Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area
Old hemlocks, a swimming hole and river sites on the South Toe, below the Black Mountains.
- Yancey County, NC
- Nearest town: Burnsville
- 2,774 ft
Coordinates
- Lat
- 35.80555
- Lng
- -82.20389
Van camping
You can drive in and sleep in your van here.
At a glance
The basics
What to expect
National forest
Often first-come, gravel access, vault toilets, little or no signal.
- County
- Yancey County
- State
- North Carolina
- Nearest town
- Burnsville
- Elevation
- 2,774 ft
- Max vehicle length
- Not verified
The place
About Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area
Carolina Hemlocks is the gentler neighbour to Black Mountain Campground a few miles upriver, and the trade is a little less wilderness for a lot more comfort. The South Toe River widens here into a deep pool with a gravel bar that becomes the centre of camp on a hot afternoon, and the big trees the area is named for throw shade over the riverside sites. The Black Mountain crest, including Mount Mitchell, rises behind it, and trails connect up into the range. Tubing, trout fishing and doing nothing at all beside the water are the main activities.
For van drivers
Getting a van in and out
Reached from NC 80, a paved two-lane road, which makes this considerably easier to get into than Black Mountain Campground upstream. The riverside sites are the good ones but also the tightest; the upper loop is friendlier to a longer wheelbase. No usable cell signal in the valley. Burnsville is the nearest town.
Written for a high-roof van, not a pickup. Surfaces and clearances change with the weather and with the season’s roadwork — the official page below is the last word.
On the ground
Facilities & fees
Not verified means nobody has confirmed it — treat it as unknown, never as a no. 8 of the 8 below are still unconfirmed.
- Restrooms
- Not verified
- Drinking water
- Not verified
- Showers
- Not verified
- Dump station
- Not verified
- Hookups
- Not verified
- Campfires
- Not verified
- Dogs allowed
- Not verified
- Reservations
- Not verified
- Max vehicle length
- Not verified — check with the park
- Season
- Not verified — check with the park
- Fees
- Not verified — check with the park
The last word on all of this is fs.usda.gov(opens in a new tab).
Where it is
Coordinates & directions
Decimal degrees
- Latitude
- 35.805550
- Longitude
- -82.203894
35.8055° N · 82.2039° W
No map tiles here on purpose. Half of these places have no signal at the gate, so coordinates you can save offline beat a map that needs one. Drop them into your phone before you turn off the pavement.
Nearest gas and groceries: Burnsville
Before you go
Official sources
Fees, site counts, length limits and closures change season to season. Everything we have not confirmed ourselves is marked Not verified above rather than guessed at — and where we do have a number, the operator’s own page still wins.
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