Free camping near Etowah, NC
Yes. 30 of the 40 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Etowah, NC are listed as free; 10 charge a fee. The closest free one is Yellow Gap Roadside Campsites, 8.3 miles northwest, on U.S. Forest Service land. The closest camp of any kind is North Mills River Campground, 7.8 miles northwest, a fee campground.
Dave has slept at one of these camps. The circle crosses a state line: NC and SC.
All 40 camps near Etowah, NC
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Mills River Campground | 7.8 | Fee | — | 3.6 mi to Mills River | — |
| Davidson River Campground | 8.1 | Fee | — | 2.4 mi to Brevard | — |
| Yellow Gap Roadside Campsites | 8.3 | Free | Rocky Fork (stream) | 4.6 mi to Boylston | — |
| USFS dispersed camp #3 — Transylvania County, NC | 8.4 | Free | Avery Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Mine Mountain Estates | — |
| White Pine South Group Camp | 8.5 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Brevard | — |
| USFS dispersed camp #4 — Transylvania County, NC | 8.5 | Free | Avery Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Mine Mountain Estates | — |
| USFS dispersed camp #2 — Transylvania County, NC | 8.9 | Free | Avery Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Wolf Ford | — |
| Hendersonville Reservoir Rd Roadside Campsites | 9.1 | Free | Bear Branch (stream) | 5.3 mi to Stony Fork | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — NC #4 | 9.5 | Free | Thompson Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Wolf Ford | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — NC | 9.6 | Free | Thompson Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Wolf Ford | — |
| Wash Creek Horse Camp | 9.7 | Fee | — | 5.3 mi to Mills River | — |
| Buckhorn Gap Shelter | 9.8 | Free | Clawhammer Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Wolf Ford | — |
| Wolf Ford Horse Camp | 9.8 | Fee | — | 8.4 mi to Mills River | — |
| Wash Creek Roadside Campsites | 10 | Free | Wash Creek (stream) | 4.4 mi to Beaverdam | — |
| Wolf Ford Horse Camp | 10 | Free | Thompson Creek (stream) | 2.7 mi to Wolf Ford | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Transylvania County, NC | 11 | Free | Avery Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Wolf Ford | — |
| Kuykendall Group Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 3.2 mi to Brevard | — |
| Cove Creek Group Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 4.9 mi to Brevard | — |
| Headwaters Roadside Campsites | 12 | Free | — | 7.2 mi to Brevard | — |
| Lake Powhatan Campground | 13 | Fee | Bent Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Bent Creek | — |
| Upper Cove Creek Roadside Campsites | 13 | Free | — | 6.4 mi to Brevard | — |
| Buncombe CountyDave slept here | 13 | Fee | Ledford Branch (stream) | 1.9 mi to Bent Creek | — |
| Butter Gap Shelter | 13 | Free | Grogan Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Laurel Falls | — |
| Watson-Cooper Heritage Preserve primitive camping (entrance) | 14 | Free | Matthews Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Happy Acres | — |
| Deep Gap Shelter | 16 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Brevard | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — NC #3 | 17 | Free | Kiesee Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Balsam Grove | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — NC #2 | 17 | Free | Beetree Fork (stream) | 2.0 mi to Balsam Grove | — |
| Sunburst Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Waynesville | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 21 | Free | Abner Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Lickstone Dispersed Campsites | 21 | Free | Right Hand Prong West Fork Pigeon River (river) | 1.8 mi to Burnett Siding | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 21 | Free | Emory Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 22 | Free | Eastatoe Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 22 | Free | Eastatoe Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Eastatoe Creek Heritage Preserve Eastatoe Gorge Campsite | 23 | Free | Eastatoe Creek (stream) | 1.3 mi to Rocky Bottom | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 23 | Free | — | 7.2 mi to Rosman | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 23 | Free | Side-of-Mountain Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Wolf Creek Lake Dispersed Campsites | 23 | Free | Wolf Creek Lake (water) | 1.1 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 23 | Free | Laurel Branch (stream) | 2.4 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Tanasee Lake Dispersed Campsites | 24 | Free | Tuckaseigee River (river) | 0.8 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 24 | Free | Long Branch (stream) | 2.8 mi to Nimmons | Check |
Who manages the camps near Etowah, NC
Who manages them: 30 on the Forest Service; 10 on SCDNR.
- National Forests in North Carolina — 30 camps: 20 free, 10 fee
- SCDNR — 10 camps: 10 free
Season read for these camps, today
Today's season read covers 8 of the 40: 0 open, 0 closed, 8 worth a call. It comes from each camp's own record, so a camp with no season word is not counted either way.
Forecast near Etowah, NC
This is the Weather Service forecast for the town, fetched when the page opens. It is not a forecast for any camp in the table; ground higher up or in a canyon can run colder or windier. It needs JavaScript; without it, see weather.gov.
Camping near other towns close by
The nearest towns that have their own page, with the straight-line miles between the towns.
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Etowah, 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.