Boating

Wilderness Cove Campground

3 RV Sites, 7 Tent Sites, 8 Glamping Sites, 2 Cottages, 1 House

Wilderness Cove Campground in Saluda, NC, offers 3 RV sites, 3 cottage and house rentals, 7 tent sites, and 8 glamping sites, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and back-in sites for rigs up to 45 feet. Sites come in two categories, 30/50-amp full-hookup back-ins carrying water, sewer, and electric, and 30-amp water-and-electric back-ins, each with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. With 18 non-RV accommodations against 3 RV sites, this is a glamping and cottage property that also takes RVs. The grounds are gated, with a bathhouse with showers, a general store, firewood, on-site dining, and visiting food trucks. Pets are welcome. A zip line, a marina, a beach, inflatable water toys, and walking trails fill the riverfront property, with kayaking, boating, swimming, fishing, hiking, biking, and picnicking on the lower Green River. Saluda sits at the base of the Blue Ridge Escarpment, where the mountains drop dramatically from the Appalachian highlands to the Carolina Piedmont. Rates for every accommodation type are on the booking page. Three RV sites means booking early is essential.

from $36/night

Buck Creek RV Park

31 RV Sites

Buck Creek RV Park in Marion, NC, offers 31 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and room for rigs up to 45 feet. Sites come in several categories — back-in 30/50-amp with cable, premium back-in 30/50-amp, pull-thru 30/50-amp, and waterfront back-in 30/50-amp without cable — all carrying water, sewer, and electric with a fire pit and picnic table. One booking note: your specific site number is not guaranteed and is assigned at check-in. The park is rated big rig friendly, with laundry, a bathhouse with showers, firewood, a dump station, a community fire pit, and both RV and boat storage. Pets are welcome. The property covers 48 acres with swimming and hiking from the site. Marion sits in McDowell County at the base of the Blue Ridge, where the Appalachian escarpment drops from Mount Mitchell — the highest peak in the eastern United States — toward the Catawba River valley. Rates by site category are on the booking page. Waterfront back-ins are the ones to request, though the exact site is assigned on arrival.

from $59/night

Spacious Skies Hidden Creek

108 RV Sites, 18 Cabins, 26 Tent Sites

Spacious Skies Hidden Creek in Marion, North Carolina, offers 108 RV sites, 18 cabins, and 26 tent sites at the base of the Black Mountains, with 20, 30, and 50-amp full hookups and rigs accepted to 60 feet behind a gated entrance. Premium creek-front pull-through and lakeview categories join standard back-in sites, with a pool, mini-golf, and gem mining. One hundred eight sites span back-in 20/30-amp, back-in 30/50-amp, premium creek-front pull-thru, premium lakeview back-in, and premium lakeview pull-thru categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric, sized to 60 feet. The creek-front and lakeview premiums are the ones to request. Eighteen cabins and 26 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills, restrooms, and firewood handle the practical side. All guests and visitors check in at the main office on arrival and sign the terms. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a lake and creek supporting fishing, boating, and swimming. Mini-golf, gem mining, a jumping pillow, arcade, recreation center, billiards, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, and corn hole fill the grounds, with walking trails, hiking, golf cart rentals, a playground, pavilion, community fire pit, and dog park besides. Pets are welcome. McDowell County's gem mining tradition is genuine rather than a novelty, and the surrounding hollow-and-ridge terrain marks the Blue Ridge's steepest eastern escarpment. Summer and fall foliage drive demand in the North Carolina mountains. Reserve well ahead for October.

from $25/night

Barefoot Landing Camping Resort

19 RV Sites, 9 Cabins

Barefoot Landing Camping Resort in Marion, North Carolina, offers 19 full-hookup back-in RV sites and nine cabins near Lake James, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 45 feet behind a gated entrance. A single back-in category means every guest gets the same spec, with an outdoor pool, boat ramp, boat storage, and golf cart rentals. Nineteen back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with site WiFi, sized to 45 feet, with picnic tables. One consistent category and no guesswork. Nine cabins round out the lodging. Restrooms, showers, RV storage, and boat storage handle the practical side. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a boat ramp opening the lake for boating, canoeing, kayaking, water sports, swimming, and fishing. A pavilion, dog park, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, gem mining, golf cart rentals, and biking fill the rest, with productive birding and a state park nearby. Lake James is one of the clearest and most naturally beautiful lakes in the southern Appalachians — 6,800 acres in the mountain foothills of McDowell County, fed by cold streams draining off Linville Gorge and the Table Rock massif. Water clarity like that is genuinely uncommon in the Southeast, and Lake James State Park protects a good stretch of the shoreline. Marion sits close by, with the Blue Ridge Parkway, Linville Falls, and the Black Mountains all within a short drive north, and Asheville about 45 minutes west. Summer lake season drives the heaviest demand, with fall foliage in the surrounding mountains drawing a strong second wave. Reserve well ahead for June through October.

from $49/night

Nantahala Ridge Campground

3 RV Sites, 5 Cabins

Nantahala Ridge Campground in Bryson City, NC, offers 3 full-hookup RV sites and 5 cabins, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service. Sites come as back-ins and pull-thrus, each carrying water, sewer, and electric with site-delivered WiFi, a fire pit, and a picnic table. Maximum rig length isn't published, so call with your dimensions before booking — the roads in this canyon are narrow and it's worth the minute. Laundry is on site, and the five cabins give guests without a rig a place to stay. Pets are welcome. Three RV sites in a river canyon is the appeal: hiking from the property, dark-sky stargazing, and no crowd. Bryson City sits in Swain County where the Nantahala runs cold and clear through a corridor of rhododendron and hemlock, minutes from the Nantahala Outdoor Center and the southern entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Rates for sites and cabins are on the booking page. Confirm your rig's fit when you reserve, and book early for rafting season and fall color.

from $49/night

Gorgeous Stays

5 Cabins, 3 Tent Sites, 2 Glamping Sites, 1 Yurt, 3 Vintage RV Rentals

Gorgeous Stays in Bryson City, North Carolina, is a unique outdoor retreat offering glamping sites, tent sites, yurts, cabins, and vintage RV rentals near Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Swain County's western North Carolina mountains — a property whose combination of accommodation novelty, mountain setting, and immediate access to the Smoky Mountain recreation corridor specifically serves the traveler looking for a curated, design-aware overnight experience in one of the most visited mountain regions in the eastern United States. Bryson City's position on the Tuckasegee River at the park's western gateway gives Gorgeous Stays the specific location advantage of proximity to the national park, the Deep Creek tubing area, the Nantahala River, and the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad's steam excursion trains. Glamping sites, tent sites, yurts, cabins, and vintage RV rentals give the property an accommodation portfolio that explicitly resists the conventional campground format in favor of the experiential accommodation approach that guests seeking a distinct overnight character specifically pursue. The vintage RV rental format gives guests without their own equipment the classic Americana camping aesthetic that a new contemporary rental trailer cannot replicate, and the yurt and glamping tent formats provide the canvas-and-structure outdoor sleeping character that the Bryson City mountain setting deserves. Pets are welcome. Great Smoky Mountains National Park's western approaches from Bryson City provide access to the park sections that the Gatlinburg and Cherokee corridors' visitor traffic primarily bypasses — the Lakeshore Trail along Fontana Lake, the Road to Nowhere's tunnel and lakeshore hiking beyond Bryson City's park boundary, and the Deep Creek valley's triple waterfall sequence (Indian Creek, Juney Whank, and Tom Branch Falls) accessible by the Deep Creek Trail just north of town. Deep Creek's tubing — floating the cold mountain stream on inner tubes through the campground at the creek's valley — is one of the most characteristically Great Smoky Mountains family recreation experiences available without a permit or reservation. The Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, operating steam and diesel excursion trains from the Bryson City depot through the Nantahala Gorge and the Tuckasegee River valley since 1988, is one of the most scenic heritage railroad experiences in the southern Appalachians — a 44-mile round-trip journey through the river gorge terrain between Bryson City and the Nantahala Outdoor Center that provides the mountain valley viewshed in a format specifically suited to guests who want to experience the landscape without driving its narrow roads. The Nantahala River's Class III whitewater through the Nantahala Gorge, 10 miles west of Bryson City, sustains one of the most popular commercial rafting operations in the Southeast. Gorgeous Stays operates through the western North Carolina mountain season with the spring wildflower season from late April through May, the summer Smoky Mountain visitor peak from June through August, and the October foliage season representing the three primary visitor demand windows. Bryson City's Cherokee County mountain location gives it the highest-elevation Great Smoky Mountains gateway character — cooler summer temperatures than the Tennessee gateway communities, the most intact rural mountain town atmosphere on the park's perimeter, and the specific Nantahala Gorge outdoor adventure access that makes the Bryson City corridor a genuine outdoor enthusiast destination independent of the national park's draws. Reserve accommodations months ahead for summer peak and October foliage, when western North Carolina mountain accommodation fills from the Southeast and mid-Atlantic markets.

from $30/night

The Cabins at Long Branch

3 Cabins

The Cabins at Long Branch above the Nantahala Gorge in western North Carolina are handcrafted two-bedroom cabin retreats at 3,500 feet elevation — a secluded, private mountain cabin accommodation tucked high above the Nantahala River's Class III and IV whitewater corridor in the southern Blue Ridge, where the elevation gives guests the cool mountain climate that the gorge bottom cannot provide and the proximity to Nantahala's outdoor adventure infrastructure gives the cabin guests the complete access to whitewater paddling, mountain biking, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park from a high-elevation mountain cabin that the Nantahala National Forest's ridge and valley landscape sustains in one of the most recreationally active outdoor adventure destinations in the eastern United States. The Nantahala Gorge's position in Swain or Macon County gives the cabins the specific southern Appalachian elevation character of a mountain retreat above the gorge in a landscape where the 1,800-foot elevation difference between the gorge floor and the surrounding ridge crests creates the dramatic western Carolina topography. Handcrafted two-bedroom cabins at 3,500 feet above the Nantahala Gorge give The Cabins at Long Branch the specific mountain cabin retreat character of a high-elevation private accommodation that the gorge-bottom commercial campground cannot replicate — the elevation gives the cabins the cool mountain summer temperatures and the ridge-top forest setting that distinguish a 3,500-foot cabin experience from the whitewater activity corridor below, and the proximity to the Nantahala Outdoor Center's outfitter services and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park's Swain County entrance gives cabin guests the complete southern Appalachian outdoor adventure access from a comfortable mountain cabin base. Pets are welcome. The Nantahala Outdoor Center, five miles north of the Nantahala Gorge's lower takeout on US-19/74 in Swain County, is the most comprehensive whitewater outfitter and outdoor adventure resort in the American South — a campus of whitewater rafting, kayaking instruction, zip lines, mountain biking, and flatwater paddling that has served as the entry point to the Nantahala River's Class III whitewater for over a million guests since its 1972 founding. The Nantahala River's consistent 45-degree water temperature (released from the bottom of Fontana Lake's cold hypolimnion at Nantahala Lake) and the Class III Nantahala Falls at the takeout give the gorge its specific cold-water character and its most technically demanding rapids. Great Smoky Mountains National Park's Swain County entrance at Bryson City, 15 miles north of the Nantahala Gorge on US-74, provides the Deep Creek area's three waterfalls (Tom Branch, Indian Creek, and Juney Whank Falls), the tubing on Deep Creek's mild rapids, and the access to the park's backcountry trail system that the Swain County entrance specifically makes available in the less-visited southwestern section of the most visited national park in the country. The Cabins at Long Branch serve guests through the western North Carolina mountain cabin season from late spring through fall, with the prime whitewater rafting season on the Nantahala from May through October sustaining the outdoor adventure visitor market and the October fall foliage on the Nantahala National Forest's ridgelines giving the 3,500-foot elevation the most spectacular autumn color display in the southern Blue Ridge. The Appalachian Trail's Wesser Bald section above the Nantahala Gorge and the Bartram Trail's ridge walk through the Nantahala National Forest give hikers the long-distance trail access from the cabin's elevation position. Reserve cabins well ahead for the peak summer whitewater season and the October fall foliage weeks.

from $169/night

Camp Margaritaville RV Resort & Lodge - Pigeon Forge

91 RV Sites

Camp Margaritaville RV Resort and Lodge in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, offers 91 full-hookup back-in RV sites with 30 and 50-amp service, cable TV, and rigs accepted to 60 feet at the foot of the Great Smoky Mountains. Super, premium, deluxe, family, and standard categories join a lazy river, pool, hot tub, and bar minutes from Dollywood. Ninety-one back-in sites span standard, family, deluxe, premium, and super categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with cable TV and site WiFi, sized to 60 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The five-tier structure gives real range, and the family category is sized for groups. Cabins round out the lodging. A general store, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. Check-in is 2pm; arriving earlier may mean waiting, and an early check-in fee applies where the site is ready. A lazy river is the anchor, with an outdoor pool and hot tub and sauna alongside. A craft room, arcade, billiards, ping pong, tennis, pickleball, a playground, pavilion, dog park, snack bar, and bar fill the grounds, with live music, boating, and planned activities through the season. The Margaritaville brand's tropical energy against a Smoky Mountain backdrop is an odd combination that works. Pets are welcome. Dollywood and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance are both minutes away. Summer and fall foliage drive the heaviest demand in Pigeon Forge. Reserve well ahead for June through October.

from $42 $36/night

Mammoth Ridge RV Park

20 RV Sites

Mammoth Ridge RV Park and Campground in Greeneville, Tennessee, offers full-hookup RV sites on a lake with its own beach, a dog park, a general store and golf cart rentals. Sites take rigs up to 75 feet with electric hookups, which accommodates most large coaches traveling the Nolichucky valley between Morristown and Johnson City. Full-hookup RV sites with electric service accommodate rigs to 75 feet, and a dump station is on site. RV storage is available for guests leaving a rig between visits. Bathrooms, showers and laundry cover the practical side of a stay, a general store stocks basics and firewood, and WiFi reaches the sites. The lake is the property's center of gravity. A beach gives swimmers direct access, and fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking and paddle boats put guests on the water without leaving the campground. Walking trails and biking routes run the grounds, volleyball and gaga ball serve the younger crowd, and a covered pavilion handles group gatherings. A fenced dog park is on site and pets are welcome. Golf cart rentals make the property easy to move around, and a golf course is nearby. One practical note: this is bear country despite the populated setting, so store food accordingly. Greeneville is the home of Andrew Johnson, and the National Historic Site downtown preserves his homestead, tailor shop and cemetery. The Nolichucky River Gorge lies 20 miles south in the Cherokee National Forest, where a 14-mile canyon carries Class III–IV whitewater, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park's Cosby entrance is a 45-mile drive southwest. The campground runs spring through fall. Cherokee National Forest wildflowers peak April into May, and October foliage on the northeast Tennessee ridgelines is the busiest window of the year — with the Roan Mountain rhododendron bloom, 40 miles northeast, drawing heavily from mid-June into early July. Reserve ahead for both.

from $60/night

Black Bear Resort

Black Bear Resort in Hampton, Tennessee, offers cottages, cabins, a bunkhouse, tent sites, and RV camping four-tenths of a mile from the Dennis Cove Trailhead, with a breakfast cafe, laundry, and shuttle service to Appalachian Trail access points. It is an Appalachian Trail Passport stamp location, and the section-hiker infrastructure is what the resort has built its identity around. Accommodations span the range. Cottages and cabins provide enclosed lodging, a bunkhouse offers hostel-style dormitory space for thru-hikers and groups, and tent sites and RV sites cover the rest. Laundry and restrooms serve guests coming off multi-day sections, and the on-site dining room handles meals — the breakfast cafe in particular is a fixture for hikers heading out. Pets are welcome. Walking trails run from the property, and the resort's shuttle service to multiple AT trailheads is the practical amenity that sets it apart in this corridor. Hiking, fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, and biking are all accessible from camp, and a playground serves families. Firewood is available on site. The Dennis Cove Trailhead, four-tenths of a mile away, enters the Appalachian Trail near Laurel Fork waterfall. Watauga Lake's 6,430 acres provide warmwater and tailwater fishing across the Big Creek inlet, the Laurel Creek embayment, and the Watauga River below the dam. The Roan Highlands' rhododendron balds bloom in June, visible for miles from the surrounding ridges. The resort serves the Carter County mountain season. Thru-hiker traffic peaks in spring as northbound hikers come through, and the June rhododendron bloom and October foliage draw the general visitor market. Reserve ahead for all three.

Fish Springs at Little Pond Mountain Campground

19 RV Sites

Fish Springs at Little Pond Mountain Campground in Hampton, Tennessee, offers 19 full-hookup RV sites with 20, 30, and 50-amp service, sized for rigs to 45 feet on a big-rig-friendly layout, at the base of Roan Mountain in the upper Doe River valley. An outdoor pool and ball field sit on a property built as a base for southern Appalachian mountain recreation. Nineteen back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp, sized to 45 feet, with picnic tables and site WiFi. A dump station, laundry, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side. One vehicle is allowed per site, with an extra vehicle fee of $1 per night on arrival — among the more modest such charges in this batch. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with a ball field and basketball on the grounds. Boating, swimming, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, snorkeling, hiking, and biking all run from the area, with off-roading and a golf course nearby. The cold, clear mountain streams around Roan Mountain hold some of the finest wild trout water in the East, which is why many guests book. Pets are welcome. Hampton sits in Carter County where the Cherokee National Forest's spruce-fir summits, the Appalachian Trail's high-elevation traverse, and Watauga Lake's shoreline converge — one of the most recreation-rich environments in the southern Appalachians. The campground serves the mountain season. The June rhododendron bloom on Roan Mountain and October foliage are the two peak windows, with summer lake and trout traffic between them. With 19 sites, reserve well ahead for any of the three.

from $20/night

Rolling Meadows Family Campground

1 RV Site

Rolling Meadows Family Campground in Murphy, North Carolina, offers a water-and-electric back-in RV site alongside cabins and tent camping in the far western corner of the state, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 35 feet. A brand-new heated bathhouse, disc golf course, and laundry serve a Cherokee County property still finding its way onto the maps. The RV site is water-and-electric back-in, carrying 20, 30, and 50-amp service, sized to 35 feet, with a fire pit and picnic table. Plan around the hookups — water and electric rather than sewer, with a dump station on site — and note the 35-foot cap. Contact the campground for current availability of additional sites; the property is new and expanding. Cabins and tent camping round out the lodging. A dump station, portable toilets, and a new heated bathhouse and laundry handle the practical side. One navigation note the campground states plainly: the campground and its road are so new that many GPS applications do not have them yet. Try 195 Hampton Church Road — their radio station neighbor — and follow signs from there. A disc golf course, bocce ball, corn hole, and horseshoes fill the grounds, with boating nearby. Pets are welcome. Murphy sits at the far western tip of North Carolina where the state meets Georgia and Tennessee, surrounded by the Nantahala National Forest. The Hiwassee and Valley Rivers, Lake Hiwassee, the Tail of the Dragon, and Harrah's Cherokee Valley River are all close. Spring and fall foliage drive demand in the western mountains. Reserve ahead for October.

from $39/night