About Balsam Mountain Campground
Number of accommodations: 42
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
Most popular amenities
Parking
Restrooms
Fire Pit
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
- Restrooms
Cooking and Fire
- Fire Pit
- Campfire Ring
Parking and Transport
- Parking
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Rates, Sites & Availability
42 Sites Available
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Site Details
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42 Sites Available
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Reviews (680)
What Guests Are Saying
Balsam Mountain Campground offers beautiful, well-maintained sites with plenty of wildlife and hiking opportunities, making it a perfect escape from summer heat. Many visitors appreciate the friendly hosts and clean facilities, while the atmosphere is described as quiet and serene. Although some sites may feel close together and there are occasional issues with amenities like firewood, the overall experience is highly praised, with many returning annually for its charm and natural beauty.
What Guests Are Saying
Balsam Mountain Campground offers beautiful, well-maintained sites with plenty of wildlife and hiking opportunities, making it a perfect escape from summer heat. Many visitors appreciate the friendly hosts and clean facilities, while the atmosphere is described as quiet and serene. Although some sites may feel close together and there are occasional issues with amenities like firewood, the overall experience is highly praised, with many returning annually for its charm and natural beauty.
Review Summary
Taylor T
VerifiedJuly 24, 2023 • Stayed at: 11, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
The campground was beautiful but the sites were incredibly close to each other. So close, that you could hear snoring from all over the campground. Add to that the guy in a tent 20ft away talking on speakerphone from 10pm-1:30am and it made for an incredibly frustrating experience. We left 3 days early and won’t be back. Sites are just way too close together.
Taylor T
VerifiedJuly 24, 2023 • Stayed at: 11, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
The campground was beautiful but the sites were incredibly close to each other. So close, that you could hear snoring from all over the campground. Add to that the guy in a tent 20ft away talking on speakerphone from 10pm-1:30am and it made for an incredibly frustrating experience. We left 3 days early and won’t be back. Sites are just way too close together.
Martin Y
VerifiedJuly 23, 2023 • Stayed at: 13, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
The campground is great. We have stayed multiple times and really enjoyed it. The host this time was very bad. He had an attitude with everyone as they checked in. I talked to people at least 5 other sites that had the same experience witg him. Bad attitude. We all witnessed him spend 30 minutes in someones campsite going thru there site. He wanted to look thru everything when no one was at a site but when someone was loud intentionally, he wouldn’t do anything about that. I love the campground but when you have someone as a host that intentionally makes everyone in the campground not welcome, I will not go back. I have camped all over and never seen a host as bad!!!!
Martin Y
VerifiedJuly 23, 2023 • Stayed at: 13, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
The campground is great. We have stayed multiple times and really enjoyed it. The host this time was very bad. He had an attitude with everyone as they checked in. I talked to people at least 5 other sites that had the same experience witg him. Bad attitude. We all witnessed him spend 30 minutes in someones campsite going thru there site. He wanted to look thru everything when no one was at a site but when someone was loud intentionally, he wouldn’t do anything about that. I love the campground but when you have someone as a host that intentionally makes everyone in the campground not welcome, I will not go back. I have camped all over and never seen a host as bad!!!!
Marita v
VerifiedJuly 16, 2023 • Stayed at: 03, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
Balsam mountain is food for the soul. The place is serene.
Marita v
VerifiedJuly 16, 2023 • Stayed at: 03, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
Balsam mountain is food for the soul. The place is serene.
Kevin V
VerifiedJuly 15, 2023 • Stayed at: 14, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
I chose this campground because I was travelling in the dead of summer and the altitude of the campground was promising for cooler nights. The one night I stay at the campground was indeed cool, probably 15 degrees below that of lower elevations.
However, I would not recommend this campground for test camping. The campsites are WAY too close together, there is absolutely no privacy. My campsite (tent pad) was maybe 25 feet from two other tent pads, with nothing blocking views or noise. Also, there are is no electrical, so expect people with campers to be running generators all day, which may or be 50 feet from your tent. There is a section of 5 sites that are tent only (no vehicle access), but even those are way too close together. To get to one of those sites, you have to walk right through somebody else's site. Unacceptable. In my opinion, this campground needs to decrease the number of sites by about 50% to make the sites reasonably far apart.
My original reservation was for two nights, and I skipped my second night and moved to a different campground because I was so unsatisfied.
Facilities were fine, everything was clean and check-in was a breeze.
Kevin V
VerifiedJuly 15, 2023 • Stayed at: 14, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
I chose this campground because I was travelling in the dead of summer and the altitude of the campground was promising for cooler nights. The one night I stay at the campground was indeed cool, probably 15 degrees below that of lower elevations.
However, I would not recommend this campground for test camping. The campsites are WAY too close together, there is absolutely no privacy. My campsite (tent pad) was maybe 25 feet from two other tent pads, with nothing blocking views or noise. Also, there are is no electrical, so expect people with campers to be running generators all day, which may or be 50 feet from your tent. There is a section of 5 sites that are tent only (no vehicle access), but even those are way too close together. To get to one of those sites, you have to walk right through somebody else's site. Unacceptable. In my opinion, this campground needs to decrease the number of sites by about 50% to make the sites reasonably far apart.
My original reservation was for two nights, and I skipped my second night and moved to a different campground because I was so unsatisfied.
Facilities were fine, everything was clean and check-in was a breeze.
Jonathan A
VerifiedJuly 13, 2023 • Stayed at: 22, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
Everything seemed great, but got rained out
Jonathan A
VerifiedJuly 13, 2023 • Stayed at: 22, Loop: BALSAM MOUNTAIN CAMPGROUND
Everything seemed great, but got rained out
Location Balsam Mountain Campground
Address:
253 Smokemont Campground Road
Cherokee, NC, 28719
United States
From the North: From I-40 take Exit 20 Maggie Valley, NC and travel US-19 towards Cherokee, NC. Access the Blue Ridge Parkway at Soco Gap and continue South to mile 458.2, turning right onto Heintooga Ridge Road. Enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Black Camp Gap and continue 9 miles to Balsam Mountain Campground. From the South: Follow US-441/US-23 North. At Dillsboro merge onto US-74 West/US-441 North. At exit 74 merge onto US-441. Continue on US-441 through Cherokee, NC and into the park. Access the Blue Ridge Parkway traveling North to mile 458.2, turning left onto Heintooga Ridge Road. Enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Black Camp Gap and continue 9 miles to Balsam Mountain Campground.
Balsam Mountain Campground is accessible via I-40, US-19, US-441, and the Blue Ridge Parkway. I-40 is approximately 20 miles to the north, with access via Exit 20 to US-19. US-441 also provides access through Cherokee, NC.
Latitude & Longitude: 35.5654 / -83.1743
Elevation: 1633 feet
Nearby National Park
Arch Rock Entrance
Approximate driving time: 54 min
Nearby Campgrounds
Nearby destinations
Last updated: June 5, 2026
