Free camping near Fontana Dam, NC
Yes. 21 of the 40 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Fontana Dam, NC are listed as free; 19 charge a fee. The closest free one is A.T. Cable Gap Shelter, 3.1 miles southeast, on U.S. Forest Service land.
The circle crosses a state line: NC and TN.
All 40 camps near Fontana Dam, NC
| 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 | — |
Who manages the camps near Fontana Dam, NC
Who manages them: 40 on the Forest Service.
- National Forests in North Carolina — 24 camps: 18 free, 6 fee
- Cherokee National Forest — 16 camps: 3 free, 13 fee
Season read for these camps, today
Our record has no season word for any of these 40 camps today. Call the managing office before you go.
Forecast near Fontana Dam, 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 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.