Free Campsites Around the Cherohala Skyway in Tennessee -Save Money and Camp like a king.
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- čas přidán 31. 07. 2024
- Exploring the dirt roads and back roads off the Skyway we find many places to boondock and camp free. Some with great features.
Stickers: $5 to Rick Sutliff, 502 Millsaps Rd, Statesville, NC 28625, include your return address.
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Thank you for your time showing me these beautiful spots.
My pleasure 😊. Hope you can go and enjoy them !
For large trailers, you could stay on the Cherohala Skyway(from Tellico) to Indian Boundary. An 87-site campground has electric hookups, water faucets throughout the campground, grills, picnic tables and lantern posts. Modern restrooms add to the comfort of visitors in this natural setting. I think for the full hook-up it's $20 a day? It sits on a 96 acre lake.
YA, You have to see the NEXT video (or maybe the one before it). Its a review of the Indian Boundary Campground..LOL Thanks for the comment though, I'm sure there are others who might just catch the one video and not the other!
Hey Rick. I just found your channel. These are some of my favorite areas that I have camp for several years. I love the citico Creek area in fact I love all of those areas along Tellico and also citico Creek I'm always looking for new and secluded campsites. I am a 70 year old man going on 30 and I camp alone with two little old dogs. I used to pull a small travel trailer a fiberglass one, but sold that this year and bought a new Kodiak tent. I'm looking forward for camping season to get started this spring. Maybe I'll run into you somewhere out in this area. I live over by Fall Creek Falls State Park Southeast Tennessee is home to me. Thanks for your hard work and putting together this wonderful video. Look forward to running into you somewhere. Be safe out there. Would be nice to sit around a campfire and talk about our favorite Camp places. I have Boondock all the way across the United States into California and back and never paid for a campsite. Hope to meet up with you someday.
Fantastic! I will be back to the area in April/May. Depending n the weather. I would love to sit around the fire and chat. Thanks for the great comment !
This video is the video that changed camping for us.THANK YOU
Thanks!! I love those kind on comments !!
Beautiful drive and area. That water flowing sounded great, really a swift moving part. Akela sure likes the water. Thanks for taking us along, enjoyed. 😊👍
Hi Susan, Ya, he dove right into the swift current, I thought maybe he would swim on down to the dam, but he swam back out.
These were absolutely beautiful.... Thank you for sharing...
Thanks you for watching and leaving such a nice comment !
Hello new friend! We spent the weekend at Indian Boundary. Hope to explore more in the area. Next week we are going to Roane Mountain!
You keep saying good site for a trailer... you think one could get down the rd there? A fifth wheel to be exact
Enjoy, They are both great places to go !
Well, when I say "Trailer", I am usually speaking about a popup or hybrid. I don't think I would really want to take a Fifth wheel on the Skyway...LOL, much less that dirt rd. However, that road goes all the way to Tellico Plains, TN. You would be better to come at it from that direction, as it is mostly a straight road along the river
Nice area! Nice to see the puppy taking a dip! Thank you for sharing!
That little brat, he is definitely a teenager. He was told no swimming and he went right in..... I hope I can resist killing him before he reaches 2 yrs old. LOL Good to hear from you Paul !
Going NoWhereFast They do get that way sometimes! LOL! Thank you for replying back to me Rick!
Thanks Rick. Maybe the most stunning and relatively secluded place you have visited. A couple of months ago I moved from southern California to a Tulsa, Oklahoma suburb. I will be visiting this area soon I hope. Thanks again for all of your great videos.
Thanks for the comment and for watching. Without viewers it all seems worthless. Thanks Again !
This area is absolutely gorgeous and inviting.. Thanks for sharing. Be safe, Be blessed 😉🙂💙🇺🇸❤
Thanks Donna, I try to only go to really wonderful places...LOL... Though if they are wild, they were made by the greatest artist of all.
What a dog! Thanks for your very green videos, from Northern California!
Come on over, there's room for you in all this greenery !! LOL Thanks for the comment !
Hey Rick. I’m a friend of your mother in FL. I told her how my partner, Roger, is driving down to FL to get me and take me back to Buffalo. I’m afraid to fly!! And we want to camp along the way back. Love these state forests... the state parks aren’t welcoming out of state folks!!! I sent this all to Roger.
Nice to meet you!! Be careful about the forests. Many are closed also (state and national) and they are crowded as heck because so many other places are closed. We just went to one this weekend and you could not find a place to park much less camp. But if you can make reservations, they might be opening up. Especially after Memorial day!
Thank you for a fantastic video. I have been doing some virtual scouting today when I ran across your page and I sure am glad that I did! I can't wait until I can head out there and see it for myself.
I'll you'll like it. ITs a great area. Thanks for the comment !
You seem to be having the time of your life. Love your video's.... Enjoy!
Thank you Dennis... I do love vacations with my Aliner !! LOL
I love camping in this area! Wonderful water sites, great gravel roads, and lots of peace and quiet! Just stumbled across your channel recently and I am really enjoying it. Greetings from Alcoa Tennessee!
Well welcome aboard. Glad to have you!
Love this area as it’s close to my home. Been camping along Citico Creek and really enjoyed it. It is a very popular area for motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts since you have the Cherohala Skyway and the Tail Of The Dragon close by.
Yes, There are a lot of motorcycles and sports cars on the roads, but I didn't notice any campers who were sporty or looked like they were there for the roads! Maybe though! Thanks for the comment !
What a great area. Got to get my rig and motorcycle down there!
I'm working on next weeks video... wait til you see that !!
This has become one of my favorite destinations in the CNF, along with Citico Creek, thanks to several of your videos highlighting this area. I've really enjoyed the North River CG in my ALiner. Being retired I usually arrived early or mid-week to score a good campsite on the river. Any of those dispersed campsites are nice too if not occupied. Yes on the fly fishing! FWIW, as if 3/23, campsite #14 on Citico Creek is closed due to overuse and abuse because of folks that don't know how to 💩in the woods (even with the portable outhouses!) and leave no trace.
Sorry to hear they are closing the campsites, but they have put out signs and people don't give damn. Hopefully those slobs will go away and not come back when they open it back up in a year or two. Thats a great area, we will be back in the next month or two
@@GoingNoWhereFast Headed to Citico in mid-April and then the Cataloochee Valley in GSMNP in late April. With my ALiner in tow. Safe travels.
@@DrJohn493 That's a great area. I little primitive, and it can be crowded, but still a good time and lots to explore and see. GSMNP maybe less crowded now they are forcing a entrance fee.
@@GoingNoWhereFast Well, its not really an entrance fee, it's a parking fee and I've already got my annual tag so I'm all set. The Catalooch is less crowded than other parts of the park that I've experienced and it has some great day hiking/fly fishing opportunities.
Very helpful video. Thanks for sharing. Definitely gonna check it out.
I'll be there in September if there are openings! Some of the best little campsites next to great fishing!
Thanks for the great find! Heading out there tomorrow with the wife! Hopefully I find a good site open! Thank you!
Have fun, take firewood!!
Wonderful camping 👍👏
Thanks John. I've got to get back there this fall !!
I headed out right now! OK, maybe later.
Took a trip down there today to do some scouting for our next camp trip. First thing, I'd DEFINITELY recommend coming from the other direction (River Rd). The trip to the campsites is much shorter and the road is much easier (washboard gravel on the hills). The sites are clearly marked, and many are pretty darn nice. The ones along the road (1-6) are pretty nice and the campground area is especially nice for a primitive campground. ALL sites are $8/night. We are going to try and bring our large travel trailer up there sometime soon and see if we can get into trouble... haha
Thanks for the follow-up information. Its always nice to get various opinions. I think you will like the area and definitely take the Tennessee end Road in. I just happen to be looking for 4x4 roads when I first stumbled on these sites, so I came from the NC end. Thanks again for the comment !
@@GoingNoWhereFast Well, a slight correction to my original post. We did, in fact, tow our 33' travel trailer up there this past weekend and had a great time! The main river road wasn't too bad (although I wouldn't want to tow the camper through there at night) but the North River Rd was considerably more narrow (which I knew from the video and personally scouting it) which made me a bit nervous pulling the big trailer up there. We ended up camping at Site #3 which was amazing. As it turns out, these sites (#1-#6, along North River Rd) ARE FREE. The pay sites are the North River Campground or any of the other actual campgrounds in the area (lots of them along the main River Rd, past Bald River Falls). Anyway, my apologies about the fee confusion. I would advise anyone who is considering going there with ANY trailer longer than 15' to do some scouting and know your way in and out. It would be REALLY easy to get mixed up and end up in big trouble if you go past #6 and have to take the road all the way to Stratton Meadows. Tight turns, very steep drop offs and a couple small bridges with curves right before them (making them hard to negotiate with a trailer). Anyway, thanks again! The dispersed camping bug bit this weekend and we're hungry for more. Even though our trailer is a larger one, I'd still rather try and get away from it all rather than being relegated to a campground, surrounded by generators, people who wake up WAY too early, and general noise.
I'm with you there !! Thanks for the info !
That area was gorgeous. Definitely putting it in My Maps. I retire next summer!
I may Retire next week !! Let me know if you go to my area.... I only need a small excuse to head out to the woods !
Going NoWhereFast I absolutely will. 👍🏻
free areas are sometimes hard to find thanks for the info
MY pleasure..... Especially in such a nice area!
Stratton Meadows and Hooper Bald. Great Video
Thanks!! Come back anytime!
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for stopping by! By the way, for some reason you short and simple comment was tagged as spam... no idea why !? But I untagged it.
@@GoingNoWhereFast Keep up the beautiful travels.
Great video
Thanks. Come back anytime
Don't blame you for not crossing the cement bridge. Nice resource video for campers! Enjoy your weekend!
why ? people take big campers across it all the time.
I have been across it many times. They are called Submarine Bridges. They are less likely to wash out from heavy rains. They are nothing but Reinforced Concrete and Tile and when the tile can't carry the waterflow it goes over the structure and doesn't wash out. I have camped at just about all the Campsites up Citico Creek.
I just saw this for the first time this would be a good place to go and get away from it all good veido take care of your dog
Its a very good place to get away. Thanks for the comment, and the dog is well taken care of, spoiled might be the right term!!! LOL
I liked your video. Thanx
Thanks! Always appreciate a kind word. Come back anytime !!
Great area. Not familiar with NC except Asheville area. Haven’t camped up there yet as I solo and I’m 62. Only solocamped 3 times in SC State Parks. Have been camping since I was 8 though.
You can do it! Your a young Chick compared to me! There are no nicer people than campers and outdoors people. There are 100x more home invasions than camper invasions. If someone is bothered while camping its a national news story. A house being burglarized or broken into isn't even news worthy anymore. The world is waiting!!
You should have went across the submarine bridge. There were so many campsites below the one you last stopped at. My Dad was raised on Citico Creek. We have hunted those mountains. I live close by now.
I did go back and camped there. It is in my Fall videos of 2020. Its a great area. Lots of old history back in the woods. Thanks for the comment !
As I recall the North River campsite 6 is a group-only site? I may be wrong but several group sites up that way before the fork. Loved your video thanks one of my fav areas!
We camped there for 2 nights. It only had one fire ring up in the trees. It actually looked more like a horse camp area. But it was certainly a very nice campsite!
Great info, nice video's - So when you turn off the dirt road off of Statton, how far was it to the designated campsites? It looked like quite a 'ways'.
It is a ways.. maybe 20 minutes or 4-5 miles. Its a fantastically beautiful drive though.
excellent journey!!! what kind of fan do u use inside ur frig to speed up cooling
Rarely do I use anything. The frig is plenty cold enough without it. I have more trouble keeping things from freezing
Thanks, Rick! Saw a cordless chainsaw in your backseat. Interested in how it works out.
It works pretty good. I have used it for a few little things. Have not had a chance to try it on anything big. I will do a video when I actually have a tree to cut up.
sweet
Very!
I'm traveling so it takes me a while to catch up. I will be going to this area, on my way to a conference with self reliant roadshow and others in Burnsville NC in Nov from NY. Any advice where to get off of 81? I have a small Roadtrek. Thank you for your videos.
Take 81 to Tennessee and then Take I-26 south.
Beautiful area, I hope to one day get there. How does the trailer handle on dirt roads? Have you ever regretted taking a road with your trailer?
I have taken that trailer (before lifting and other modifications) through swamps and forests where there were no roads. The only issue has been whether or not the tow vehicle has the traction and power to pull it up a slippery road. Twice I have had to back back down 200ft and get a running start on a rainy muddy road.
A primitive campsite but very beautiful. By the way I traded my Aliner Ranger 12 2015 and bought an Aliner Expediton 2019. I was wondering how you winterized your Classic before you put your by pass kit on? I did that to my Ranger 12 but I did not like the fact that you could not use the drain on the heater tank but had to drain it on the anode rod opening. Did antifreeze get into your water heater before you converted it and how much anti freeze did you use? I thought about just using a threaded nipple and threading it into the cold and hot off the water heater- It would work that way and I could still drain the water heater tank with the drain at the bottom. Your thoughts please.
Ya.. you really have to remove the anode rod to drain the heater. If you don't have a bypass (they are easy to install) You can often get away with "blowing the water out with air," then adding anti-freeze to just the cold line and drains. The Freeze risk is MOSTLY in the water pump and the outside shower valves. But if you are going to see below "0" for more than a day, you should do a full anti-freeze to protect the joints and valves. I have camped at "0" degrees temps at night and not suffered any damage, That maybe luck or the higher temps in the trailer protecting stuff.
Hey Rick! Great video! What time of yhe year is this? Im thinking about going in the next few weeks
Pretty sure it was after labor Day. Most of my Videos are posted within a 2weeks of going somewhere. The Woods are very much packed with people. It might be hard to find a good boondocking sight in this area, but I'm sure you can find a group site that you can spend the night in. Of Course Weekends are more crowded than week days!! Have fun, let us know how you make out !!
Were those roads One Way? Where you pulling the ALiner? The roads look like a bad place to meet a driver going the opposite direction with someone pulling an RV even a small one but it was so beautiful.
They were not one, and it would tight, but they are wide enough for me to get past any oncoming cars with the aliner in tow. I'm planning on going back in a few weeks.
I'm trying to figure out where those "free" campsites you found along the road are. The North River campground (a more traditional style primitive CG) is closeby but I can't figure where those off-the-road sites are. Any advice?
I think the "North River Campground" you are seeing is a group camp. The free sites are just a little further east from that. They are spread out over the next 2-4 miles.
I’m not sure because my memory is not very good but I think these may be the most beautiful boondocking campsites you have found up to now. Or maybe the question is what makes up your top 5 all time favorite camp sites (so far)?
These were by fair the nicest sites I have been to if you want to stay close to camp and enjoy all that is right there. Lots of great stuff in that river valley. But I'm still partial to the Moose River Plains in the NY Adirondacks.... So many place to go and explore within an hours drive. But we explore here mre and find lots to do yet.. so it is a competition!
Which site is 14:23? I've been to one just like it before in NC near Linville Gorge. Anyway, Great video-- thanks!
Thats Site 14, it has 4-6 actual camping areas, 3 along the river.
Looks like tree canopy is low in some areas on road. Can you get 11’ trailer height down to the 6 campsites?
Absolutely, there were plenty of Large trailers in thee. One fifth wheel that didn't look wuite like new, so maybe a little rubbing, but for most it is clear. Its a very wide angle lens.
Today
Do you know if you have to reserve any of those sites or is it first come first serve. TIA
They are all FCFS.
Do you think a Prius could get back on these roads? I'm not far from there would love to camp there
most of this road is better than the roads through NY city.. So Probably!!
What do you do if another vehicle is coming from the opposite direction on the narrow road?
Squeeze by very carefully!!! LOL. There is usually enough space within a few hundred feet if its a really narrow road to pull over quite a bit. You just have to careful of road side washouts where you can get stuck.
@@GoingNoWhereFast okay thanks great channel by the way 👍🏿
@@pigmentrich224 Thanks, feel free to stop by anytime ! Free popcorn!
Hi Rick, if I'm coming from west Knoxville area whats the best route to get here? Do you have directions and an exact location or should I follow whats in your intro? Thanks!
Probably take I-75 to 68, then go over to Tellico Plains and then go east into the falls rd until you hit the campsites. That's backwards from how I got there, but its closer for you !
Go through Maryville to Vonore and turn at Sloans store. Keep going and it will run right into the Citico Creek gravel road.
Thinking of making this trip this weekend, how’s it there in the fall weather?
Better yet, what’s my best way of getting there from Memphis 😅
@@eliutmorales3297 Thats a long trip, but just Google Tellico Plains and head there, then travel up the Tellico Plains river to the North River Rd. Temp probably will be around freezing at night and 50-60's during the day.
….but CAN one drive across that bridge at site 14? Is there a sign bearing a weight rating?
Its a solid Concrete bridge that seems to be quite strong. There is no weight rating on the bridge, but I'm pretty sure they have driven logging trucks and Dump trucks over it because there is evidence of that. But I'd stay off it if the water is up near the top!!
@@GoingNoWhereFast thank you!!
It is about 8 to 10 miles on an awful road that sometimes is snowed over. Takes about 30 or more minutes
It wasn't aweful when I was there. It was windy, and gravel, but hardly any potholes and flat. Its amazing what a few major storms can do to a dirt road!
@@GoingNoWhereFast lots of snow and ice
@@merle1929 I can't be responsible for the weather in winter.... Sounds like it was probably a very deserted camping area though!
@@GoingNoWhereFast no one there but me and 50 bear hunters. No criticism directed at you but driving the dirt roads is not for everyone
@@merle1929 LOL... Hunters are hearty folks !!
Where exactly is campsite 14 at? The one with the rock and the rope swing. Where is that one?
It was closed by FS. But it was right at the bottom of the hill. As you get to the bottom the road goes sharp left and there is a driveway with the concrete bridge to the right.
@GoingNoWhereFast yeah when I looked it up it said it was closed as well. Perfect spot to take my gf to but if they closed it then dang haha. Anyways thanks for your reply and God bless and keep up the awesome videos I really enjoy your videos. It's helped me and my gf find nice camping spots that I didn't even know existed. Thanks my friend. Have a great weekend
Hey Rick does your GPS work out there?
GPS works everywhere as long as you can see 30% of the sky. I have a expensive Hiking one that works under trees and in dense forest. If you mean does your CAR GPS have maps in that area, I don't know, but the maps on my tablet work using the Apple Mini GPS.
So that road is a no go for my 24" long by 8'6" wide, 11' tall class C.
You could come in from the other end. Its the same road as the Bald Falls is on coming out of Tellico Plains, TN. From that end it is mostly a straight shot paved road until the last mile.
You could EASILY get your Class C in there. We just took our 33' travel trailer up there and camped this weekend. Saw a few other motorhomes and trailers in there. Just come in from the main River Rd, past Bald River Falls.
i see people haul there campers on that road often.
can roadtrek vancamper make it thru there
Easy, But if you come from the Tellico Plains side, just take the road to the falls and keep going. you will come to all these campsite !
free is the only way i go : )
Well, I do like to bath occasionally and use electricity if its really cold or really hot, but these are really nice I bet 10 months of the year !
spent 4 hours lost driving in circles down around Bald River Falls......would have been more fun if my tire didn't have a slow leak
Oowww.... I carry a tire plug kit, and a compressor, but I suppose that doesn't help you out much. Nice area though ! Go back when you get new tires!
Personally I would not take an RV trailer back in there. Road looked suited for one way traffic. Too many over hangs.
I agree with that for anything 2 axles. But I have seen 5th wheels in there, and some very large horse trailers!!
Beautiful campsites, but why can’t people clean up after themselves, I was camping this past weekend at a county park on the water on the east end of Long Island and each night we talk a walk on the beach and picked up a leaf bag of trash, makes me sad
Too many millenials !! They think the world is theirs to ruin and their parents will clean it up...
@@GoingNoWhereFast When our two sons were growing up we insisted that we kept a clean camp and they even helped clean a campsite that some locals had trashed before the gentleman that usually did the cleaning up got there as he had a handicap (though it never seemed to slow him down). I cannot understand people who behave like that! My motto is Leave your campsite better than you found it! Love your videos. Please keep them up. Please give Akela a pat for me.
Bald RIVER falls
Right, I blame it on my Northern Accent! LOL
wouldn't it be nice if everybody picked up litter they find and disposed of it rather than making patronizing comments and leaving it there .