Find Classic Camping at North Carolina National Parks

1 Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has four group campgrounds in NC, each offering a markedly different escape. Cataloochee, for instance, is in a secluded valley where remnants of a once-thriving mountain community remain (as do a herd of elk reintroduced in 2001). Deep Creek near Bryson City is a tuber’s paradise. Smokemont on the Oconaluftee River is known for trout fishing and swimming. If you’re looking for something more removed, the remote Balsam Mountain Campground is the park’s highest, at 5,400 feet, guaranteeing cool sleeping even in August.

2 Blue Ridge Parkway

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The Blue Ridge Parkway offers one of the most beautiful drives in the country. Thanks to several campgrounds along its North Carolina run, motoring tourists never have to leave the scenic highway. Each stop offers not only rest from the road, but good adventure as well. At Doughton Park, explore the 30-mile trail network (the largest along the Parkway). Price Park offers a beginner-friendly hike around its namesake lake. Linville Falls is at the headwaters of Linville Gorge, one of the wildest spots in the East. Crabtree Falls offers solitude and a short hike to its namesake falls. And Mount Pisgah sits atop the Blue Ridge, offering long-sleeve hiking even in summer.

3 Cape Lookout National Seashore

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Take your pick of miles of open spaces in front of you at Cape Lookout National Seashore, where primitive beach camping is welcome at a majority of the barrier islands. And with no established campgrounds (just a few areas closed to campers), setting up among the dunes and relaxing under the stars is an experience unlike any other. During the day, visit the wild horses that roam the Shackleford Banks, see historic Portsmouth Village nearby and admire the Cape Lookout Lighthouse from its base.

• Outdoor NC Tips for Exploring the Coast

4 Cape Hatteras National Seashore

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Like the beach experience but not the beach crowds? The four campgrounds on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore – Oregon Inlet, Cape Point, Frisco and Ocracoke – offer access to long stretches of beach that are particularly compelling at night, when the stars come out and dazzle a sky nearly clear of light pollution. All of the Cape Hatteras campgrounds are located on the ocean side separated from the beach by barrier dunes. The campgrounds have tent, trailer and motor home sites, with modern restrooms, potable water and grills, and are open from April through November.