Free camping near Fontana Dam, NC
Within 25 straight-line miles of Fontana Dam, NC there are 40 camps: 21 free, 19 fee. The closest is A.T. Cable Gap Shelter, 3.1 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is A.T. Cable Gap Shelter, 3.1 miles out. The circle crosses a state line: NC and TN.
Who manages them: 40 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.T. Cable Gap Shelter | 3.1 | Free | Yellow Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Fontana Village | — |
| Cable Cove Campground | 4.0 | Free | Powell Branch (stream) | 2.5 mi to Tuskeegee | — |
| Lake Santeetlah Campsites | 4.7 | Free | — | 1.0 mi to Lake Santeetlah | — |
| Cheoah Point Campground | 5.0 | Fee | — | 0.5 mi to Lake Santeetlah | — |
| Deep Creek Hunt Camp | 5.3 | Free | Indian Grave Branch (stream) | 2.0 mi to Tapoco | — |
| A.T. Brown Fork Gap Shelter | 6.5 | Free | Brown Fork (stream) | 2.5 mi to Stecoah | — |
| Horse Cove Campground | 7.1 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Lake Santeetlah | — |
| Bear Creek Hunt Camp | 7.1 | Free | Jane Branch (stream) | 1.7 mi to Tapoco | — |
| Rattler Ford Group Camp | 7.3 | Fee | — | 2.8 mi to Lake Santeetlah | — |
| Santeetlah Creek Campsites | 8.9 | Free | Santeetlah Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Jenkins Meadow | — |
| Snowbird Camping | 11 | Free | Polecat Branch (stream) | 1.9 mi to Dentons | — |
| A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter | 11 | Free | — | — | — |
| Big Snowbird Rd USFS Free Campground | 12 | Free | Polecat Branch (stream) | 1.7 mi to Dentons | — |
| Tsali Campground | 14 | Fee | — | 8.0 mi to Bryson | — |
| A.T. Rufus Morgan Shelter | 15 | Free | Silvermine Creek (stream) | 0.6 mi to Wesser | — |
| Citico Creek Dispersed Campsites | 16 | Free | Citico Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Citico | — |
| Jake Best Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Kahite | — |
| Indian Boundary Recreation Area | 16 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Tellico Plains | — |
| Appletree Group Camp | 17 | Free | Appletree Branch (stream) | 2.3 mi to Aquone | — |
| Young Branch Horse Camp | 17 | Fee | — | 8.7 mi to Kahite | — |
| A.T. Wesser Bald Shelter | 17 | Free | Wesser Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Briertown | — |
| Spivey Cove Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| Birch Branch Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| Holder Cove Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Marble | — |
| Mcnabb Group Camp | 19 | Fee | — | 9.9 mi to Tellico Plains | — |
| Davis Branch Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| State Line Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Marble | — |
| North River Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 9.9 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| Big Oak Cove Cg | 19 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Marble | — |
| North River Dispersed Campsites | 19 | Free | North River (river) | 3.1 mi to Waucheesi | — |
| Sourwood Campground | 19 | Free | Tellico River (river) | 5.7 mi to Waucheesi | — |
| Rough Ridge Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Marble | — |
| Nantahala Lake Dispersed Camping Site - Lake Access | 20 | Free | Johnson Branch (stream) | 3.6 mi to Aquone | — |
| A.T. Cold Spring Shelter | 20 | Free | Burningtown Branch (stream) | 2.3 mi to Burnett Fields | — |
| Wine Spring Horse Camp | 21 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Andrews | — |
| A.T. Wayah Bald Shelter | 22 | Free | Little Laurel Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Slickrock Ford | — |
| Holly Flats Cg | 22 | Fee | — | 6.4 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| Bristol Horse Camp | 23 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Hayesville | — |
| Fires Creek Campground | 24 | Free | Huskins Branch (stream) | 0.8 mi to Fires Creek | — |
| A.T. Siler Bald Shelter | 24 | Free | Right Prong Rough Fork (stream) | 3.5 mi to Rainbow Springs | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Fontana Dam, 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.