Santeetlah Lake
Nantahala National Forest
Write a Review Pine Ridge Road Robbinsville, NC 28771 828-479-6431 Official WebsiteGPS: 35.3663, -83.8551
Overview of Santeetlah Lake
Accessibility is not guaranteed, always scout ahead before driving down dirt roads.
Learn more: Boondocking 101
Last Price Paid: $14
Reported by camper-627697 on 5/16/2024
Longest RV Reported: 27 feet (Class B)
Reported by frequent traveler Dave on 10/20/2020
Number of Sites 11
Open Seasonally Yes
Elevation 1,935 ft / 589 m
Tent Camping Yes
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Q&A - Ask the Community about Santeetlah Lake
To ask questions of the owner or manager please contact the campground directly. (828) 479-6431
Reviews of Santeetlah Lake 29 people have reviewed this location.
Cell Phone Coverage
Confirmed by 7 Users
Last reported 4/19/2024
Confirmed by 7 Users
Last reported 5/18/2023
Confirmed by 10 Users
Last reported 3/29/2023
“Love It! ”
Reviewed 5/16/2024
| Nightly rate: | $14 |
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| Site Number: | 5 |
Overall Rating
This place is great. It says 8 primitive sites but I saw people pulling off in other locations as well. Obviously be respectful. But seriously such a beautiful site. I stayed at P5 and there were two landings for tents, picnic table, fire pit, access to the lake. Only stayed one night but there are posted signs with longer term parki... more
This place is great. It says 8 primitive sites but I saw people pulling off in other locations as well. Obviously be respectful.
But seriously such a beautiful site. I stayed at P5 and there were two landings for tents, picnic table, fire pit, access to the lake.
Only stayed one night but there are posted signs with longer term parking.
10/10 would recommend!
camper-627697 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Gorgeous! Showers don't open until 4/15”
Reviewed 4/19/2024
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 14 |
| Site Number: | 1 |
Overall Rating
There are 5 road side free camping spot, got here around noon in early April and there where 2 spots open. Our 22 foot Skoolie and Subaru Outback with bike rack fit with room to spare. The parking area is right up by the road so RVs/car campers will hear some road traffic (not a lot but some people do speed by). But fire ring, picnic t... more
There are 5 road side free camping spot, got here around noon in early April and there where 2 spots open. Our 22 foot Skoolie and Subaru Outback with bike rack fit with room to spare. The parking area is right up by the road so RVs/car campers will hear some road traffic (not a lot but some people do speed by). But fire ring, picnic table and tent pad are down a slight hill ~30 ft right on the edge of the lake. Cleaned up a little trash left by some less courteous campers but otherwise clean. We were able to go tubing and enjoy the crazy beautiful views. We came here counting on using the Cheoah campground (5 min down the road) for showers and water refill, unaware that it was gated and locked up until April15th (so take that into account if coming on the off season, there were no potable water fill stations in Robinsville either). All in all worth the drive in, make sure you hike yellow creek falls (super easy and gorgeous 10 min drive). Starlink was a little obstructed by trees, and verizon with booster ranged from 1-2 bars)
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Verizon 5G
camper-836124 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Great Spot By The Lake”
Reviewed 5/18/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 3 |
| Site Number: | 4 |
Overall Rating
Stayed here three nights! We were a little confused with the reviews and photos thinking each spot were able to drive right up to the lake and camp. There are actually only about 2-3 spots where you can drive right up to the lake and camp, they were taken so we drove up the road a bit more. The other 5 spots you park right off the road... more
Stayed here three nights! We were a little confused with the reviews and photos thinking each spot were able to drive right up to the lake and camp. There are actually only about 2-3 spots where you can drive right up to the lake and camp, they were taken so we drove up the road a bit more. The other 5 spots you park right off the road and then walk down to the campsite, but not far. Site P3 is washed out so just be ware of that spot not being able to park or access the tent site. We set up our tent and had a nice time! If stay between sites P1-P5 you will hear some road noise from the main road and the lodging facility not far up the road. If tent camping lots of coons and other creatures scoping out our site every night b/w midnight and four am, but we kept all food packed up in the car at night as well as our trash can. Overall we had a nice time and even drove through the Smokey mountains one day. Another side note: the road we came in on (“dragon tail”)states nothing over 30ft or cars with trailers over 30ft which makes sense as it is very tight with very sharp curves as well as the sites on the side of the road don’t offer that much room for a bigger rig.
It is dry/primitive camping. There aren’t facilities so must pack in and pack out as well as no bathrooms or water.
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AT&T 4G
camper-766973 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Overall not bad 👍”
Reviewed 4/28/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 2 |
Overall Rating
Nice little pull of spot where you can walk down to the lake, which is beautiful! I have at&t and still had service although it was a bit slow. No one bothered me at all, only complaint is that theres quite a bit of traffic coming in and out through out the day (and the pull off is right beside the road), im assuming to go fishing and ... more
Nice little pull of spot where you can walk down to the lake, which is beautiful! I have at&t and still had service although it was a bit slow. No one bothered me at all, only complaint is that theres quite a bit of traffic coming in and out through out the day (and the pull off is right beside the road), im assuming to go fishing and stuff, but good news is they stop coming around at about 8:30pm. Also there was quite a bit of trash at my site that i picked up, im not sure about the others although i seen reviews of others saying the same. There is a tent pad, fire pit, and picinic table down by the lake that you can use as well.
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AT&T 5G
camper-749132 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“We absolutely LOVED this campground! ”
Reviewed 4/13/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 11 |
Overall Rating
We tent camped at this campground for 11 days in August 2021. We arrived on Sunday and had to camp in one of the spots away from the lake for a few days, but early every morning we did a drive around and eventually were able to get a spot on the lake after another family left. Our spot was great, had a flat gravel tent pad, campfire ri... more
We tent camped at this campground for 11 days in August 2021. We arrived on Sunday and had to camp in one of the spots away from the lake for a few days, but early every morning we did a drive around and eventually were able to get a spot on the lake after another family left. Our spot was great, had a flat gravel tent pad, campfire ring, picnic table, and lantern pole. We were far enough away from the closest camper that we could barely make out their tent through the trees or hear them so that was a huge plus. The mountain views were amazing, water was warm, sunsets were phenomenal, and you could see every star at night! No bathrooms on site so this is 100% primitive camping. Make sure to bring your own firewood and water. The woods were completely picked over and no water is available on site. We were able to park our car only about 20 feet from our site which was great. You also are required to pack up all of your own trash, but receptacles are available just a short drive down the road. Highly, highly recommend this campground to anyone but do recommend arriving on early on a Monday morning or throughout the week if you want to actually find an available spot.
ONLY downfall to this place is that we did notice folks (assuming locals?) were pitching tents and leaving for the week, only to return for the weekend. When we tried to report this to local rangers it seemed to fall on deaf ears.
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AT&T 4G
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Wonderful Spot Next To The Lake”
Reviewed 3/29/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
|---|---|
| Days stayed: | 5 |
| Site Number: | 4 |
Overall Rating
Fantastic free camp site, I was right on the water. My specific spot was just a pull off along the road for my van and then I had a nice spot for tent camping, water access, and a picnic table. Was over 100m from anyone near but you’d get about 5 cars per day driving along the road and some people going by in motor boats throughout the... more
Fantastic free camp site, I was right on the water. My specific spot was just a pull off along the road for my van and then I had a nice spot for tent camping, water access, and a picnic table. Was over 100m from anyone near but you’d get about 5 cars per day driving along the road and some people going by in motor boats throughout the day. So not completely isolated. But I’m already missing the beautiful views!
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AT&T 4G
T-Mobile 4G
camper-770598 would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Amazing In Feb-March ”
Reviewed 3/2/2023
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 1 |
| Site Number: | 2 |
Overall Rating
Beautiful lake in the mountains clearly a summer home destination for the wealthy. But this little slice is a fantastic stay in the off-season surprise. We got a spot here since there are really only three that can accommodate drive-in sprinters. The rest are roadside with tent camp along the body of water. Rode the E bikes around and ... more
Beautiful lake in the mountains clearly a summer home destination for the wealthy. But this little slice is a fantastic stay in the off-season surprise. We got a spot here since there are really only three that can accommodate drive-in sprinters. The rest are roadside with tent camp along the body of water. Rode the E bikes around and checked out some beautiful homes. other than that not too much or too many people around. No bugs at all and beautiful views of the lake.
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T-Mobile 4G
EMS1MC would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“seems alright”
Reviewed 10/2/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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Overall Rating
i came through on a sunday afternoon to find this place full. I ended up moving on to camp elsewhere, but it looked like people were living there or staying there long term. weird vibes here but the way in was easy enough for my chevy g20. Not sure i would bring something larger here, it’s tough to get out with a big rig looks like
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“Awesome views, tough for RVs”
Reviewed 5/10/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 4 |
| Site Number: | P9 |
| RV Length: | 12' (Travel Trailer) |
Overall Rating
This spot is awesome. Mountain and lake views from my site and great cell signal on T-Mobile. There are only two or three sites that can accommodate an RV. You also better have some backing skills as they are not easy pull thru sites. I am in site 9 and was able to back in my 14 ft trailer. Some windy steep roads to get to this campgro... more
This spot is awesome. Mountain and lake views from my site and great cell signal on T-Mobile. There are only two or three sites that can accommodate an RV. You also better have some backing skills as they are not easy pull thru sites. I am in site 9 and was able to back in my 14 ft trailer. Some windy steep roads to get to this campground so be aware. Overall a great spot.
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T-Mobile 5G
MJS would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
“You get what you pay for”
Reviewed 1/12/2022
| Nightly rate: | FREE! |
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| Days stayed: | 2 |
| Site Number: | E2 |
Overall Rating
Very heavily used sites at a fantastic location. nothing beats camping on the water but every site I saw was pretty trashed, although I did camp around Christmas/New Years. Very easy access most spots any vehicle can find a way to fit along the road. campsites are very close to the road so that could be a positive or negative depending... more
Very heavily used sites at a fantastic location. nothing beats camping on the water but every site I saw was pretty trashed, although I did camp around Christmas/New Years. Very easy access most spots any vehicle can find a way to fit along the road. campsites are very close to the road so that could be a positive or negative depending on what you're looking for. Great location right on the water. Can see and hear houses along the lake but noise gets a 4/5 because i didn't even hear any fireworks on New Years Eve, was pretty crazy! some service here and there but not much.
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T-Mobile 4G
Hippe would stay here again
This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com
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Amenities
Hookups
- dry camping
- Dispersed Camping
Recreation
- fishing
- water access
Site Amenities
- fire ring
- picnic table
Facilities
- firewood
Pets
- pets
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