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Martin's Nest Nantahala

Hosted by Jim · Bryson City, North Carolina
2 sites · RV, Tent · 8 acres
100%
·
57 reviews
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Near Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Within a 60-minute drive from the Clingmans Dome Visitor Center.
Amazing views
Hipcampers say this spot has amazing views.
Staff verified
Accuracy verified by Hipcamp's on-the-ground team.
Jim is a Star Host
Star Hosts are highly rated, responsive, and committed to providing incredible experiences.
The creek in front of the property is available for use. Great for soaking when the weather gets hot and it's shallow enough to just bring a folding chair. Fish? Yes, there are some trout in there. Flies work best. Got kids? Build a dam! Go for a creek walk! Great hiking at the end of Wesser Creek Road. There is a trail by the creek and a fire tower with great view about 4.5 miles up that trail. Water source (spring) is available at the top. Follow the blue blaze. The white blazes at the top tell you you're on the Appalachian Trail. Take a side hike to Maine! Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) is just down the road on 19/74. Rafting, zip lines, a ropes course, mountain biking... good food by the river, a bar, public restrooms... the works. They often have music by the river on the weekends. This land was once a hillside farm, after it was first logged early in the last century. They used to grow corn all over the hillside, then let the cows up there to graze and eat up the stalks. If you look closely, you might find some barbed wire in an old oak here and there.
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Site 2 - "Wildercamp"

100%
(33)
Tent site · Sleeps 14
Short, moderately steep trail (about 100 feet) takes you to this long, secluded ridge top site. It's large and very shady, for the most part. Small treehouse plus two areas for tents and separate view of Wesser Bald and the Wesser Creek Valley. Largest area is oval and about 25x50 feet. Buck berries (wild blueberries) surround the place and abound in the Summer. Treehouse can sleep 2-3 comfortably, or a family of four with small kids. Eye hooks for hammocks provided in the trees beneath it. A trail leads into the laurel to a composting toilet (115 steps or so...). Scenic view is on the opposite end of the site.  We are about a mile from the Nantahala River and Nantahala Outdoor Center. Mountain biking nearby at Tsali, NOC's Flint Ridge and the Fire Mountain trails in Cherokee. Swimming, boating, fishing at Lake Fontana. The Appalachian Trail is accessible at the end of the road. Licensed therapeutic massage and acupuncture are within walking distance, up Wesser Creek Rd. It's the next place upstream - on the left - from Martin Heights Rd.. "Mountain Therapeutic". Great folks! To avoid bear encounters, it's good to reduce smells in general. Don't keep food or anything smelly in your tent, even/especially chewing gum. Put leftover dinner scraps into the ashes and stir them in well.
Campfires allowed
Toilet
Potable water
Pets allowed
Showers
Picnic table
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for NaN guests

RV/tent sites

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Site 1 - "Base Camp"

100%
(35)
RV/tent site · Sleeps 10 · Vehicles under 19 ft
This one is more on the car camping side of things. Go LEFT at the end of the road. There's a sign. Larger area for parking / camping with a fire-pit and picnic table. It's built into the hillside and protected on three sides. Above the site is another smaller site and a separate scenic view of the entire Wesser Creek Valley. Great place to see a whole watershed at once. This place used to be a farm. Corn was grown up here long ago and grazed afterward. Before that the whole valley was logged. The older houses on this creek go back to those days, in the 20's, beginning as basic slab houses that were added on to over time.  We are about a mile from the Nantahala River and Nantahala Outdoor Center. Mountain biking is nearby at Tsali, NOC's Flint Ridge Trail, and don't miss the crazy Fire Mountain Trails in Cherokee. Swimming, boating and fishing are just down the road on 28, just after where 19 splits off from 28 intersection. The Appalachian Trail is accessible at the end of Wesser Creek Road. Licensed therapeutic massage is available in the next house up the creek on the left. It's within walking distance. 19 foot limit on cars/vans. Teardrop trailers OK. Nothing bigger.
Campfires allowed
Toilet
Potable water
Pets allowed
No electrical hookup
No water hookup
from
$38
/ night
for NaN guests
from
$38
/ night
2 sites

Reviews

100% Recommend68 ratings · 57 reviews
Recommends
· September 2025
Camping with bears!
Tent · With kids ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
I absolutely loved the primitive camping style! The walk from the car to the main site is pretty strenuous but doable! The view was breathtaking! My girls, ages 6 & 9, adored the tree house right on our site, although they chose to sleep in our tent! We forged on the land for firewood, super motivating if you're hungry! The small creek at the end of the property was really fun and the kids enjoyed trying to build a dam. Definitely will return!
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Erika F.
2 reviews
Recommends
· May 2025
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Beautiful views, big set up. The treehouse is super cool. It was very peaceful. The road is a little rough, but do able. The walk up to the campsite is a bit steep. Be careful collecting firewood, there is a lot of rhododendron around. Overall a wonderful weekend!
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Mandy P.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· November 2024
First Hipcamp stay
16 ft campervan · Group trip ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
First Hipcamp experience Group of 6 had a great time close to Gaf at NOC. Close and private..we were able to away from the crowds at the end of the day.
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Matt S.
2 reviews
Recommends
· July 2024
Tent · With kids ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
Jim's camp site was described to a T, and even the exact description didn't do it justice. To be clear, this is not a spot for those who are finicky since it is rather primitive camping. (Flies in the compost/ camp toilet in July are no joke, and also to be expected. Most primitive spots don't even have camp toilets. If ya' know, ya' know. :-) It was awesome to have the spigot there for doing the washing up as well as to refill our water bottles. Overall, the spot was BEAUTIFUL and very convenient to our happy place, the Nantahala River. We really appreciated Jim's attention to maintaining the trails and wildflowers. Speaking of trails, take the trail to the "sitting area" above the campsite. Sipping very strong camp coffee and watching the sun light up the mountains in the early morning made me repeatedly wish that I was a painter. Thanks for a lovely trip!!
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Ashley M.
6 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· July 2024
Tent ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Camping on site 2 was a lot of fun! The treehouse was the highlight of the camp spot. Would definitely recommend.
C
Cameron H.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· July 2024
Tent · With pets ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Everything was as expected. Good directions. Cool spot!
H
Henry C.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· June 2024
Tent ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
#2 is a great camp spot. We chose to stay in the treehouse and didn’t have to set up a tent. There was a lot of room for one if we had wanted to. The hinged grill for the fire pit was helpful, and the views were nice. Also very easy to navigate from.
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Patrick C.
4 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2024
Tent · With pets ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
This was my first time using Hipcamp and it turned out to be a great success. This site was absolutely perfect and in an amazing part of town for doing excursions and close to the heart of Bryson City, but tucked back for complete privacy. There’s plenty of hiking to do for incredible views less than an hour away. You can hear the creek running below you which is so nice. The viewing overlook is gorgeous. There is a drawn map in the photos associated with the site posting on here I used to find it. The directions were super easy to follow. I highly anticipate us returning to this spot as we didn’t have enough time to get to everything we wanted to do in the area! I would reccomend bringing a good light or two to use as it gets very dark, but it makes for an amazing view of the stars.
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Kirsty G.
1 year on Hipcamp
Recommends
· May 2024
Beautiful site
Tent ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Very private spacious site. Treehouse was an added bonus! Site is up a gravel road but my 2WD car got up fine. You park at the designated spot and walk a minute to the site. The lookout with the chairs was a beautiful place to have breakfast. So lush and so many great birds and foliage. 30mins from Cherokee and 60mins from GSMNP entrance. Highly recommend this spot.
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Megan M.
3 reviews
Recommends
· April 2024
A fantastic base camp
16 ft car ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
We loved car camping on Jim's base camp one! the location was fantastic with a general store and a gem mine right down the street (would def recommend doing the gem mine perfect activity for a hot day)! The site itself was a very pretty location tucked away in a mountain. You can hear a near by stream running from the site, its very peaceful. There is picnic table and umbrella at the site which cam in super clutch as it was raining some of the days we were there. Jim was very helpful as well answering our questions about getting the water pump to work!
M
Mc M.
3 reviews
Recommends
· April 2024
16 ft car ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
A great spot to be surrounded by all sorts of stuff to do! Access to lots of hiking spots, the Smokey Mountains, and a small town (Bryson City) with lots going on. If you go during autumn/winter, you'll have a beautiful view of the mountains. Even during the spring or summer you'll hear the relaxing sound of the river not far below. The picnic table and running water was nice, the water tasted great as well. You don't have to go down a hill to access toiletries, and there's a market with anything you could need camp wise within walking distance.
O
Officially C.
3 reviews
Recommends
· April 2024
Tent ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Jim’s place is gorgeous! Feels like you’re deep in the woods, very tranquil and secluded. We slept in the treehouse and got a little wet with rain but still very much worth it! The path up to the campsite is definitely steep but we had no issues bringing our things up.
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Wrenna W.
10 reviews
Recommends
· November 2023
19 ft campervan ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
Beautiful view! A bit of a tight left turn onto the road of the campsite. Found the chairs set out up top and sat to enjoy the view. Felt very private!
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Laney O.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· November 2023
Tent ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
This was awesome! We went in November and it was great. The bathroom was well set up away from the camping are and it felt pretty far away from the road, just what we wanted.
T
Taylor M.
3 reviews
Recommends
· October 2023
Tent ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
I really enjoyed tent camping on Jim's land. The site was very nice and quiet and I will be returning
D
Darren S.
4 reviews
Recommends
· October 2023
AMAZING in the Fall!
Tent · Group trip ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
We had the best time at the Wildercamp! Our group of six stayed with three tents and more than enough room, plus we just happened to catch the fall leaves at their peak. Views were lovely, and we felt nice and secluded despite being only a few hundred feet from the road.
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Greer M.
2 reviews
Recommends
· October 2023
Very close to NOC center!
Tent ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
Easy to find and very close to any outdoor activity you may want to do. I 100% recommend this place
D
Dillion W.
4 reviews
Recommends
· October 2023
peaceful with great view
8 ft campervan ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at base camp! We were there during the week and had the whole place to ourselves, except for one night. Even with other campers, there is plenty of space and privacy for each site. We looked forward to having our coffee or evening cocktail up on the "terrace", taking in the view. There are enough trails on the property for a little morning walk, and I loved the club moss and found some lion's mane that I left intact. This is a perfect place to stay at the heart of Nantahala National Forest. It was so convenient to be right next to the rafting and zip lining at NOC, and just a short drive into town for dinner and a beer. We would definitely stay here again!
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Melissa W.
25 reviews
Recommends
· September 2023
Tent · With pets ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Wildercamp was the perfect campsite for our group! We loved it.
N
Noah L.
4 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2023
Great spot in Nantahala!!
Tent ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Absolutely beautiful and centrally local camp spot! Very unique and we loved our stay! We will be back.
A
Ashley W.
2 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· September 2023
Tent · With kids ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
We had a great stay here this past weekend. The campsite was great, it included an in- ground fire ring, two filled watering cans to put out the fire, two picnic tables, but the treehouse was the best part. We honestly didn’t go up very much, but it provided great shelter over top of our hammocks. The climb up to the site is a little longer than expected, so if you can bring a folding wagon to carry gear.
E
Evan M.
4 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· August 2023
Beautiful spot by the NOC
Tent ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
It was a lovely spot super close to the NOC! We thought it was a super nice, clean camping spot. Jim was very kind and accommodating.
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Kim B.
3 reviews
Recommends
· July 2023
Great camp site.
Tent · With pets ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
We had a wonderful experience on Jim’s land. We appreciated that there was a water source, camping toilet, fire pit with grill, and lights. The view from the ‘3rd level’ was so peaceful. It was a short ride to dog friendly Nantahala Outdoor Center. It was quiet and private. We would definitely camp here again.
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Marci J.
4 reviews
Recommends
· November 2022
Second trip!
Tent ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
This was out second time coming back to Jim's land and it was just as wonderful as the first. The site is thoughtfully laid out and spacious. We could barely hear the road, and only then during peak traffic. Little to no light pollution, so the stars were spectacular
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Madeline S.
14 reviews
Recommends
· October 2022
Tent · Group trip ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
The camp site was perfect, timed solar lights, flat surface and water access. Would recommend this site for sure! Just note the gravel driveway does require a steep turn to get the site. Once there is it’s easy to relax!
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Haylee W.
4 reviews
Recommends
· October 2022
Tent · Group trip ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
Kinda hard to collect wood. The hills on either side of road is steep. Although I was able to collect more than enough. The picnic table with umbrella was a nice touch. I liked how the site was dug into the hill side. It makes for a nice windbreak
J
Jake W.
3 years on Hipcamp
Recommends
· October 2022
Awesome Campspot
18 ft car ·
Site 1 - "Base Camp"
Awesome spot that super close to the Nantahala Outdoors Center. Will definitely try to get back here soon!
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Christian H.
2 reviews
Recommends
· August 2022
Tent · Group trip ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Loved it was awesome!!
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Emmaline B.
2 reviews
Recommends
· June 2022
Seclusion at Martin's Nest!
Tent ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Just a short drive to Bryson City, and minutes away from the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Martin’s Nest is ideally situated for relaxation or adventure. For our night at Martin’s Nest, we opted to set up camp at site #1. The camping plot was well-maintained, and came equipped with a fire ring, picnic table, trash can, simple outhouse facility, solar lighting, and potable water. In short, this Hipcamp offered everything my husband and I could possibly need for an enjoyable camping experience. The grounds of Martin’s nest have a nice walking trail that meanders throughout the campsite. Hiking up to the top of the trail, you are rewarded with a stunning view of the mountains in the distance. Chairs have been thoughtfully placed so that you may enjoy the scenic beauty. Further up the trail, the other campsite and a small tree-house are discovered. The gorgeous views at Martin’s Nest aren’t the only natural highlight here. Several types of birds were spotted during our stay, in addition to a colorful array of regional wildflowers and heaps of blackberries. For a quiet night in a superb location, Martin’s Nest makes good sense. We thoroughly enjoyed our time here, and would certainly recommend it.
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Virginia P.
153 reviews
Recommends
· June 2022
Group trip ·
Site 2 - "Wildercamp"
Had such a great weekend. The camp site was super convenient to all the activities I was able to do. Loved sleeping in the treehouse!
A
Anna M.
3 years on Hipcamp

Location

Bryson City, Swain, North Carolina, United StatesTo respect the Host's privacy, the precise address of this land will be provided after booking
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Hosted by Jim K.

Joined in March 2021

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