Tsali Recreation Area
Legendary mountain biking loops on a peninsula in Fontana Lake, in Nantahala National Forest.
- Graham County, NC
- Nearest town: Bryson City
- 2,193 ft
Coordinates
- Lat
- 35.39442
- Lng
- -83.59217
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
- Graham County
- State
- North Carolina
- Nearest town
- Bryson City
- Elevation
- 2,193 ft
- Max vehicle length
- Not verified
The place
About Tsali Recreation Area
Tsali is a mountain biking destination first and a campground second. Four loops run out along a peninsula that reaches into Fontana Lake, following the contours above the water with long fast stretches and constant lake views, and the trails rotate between bikes and horses on an alternating schedule that is worth checking before you arrive. The campground sits near the trailhead in pine and hardwood, and the lake is right there for swimming afterwards. Across the water is the southern edge of the Smokies, largely trailless and empty.
For van drivers
Getting a van in and out
The access road off NC 28 is paved and manageable. This is a working trailhead campground, so expect vehicles with bike racks and horse trailers manoeuvring around you, particularly on weekend mornings. Bryson City is about nine miles away for supplies and fuel. Cell signal is patchy to absent on the peninsula.
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
- 35.394417
- Longitude
- -83.592168
35.3944° N · 83.5922° 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
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