Free camping near Sylva, NC
Within 25 straight-line miles of Sylva, NC there are 22 camps: 17 free, 5 fee. The closest is Bear Creek Lake Dispersed Campsite, 15 miles south-east of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Bear Creek Lake Dispersed Campsite, 15 miles out.
Who manages them: 22 on the Forest Service.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek Lake Dispersed Campsite | 15 | Free | Neddie Creek (stream) | 0.9 mi to Island Ford | — |
| Lickstone Dispersed Campsites | 15 | Free | Right Hand Prong West Fork Pigeon River (river) | 1.8 mi to Burnett Siding | — |
| Sunburst Campground | 16 | Fee | — | 8.3 mi to Waynesville | — |
| Wolf Creek Lake Dispersed Campsites | 16 | Free | Wolf Creek Lake (water) | 1.1 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| Tanasee Lake Dispersed Campsites | 17 | Free | Tuckaseigee River (river) | 0.8 mi to Wolf Mountain | — |
| Panthertown Shelter | 18 | Free | Panthertown Creek (stream) | 2.1 mi to Canaan | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — NC #3 | 20 | Free | Kiesee Creek (stream) | 3.0 mi to Balsam Grove | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — NC #2 | 20 | Free | Beetree Fork (stream) | 2.0 mi to Balsam Grove | — |
| Van Hook Glade Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Highlands | — |
| Van Hook Glade Campground | 21 | Fee | Long Branch (stream) | 2.8 mi to Lickskillet | — |
| Deep Gap Shelter | 21 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Brevard | — |
| Tsali Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 8.0 mi to Bryson | — |
| A.T. Rufus Morgan Shelter | 21 | Free | Silvermine Creek (stream) | 0.6 mi to Wesser | — |
| A.T. Wesser Bald Shelter | 21 | Free | Wesser Creek (stream) | 2.2 mi to Briertown | — |
| A.T. Cold Spring Shelter | 22 | Free | Burningtown Branch (stream) | 2.3 mi to Burnett Fields | — |
| Upper Cove Creek Roadside Campsites | 23 | Free | — | 6.4 mi to Brevard | — |
| A.T. Wayah Bald Shelter | 23 | Free | Little Laurel Creek (stream) | 2.3 mi to Slickrock Ford | — |
| Headwaters Roadside Campsites | 24 | Free | — | 7.2 mi to Brevard | — |
| USFS dispersed camp — Macon County, NC | 24 | Free | Brooks Creek (stream) | 2.5 mi to Highlands | — |
| Cove Creek Group Campground | 24 | Fee | — | 4.9 mi to Brevard | — |
| Butter Gap Shelter | 25 | Free | Grogan Creek (stream) | 2.9 mi to Laurel Falls | — |
| Ammons Branch Camp | 25 | Free | — | 3.7 mi to Highlands | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from Sylva, 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.