Watauga Dam Campground

Really enjoy this campground. Almost all the sites are on a stream that's managed by the dam. You can fish or put in a canoe or kayak right from your camp site. The water is really cold, which keeps things cool in the summer and you get this beautiful mist off the water in the morning.

Well managed, so it's quiet, clean, and the host is a good source of info. He runs a tight ship, but not too tight.

The campground is in a really pretty gorge, with nice fall color and great views. It gets shady early when the sun drops behind the hill.

Cell service is practically nonexistent. It bounces between 1bar extended to maybe a brief 2 bars LTE or 3G. You can get a text or email out on Verizon if patient but you're not going to have a reliable phone conversation or do anything productive on the internet. Best for relaxing "unplugged" camping.

Down narrow winding roads, past Wilbur Dam and next to the Appalachian Trail is one of the sweetest little campsites I've enjoyed, Wautaga Dam. A TVA site, it has a friendly camp host who does 2x daily garbage pickup from sites, and almost every site is a waterfront one. All have hookups (water and electric) and there is a dump station on the way out.

Fishing and paddling are the main activities here, along with hanging out enjoying the view.

Note: The roads are narrow to get here, and sites have length limits so check those carefully if you have a bigger rig.