Free camping near West Jefferson, NC
Within 25 straight-line miles of West Jefferson, NC there are 22 camps: 16 free, 6 fee. The closest is Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #4, 14 miles north-west of town. The closest one our audit calls free is Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #4, 14 miles out. One of them is a camp Dave has slept at. Today's season read covers 8 of them: 8 open, 0 closed, 0 worth a call. The circle crosses a state line: NC and VA.
Who manages them: 13 on the Forest Service; 8 on NCWRC; 1 on an agency our record does not name.
| Camp | Miles | Cost | Water | Nearest town | Season today |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #4 | 14 | Free | — | 8.2 mi to Lansing | Open |
| Thurmond Chatham Game Land camping area #1 | 16 | Free | — | 11 mi to Sparta | Open |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #1 | 16 | Free | — | 8.7 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #5 | 16 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #3 | 17 | Free | — | 7.8 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Pond Mountain Game Land camping area #2 | 17 | Free | — | 7.5 mi to Damascus | Open |
| Thomas Knob A.T. Shelter | 19 | Free | Middle Fork Helton Creek (stream) | 4.9 mi to Mill Creek | — |
| Thurmond Chatham Game Land camping area #2 | 19 | Free | — | 8.9 mi to Sparta | Open |
| Grayson CountyDave slept here | 20 | Free | — | 3.3 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Lost Mountain A.T. Shelter | 20 | Free | — | 7.3 mi to Damascus | — |
| Old Orchard A.T. Shelter | 21 | Free | Lewis Fork (stream) | 4.2 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Grindstone Family Campground | 21 | Fee | — | 5.8 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Saunders A.T. Shelter | 21 | Free | Whitetop Laurel Creek (river) | 0.9 mi to Taylors Valley | — |
| Fox Creek Horse Camp | 22 | Fee | — | 3.7 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Buffalo Cove Game Land camping area #1 | 22 | Free | — | — | Open |
| Old Virginia Group Horse Camp | 22 | Fee | — | 2.9 mi to Troutdale | — |
| Cherry Tree Iron Mountain Shelter | 22 | Free | Big Laurel Creek (stream) | 3.2 mi to Stony Battery | — |
| Beartree Campground | 22 | Fee | — | 6.4 mi to Damascus | — |
| Sandy Flats Iron Mountain Camping Area | 23 | Free | Straight Branch (stream) | 2.0 mi to Masada | — |
| Hurricane A.T. Shelter | 23 | Free | Hurricane Creek (stream) | 3.1 mi to Quebec | — |
| Backbone Rock Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 3.0 mi to Damascus | — |
| Hurricane Campground | 23 | Fee | — | 3.5 mi to Troutdale | — |
Every distance on this page is a straight line from West Jefferson, 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.