Free camping near Murphy, NC
Within 25 straight-line miles of Murphy, NC there are 42 camps: 20 free, 22 fee. The closest is Hanging Dog Campground, 3.4 miles west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Hanging Dog Campground, 3.4 miles out. The circle crosses a state line: GA and NC and TN.
Who manages them: 42 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hanging Dog Campground | 3.4 | Free | Hanging Dog Creek (stream) | 0.7 mi to Grape Creek | — |
| Fires Creek Campground | 9.0 | Free | Huskins Branch (stream) | 0.8 mi to Fires Creek | — |
| State Line Cg | 12 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Marble | — |
| Rough Ridge Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Marble | — |
| Bristol Horse Camp | 12 | Fee | — | 4.3 mi to Hayesville | — |
| Big Oak Cove Cg | 12 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Marble | — |
| Holder Cove Campground | 12 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Marble | — |
| Davis Branch Cg | 13 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| Birch Branch Campground | 14 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| Big Snowbird Rd USFS Free Campground | 14 | Free | Polecat Branch (stream) | 1.7 mi to Dentons | — |
| Sourwood Campground | 15 | Free | Tellico River (river) | 5.7 mi to Waucheesi | — |
| Snowbird Camping | 15 | Free | Polecat Branch (stream) | 1.9 mi to Dentons | — |
| Spivey Cove Cg | 15 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| Jackrabbit Mountain Campground | 15 | Fee | Shooting Creek (stream) | 1.5 mi to Elf | — |
| Holly Flats Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 6.4 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| North River Cg | 16 | Fee | — | 9.9 mi to Coker Creek | — |
| Lake Chatuge Recreation Area | 17 | Free | Hog Creek (stream) | 0.8 mi to Friendship | — |
| Mcnabb Group Camp | 17 | Fee | — | 9.9 mi to Tellico Plains | — |
| North River Dispersed Campsites | 17 | Free | North River (river) | 3.1 mi to Waucheesi | — |
| Santeetlah Creek Campsites | 18 | Free | Santeetlah Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Jenkins Meadow | — |
| Rattler Ford Group Camp | 19 | Fee | — | 2.8 mi to Lake Santeetlah | — |
| Horse Cove Campground | 20 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Lake Santeetlah | — |
| Morganton Point Recreation Area | 20 | Fee | — | 0.4 mi to Morganton | — |
| Padena Dispersed Area | 20 | Free | Star Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Padena | — |
| Nantahala Lake Dispersed Camping Site - Lake Access | 21 | Free | Johnson Branch (stream) | 3.6 mi to Aquone | — |
| Cheoah Point Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 0.5 mi to Lake Santeetlah | — |
| Lake Santeetlah Campsites | 21 | Free | — | 1.0 mi to Lake Santeetlah | — |
| Indian Boundary Recreation Area | 22 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Tellico Plains | — |
| Appletree Group Camp | 23 | Free | Appletree Branch (stream) | 2.3 mi to Aquone | — |
| Cooper Creek Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 10 mi to Blairsville | — |
| Bear Creek Hunt Camp | 23 | Free | Jane Branch (stream) | 1.7 mi to Tapoco | — |
| Deep Creek Hunt Camp | 23 | Free | Indian Grave Branch (stream) | 2.0 mi to Tapoco | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Union County, GA | 23 | Free | — | — | — |
| Citico Creek Dispersed Campsites | 24 | Free | Citico Creek (stream) | 2.4 mi to Citico | — |
| Wine Spring Horse Camp | 24 | Fee | — | 12 mi to Andrews | — |
| A.T. Blue Mountain Shelter | 24 | Free | Watkins Branch (stream) | 3.8 mi to Mountain Scene | — |
| Toccoa River -Sandy Bottoms Campground | 24 | Fee | — | 5.9 mi to Morganton | — |
| Lake Winfield Scott Campground | 25 | Fee | — | 9.6 mi to Blairsville | — |
| A.T. Low Gap Shelter | 25 | Free | Low Gap Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Hood | — |
| Jake Best Cg | 25 | Fee | — | 11 mi to Kahite | — |
| A.T. Blood Mountain Shelter | 25 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.0 mi to Hood | — |
| A.T. Woods Hole Shelter | 25 | Free | Slaughter Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Hood | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Murphy, 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.