Deep Creek Campground
Tubing, three waterfalls and a campground on the edge of Bryson City.
- Swain County, NC
- Nearest town: Bryson City
- 1,804 ft
Coordinates
- Lat
- 35.46126
- Lng
- -83.43617
Van camping
You can drive in and sleep in your van here.
At a glance
The basics
What to expect
National park
Reservable in season, no hookups, strict quiet hours and food storage.
- County
- Swain County
- State
- North Carolina
- Nearest town
- Bryson City
- Elevation
- 1,804 ft
- Max vehicle length
- Not verified
The place
About Deep Creek Campground
Deep Creek is the most relaxed corner of the Smokies. The creek runs cold and fast out of the mountains and straight past the campground, and floating down it on a rented tube is practically the local custom — outfitters sit just outside the park boundary. A short loop of trail takes in three waterfalls, Tom Branch, Indian Creek and Juney Whank, none of them a hard walk. Beyond the falls the trails climb into much quieter country. Bryson City is two miles away, which makes this one of the most convenient campgrounds in the park.
For van drivers
Getting a van in and out
A short, paved approach from Bryson City, easy for any size of build, and one of the least intimidating national park campgrounds in the mountains to drive into. Bryson City has fuel, groceries and laundry within a couple of miles. The campground is closed in winter. Standard Smokies bear rules apply: nothing scented left outside the vehicle, ever.
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 nps.gov(opens in a new tab).
Where it is
Coordinates & directions
Decimal degrees
- Latitude
- 35.461259
- Longitude
- -83.436171
35.4613° N · 83.4362° 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: Bryson City
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.
Keep looking
Camp nearby
For sale
