Carolina Hemlocks Rec Area

River
Entrance
CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA 2
CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA
CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA 1

Featured amenities

General Store General Store
Pet Friendly Pet Friendly
Restrooms Restrooms
River Access River Access
Showers Showers

Sites & Rates

Average nightly rates

20 total sites

RV Sites

17 sites

Tent Sites

3 sites

About Carolina Hemlocks Rec Area

Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area sits in the scenic mountains of Pisgah National Forest. This is a great place for small to medium-sized groups to swim, fish, tube, hike, camp, picnic and simply relax in the cool shade of the forest.

Number of accommodations: 20

Activities & Attractions

Nearby

Fishing

Fishing

Year-round
Hiking

Hiking

Year-round
Swimming

Swimming

Summer
Tubing

Tubing

Spring Summer Fall

Seasonal information

2026 (Current year)

2026 Season availability

Current season
Upcoming seasons
Past seasons
Closed periods
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Currently open - Apr 4 to Oct 31

Campground Amenities

Most popular amenities

General Store General Store
Pet friendly Pet friendly
Restrooms Restrooms
River Access River Access
Showers Showers
Water and Hygiene

Water and Hygiene

  • Restrooms
  • Showers
On Site Services

On Site Services

  • General Store
Water Access

Water Access

  • Lake Access
  • River Access
Pets and Policies

Pets and Policies

  • Pet friendly
Missing information? Let us know

Rates, Sites & Availability

Select check-in and check-out dates to see real-time availability for each site.

20 Sites Available

Site
Price
🚐 01, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 02, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 03, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 04, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 05, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 06, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
07, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA Tent
8 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 08, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 09, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 12, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 13, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
28, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA Tent
8 guests · Campfire · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 29, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 30, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 31, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 32, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 33, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
🚐 34, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available
35, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA Tent
8 guests · Pet Friendly
Price not available
🚐 36, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA RV
No Hookups
Price not available

Reviews (327)

What Guests Are Saying

Carolina Hemlocks Rec Area is praised for its beautiful location near the river, well-maintained facilities, and friendly hosts. Many visitors enjoy the campground's relaxing atmosphere, ample opportunities for swimming and tubing, and the accessibility of nearby trails. While some issues with noise and management have been noted, the overall experience remains positive, with many campers expressing a desire to return.

Review Summary

4.3
327 reviews
5
61.2%
200
4
20.8%
68
3
9.5%
31
2
4.9%
16
1
3.7%
12

Barry M

Verified

July 2, 2021 Stayed at: 04, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

5

Fun place to camp

Barry M

Verified

July 2, 2021 Stayed at: 04, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

5

Fun place to camp

Tom S

Verified

July 7, 2021 Stayed at: 12, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

5

Wonderful campground, great swimming and tubing. Didn't catch any fish but I could see them. Would come here again in a second. Magical place.

Tom S

Verified

July 7, 2021 Stayed at: 12, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

5

Wonderful campground, great swimming and tubing. Didn't catch any fish but I could see them. Would come here again in a second. Magical place.

Rene P

Verified

July 18, 2021 Stayed at: 33, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

5

Wanda, our camp hostess, was AMAZING! She was so helpful and friendly. She even came down to the river for a moment and snapped a few photos of our group.

Our middle school youth group had a great time tubing! Definitely visit the rocky area of the beach.

The water did not run clear even after flushing it. We did end up buying bottled water for drinking. The bathrooms occasionally got dirty, but I guess that is to be expected at family campgrounds.

Rene P

Verified

July 18, 2021 Stayed at: 33, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

5

Wanda, our camp hostess, was AMAZING! She was so helpful and friendly. She even came down to the river for a moment and snapped a few photos of our group.

Our middle school youth group had a great time tubing! Definitely visit the rocky area of the beach.

The water did not run clear even after flushing it. We did end up buying bottled water for drinking. The bathrooms occasionally got dirty, but I guess that is to be expected at family campgrounds.

Jeff O

Verified

July 20, 2021 Stayed at: 12, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

5

The Campground was clean and the Camp Managers were always helpful and available.
The Bath house was always as clean as one can be with so many people using it.
We have camped at Carolina Hemlocks for more than 10 years and love it.

Jeff O

Verified

July 20, 2021 Stayed at: 12, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

5

The Campground was clean and the Camp Managers were always helpful and available.
The Bath house was always as clean as one can be with so many people using it.
We have camped at Carolina Hemlocks for more than 10 years and love it.

David M

Verified

July 23, 2021 Stayed at: 06, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

4

Nice clean cool river for fishing, tubing, especially. I wish they would use leaf blowers!!! Horrible noise plus the rain washes the roads nicely-It was a hot day and I had upper tent flaps down, so I got huge cloud of dust covering the inside of tent plus, of course, my van. MAYBE use a blower around office and sidewalk from office to the swim area but NO WHERE else. Hearing a leaf blower and having clouds of dust coat your picnic table, car, tent, dog water....EVERYTHING is NOT a desirable experience. Otherwise, it is a fabulous campground for tents and SMALL RVs. If they converted the NEVER used picnic sites for campsites for SMALL van camper conversions (no appropriate place to tents) that would be nice for visitors and profitable for FIND.

David M

Verified

July 23, 2021 Stayed at: 06, Loop: CAROLINA HEMLOCKS REC AREA

4

Nice clean cool river for fishing, tubing, especially. I wish they would use leaf blowers!!! Horrible noise plus the rain washes the roads nicely-It was a hot day and I had upper tent flaps down, so I got huge cloud of dust covering the inside of tent plus, of course, my van. MAYBE use a blower around office and sidewalk from office to the swim area but NO WHERE else. Hearing a leaf blower and having clouds of dust coat your picnic table, car, tent, dog water....EVERYTHING is NOT a desirable experience. Otherwise, it is a fabulous campground for tents and SMALL RVs. If they converted the NEVER used picnic sites for campsites for SMALL van camper conversions (no appropriate place to tents) that would be nice for visitors and profitable for FIND.

Location Carolina Hemlocks Rec Area

Address:
8516 Highway 80 South
Burnsville, NC, 28714
United States

Highway access

Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area is accessible via I-26, with exit 9 leading to Highway 19, which connects to State Highway 80. Highway 80 provides direct access to the campground.

Elevation: 842 feet

Distance to downtown

14 mi drive to downtown Burnsville (about 21 min)

Nearby Campgrounds

Nearby destinations


Last updated: September 7, 2026

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Managed by USDA Forest Service