Free camping near Franklin, NC
Within 25 straight-line miles of Franklin, NC there are 43 camps: 27 free, 16 fee. The closest is A.T. Long Branch Shelter, 10 miles south-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is A.T. Long Branch Shelter, 10 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at. Today's season read covers 2 of them: 2 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call. The circle crosses a state line: GA and NC and SC.
Who manages them: 40 on the Forest Service; 2 on NCWRC; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.T. Long Branch Shelter | 10 | Free | Long Branch (stream) | 3.5 mi to Teresita | — |
| A.T. Rock Gap Shelter | 10 | Free | Little Rock Branch (stream) | 2.4 mi to Rainbow Springs | — |
| Van Hook Glade Campground | 10 | Fee | Long Branch (stream) | 2.8 mi to Lickskillet | — |
| A.T. Wayah Bald Shelter | 10 | Free | Little Laurel Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Slickrock Ford | — |
| Van Hook Glade Campground | 10 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Highlands | — |
| Macon CountyDave slept here | 11 | Free | Shope Fork (stream) | 4.1 mi to McDonald Mill | — |
| A.T. Cold Spring Shelter | 11 | Free | Burningtown Branch (stream) | 2.3 mi to Burnett Fields | — |
| A.T. Standing Indian Shelter | 11 | Free | Bearpen Creek (stream) | 4.4 mi to McDonald Mill | — |
| A.T. Siler Bald Shelter | 11 | Free | Right Prong Rough Fork (stream) | 3.5 mi to Rainbow Springs | — |
| Kimsey Creek Group Campground | 11 | Fee | — | 6.7 mi to Tate | — |
| Hurricane Creek Horse & Primitive Camp | 11 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Tate | — |
| Wine Spring Horse Camp | 13 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Andrews | — |
| A.T. Wesser Bald Shelter | 13 | Free | Wesser Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Briertown | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Macon County, NC | 14 | Free | Brooks Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Highlands | — |
| A.T. Carter Gap Shelter | 14 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Tate | — |
| Blue Valley Camp | 14 | Free | Brooks Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Satolah | — |
| A.T. Rufus Morgan Shelter | 15 | Free | Silvermine Creek (stream) | 0.6 mi to Wesser | — |
| A.T. Muskrat Creek Shelter | 16 | Free | Muskrat Branch (stream) | 3.1 mi to Tate City | — |
| Appletree Group Camp | 16 | Free | Appletree Branch (stream) | 2.3 mi to Aquone | — |
| Nantahala Lake Dispersed Camping Site - Lake Access | 16 | Free | Johnson Branch (stream) | 3.6 mi to Aquone | — |
| Ammons Branch Camp | 17 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Highlands | — |
| Sandy Bottoms Recreation Area (Campground) | 18 | Fee | — | 1.1 mi to Tate | — |
| Tate Branch Campground | 18 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Tate | — |
| Sarah'S Creek Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Sky Valley | — |
| West Fork Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Highlands | — |
| A.T. Sassafras Gap Shelter | 19 | Free | — | — | — |
| Tsali Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 8.0 mi to Bryson | — |
| Panthertown Shelter | 20 | Free | Panthertown Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Canaan | — |
| Tallulah River | 20 | Fee | — | 3.4 mi to Tate | — |
| A.T. Plum Orchard Shelter | 20 | Free | Plumorchard Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Titus | — |
| Bear Creek Lake Dispersed Campsite | 20 | Free | Neddie Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Island Ford | — |
| Burrells Ford | 21 | Free | King Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Moody Cove | — |
| Willis Knob Horse Camp | 21 | Fee | — | 8.2 mi to Longcreek | — |
| Tanasee Lake Dispersed Campsites | 22 | Free | Tuckaseigee River (river) | 0.8 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| Wolf Creek Lake Dispersed Campsites | 22 | Free | Wolf Creek Lake (water) | 1.1 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| Long Bottom Ford | 22 | Free | Adline Branch (stream) | 0.1 mi to Long Bottom Ford | — |
| Cherry Hill | 23 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to Tamassee | — |
| Whetstone | 24 | Fee | — | 5.7 mi to Longcreek | — |
| A.T. Brown Fork Gap Shelter | 24 | Free | Brown Fork (stream) | 2.5 mi to Stecoah | — |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #2 | 25 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #3 | 25 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Cashiers | Open |
| Bristol Horse Camp | 25 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Hayesville | — |
| Jackrabbit Mountain Campground | 25 | Fee | Shooting Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Elf | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Franklin, 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.