NC, not a driving distance — a camp four miles out across a canyon can be an hour of road. Cost is the audited three-state verdict on each camp's own record: free, fee, or unpriced where we could not confirm a price. A blank column is a gap in the record, not a statement that the thing is absent. Camps come from state and federal agency records, not from a visit, except the ones marked. Seasons, permits and fire rules change: confirm with the managing office before you go. Found a fee where we show free? Tell us on the contact page.