Free camping near Highlands, NC
Yes. 51 of the 64 camps within 25 straight-line miles of Highlands, NC are listed as free; 13 charge a fee. The closest free one is USFS dispersed camp — Macon County, NC, 2.5 miles southwest, on U.S. Forest Service land.
Dave has slept at one of these camps. The circle crosses a state line: GA and NC and SC.
The 50 nearest camps to Highlands, NC
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USFS dispersed camp — Macon County, NC | 2.5 | Free | Brooks Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Highlands | — |
| Van Hook Glade Campground | 3.0 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Highlands | — |
| Van Hook Glade Campground | 3.3 | Fee | Long Branch (stream) | 2.8 mi to Lickskillet | — |
| Blue Valley Camp | 3.5 | Free | Brooks Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Satolah | — |
| Ammons Branch Camp | 3.7 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Highlands | — |
| West Fork Campground | 7.3 | Fee | — | 7.3 mi to Highlands | — |
| Burrells Ford | 7.4 | Free | King Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Moody Cove | — |
| Sarah'S Creek Campground | 9.5 | Fee | — | 5.6 mi to Sky Valley | — |
| Cherry Hill | 9.9 | Fee | — | 6.0 mi to Tamassee | — |
| Willis Knob Horse Camp | 11 | Fee | — | 8.2 mi to Longcreek | — |
| Long Bottom Ford | 11 | Free | Adline Branch (stream) | 0.1 mi to Long Bottom Ford | — |
| Panthertown Shelter | 12 | Free | Panthertown Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Canaan | — |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #2 | 13 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 13 | Free | — | 9.1 mi to Cashiers | Check |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #3 | 13 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Cashiers | Open |
| Whetstone | 13 | Fee | — | 5.7 mi to Longcreek | — |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #1 | 13 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 14 | Free | Wright Creek (stream) | 4.8 mi to Bohaynee | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 14 | Free | Bearcamp Creek (stream) | 3.6 mi to Bohaynee | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 14 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 4.2 mi to Bohaynee | Check |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #4 | 14 | Free | — | 9.1 mi to Cashiers | Open |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 14 | Free | Mill Creek (stream) | 4.5 mi to Bohaynee | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 15 | Free | — | 9.6 mi to Salem | Check |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #5 | 15 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Bear Creek Lake Dispersed Campsite | 15 | Free | Neddie Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Island Ford | — |
| Macon CountyDave slept here | 15 | Free | Shope Fork (stream) | 4.1 mi to McDonald Mill | — |
| Tanasee Lake Dispersed Campsites | 16 | Free | Tuckaseigee River (river) | 0.8 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 16 | Free | Bear Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Cane Brake | Check |
| Toxaway Game Land camping area #6 | 16 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Rosman | Open |
| A.T. Standing Indian Shelter | 16 | Free | Bearpen Creek (stream) | 4.4 mi to McDonald Mill | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 16 | Free | Toxaway River (river) | 3.1 mi to Cane Brake | Check |
| Grapevine | 16 | Free | — | 5.1 mi to Longcreek | — |
| Wolf Creek Lake Dispersed Campsites | 17 | Free | Wolf Creek Lake (water) | 1.1 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| A.T. Long Branch Shelter | 17 | Free | Long Branch (stream) | 3.5 mi to Teresita | — |
| A.T. Carter Gap Shelter | 17 | Free | — | 3.5 mi to Tate | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 18 | Free | Cane Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Eastatoe | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 18 | Free | Devils Hole Creek (stream) | 3.4 mi to Nimmons | Check |
| Hurricane Creek Horse & Primitive Camp | 18 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Tate | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 18 | Free | Bully Branch (stream) | 3.2 mi to Nimmons | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 18 | Free | Laurel Fork Creek (stream) | 2.6 mi to Cane Brake | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 19 | Free | Laurel Fork Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Nimmons | Check |
| Cassidy Bridge | 19 | Fee | — | 2.7 mi to Longcreek | — |
| A.T. Rock Gap Shelter | 19 | Free | Little Rock Branch (stream) | 2.4 mi to Rainbow Springs | — |
| Kimsey Creek Group Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 6.7 mi to Tate | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 20 | Free | Long Branch (stream) | 2.8 mi to Nimmons | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 20 | Free | Laurel Branch (stream) | 2.4 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 20 | Free | — | 7.2 mi to Rosman | Check |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 20 | Free | Side-of-Mountain Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
| Tate Branch Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 1.5 mi to Tate | — |
| Jocassee Gorges primitive campsite | 21 | Free | Eastatoe Creek (stream) | 1.1 mi to Rocky Bottom | Check |
The other 14 inside the circle are on the live map — open it centred on Highlands, NC.
Who manages the camps near Highlands, NC
Who manages them: 35 on the Forest Service; 22 on SCDNR; 6 on NCWRC; 1 spread across 1 other manager.
- National Forests in North Carolina — 29 camps: 25 free, 4 fee
- SCDNR — 17 camps: 17 free
- Francis Marion and Sumter National Forests — 11 camps: 8 free, 3 fee
- Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests — 7 camps: 1 free, 6 fee
Season read for these camps, today
Today's season read covers 27 of the 64: 6 open, 0 closed, 21 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 Highlands, 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 Highlands, 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.