Free camping near Mars Hill, NC
Within 25 straight-line miles of Mars Hill, NC there are 31 camps: 17 free, 12 fee, 2 unpriced. The closest is A.T. Bald Mountain Shelter, 13 miles north of town. The closest one our audit calls free is A.T. Bald Mountain Shelter, 13 miles out. 4 of them are camps Dave has slept at. The circle crosses a state line: NC and TN.
Who manages them: 28 on the Forest Service; 3 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.T. Bald Mountain Shelter | 13 | Free | Tumbling Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Coffee Ridge | — |
| A.T. Flint Mountain Shelter | 15 | Free | Flint Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Rocky Fork | — |
| A.T. Spring Mountain Shelter | 16 | Free | Big Hurricane Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Allenstand | — |
| Deep Gap Backcountry Campsite | 17 | Free | South Fork Cattail Creek (stream) | 2.0 mi to Cattail Creek Community | — |
| A.T. Little Laurel Shelter | 17 | Free | Little Laurel Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Allenstand | — |
| A.T. Jerry Cabin Shelter | 17 | Free | Jennings Creek (stream) | 3.7 mi to Carmen | — |
| Rocky Bluff Campground | 17 | Fee | — | 2.3 mi to Hot Springs | — |
| Commissary Hill Backcountry Campsite | 17 | Free | Lower Creek (stream) | 4.1 mi to Eskota | — |
| A.T. No Business Knob Shelter | 18 | Free | Long Branch (stream) | 2.2 mi to Unaka Springs | — |
| Briar Bottom Group Camp | 19 | Fee | — | 8.1 mi to Montreat | — |
| Briar Bottom Campground | 19 | Unpriced | Setrock Creek (stream) | 2.8 mi to Busick | — |
| Black Mountain Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 8.5 mi to Montreat | — |
| Carolina Hemlocks Campground | 19 | Fee | — | 9.3 mi to Burnsville | — |
| Paint Creek Campground | 19 | Fee | Paint Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Pine Spring | — |
| Old Forge Campground | 20 | Fee | Jennings Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Hampton Mill | — |
| Horse Creek Recreation Area | 20 | Fee | — | 6.8 mi to Tusculum | — |
| Greene CountyDave slept here | 20 | Free | — | 5.4 mi to Hot Springs | — |
| A.T. Curley Maple Gap Shelter | 21 | Free | Jones Branch (stream) | 1.2 mi to Ephraim Place | — |
| Paint Creek Dispersed Campsites | 21 | Free | Paint Creek (stream) | 1.4 mi to Lanceville | — |
| Victor Road Dispersed Camping Site 1 | 21 | Free | Big Crabtree Creek (stream) | 1.7 mi to Busick | — |
| Cocke CountyDave slept here | 21 | Free | Wolf Creek (stream) | 0.8 mi to Wasp | — |
| A.T. Walnut Mountain Shelter | 22 | Free | Lemon Prong (stream) | 1.3 mi to Wasp | — |
| Unicoi CountyDave slept here | 22 | Free | Right Prong Rock Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Poplar | — |
| Curtis Creek Campground | 22 | Unpriced | — | — | — |
| Round Mountain Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 7.9 mi to Hot Springs | — |
| Buncombe CountyDave slept here | 24 | Fee | Ledford Branch (stream) | 1.9 mi to Bent Creek | — |
| Houston Valley Campground | 24 | Free | Gum Spring Branch (stream) | 1.4 mi to Houston Valley | — |
| Rock Creek Recreation Area | 24 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Erwin | — |
| Curtis Creek Roadside Campsites | 24 | Free | Paddys Branch (stream) | 1.8 mi to Old Fort | — |
| Lake Powhatan Campground | 24 | Fee | Bent Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Bent Creek | — |
| Harmon Den Horse Camp | 24 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Hot Springs | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Mars Hill, 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.