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Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area sits in the scenic mountains of Pisgah National Forest. This is a great place for small to medium-sized groups to swim, fish, tube, hike, camp, picnic and simply relax in the cool shade of the forest.
The river provides endless hours of fun for families and water enthusiasts, including swimming and tubing. Anglers can also try their luck for trout and smallmouth bass from the shore. Picnickers will enjoy relaxing in the shaded picnic shelter set amidst the deep woods. After eating, visitors can take a leisurely walk along a one-mile trail or get a workout on a 3.8-mile trail.
Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area offers 35 primitive campsites, sites equipped with picnic tables, tent pads, lantern posts and campfire rings with grills. The facility provides hot showers and restrooms with flush toilets. Campers can purchase firewood, ice, tee shirts, souvenirs.
As the name suggests, Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area is shaded by a thick hemlock forest with a mix of deciduous trees and rhododendrons. The facility is adjacent to the South Toe River and sits at an elevation of 2,900 feet.
Visitors can enjoy scenic driving along the Blue Ridge Parkway or hiking in Mount Mitchell State Park.
From Asheville, North Carolina, take I-26 west to exit 9, onto 19 east toward Burnsville. Follow 19 to Micaville and turn right onto Highway 80. Follow 80 south approximately 8 miles to the Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area.
This is a beautiful recreation area inside of Pisgah National Forest. There is a campground, reservations are needed for most of the campsites. They have an office with a small store for essentials (including firewood), showers, and working bathrooms. The reservation process is easy, just like check in.
This part of South toe is perfect for swimming, and there is a swimming area with a little beachy spot on the river. It was clean, though some visitors did leave some litter which was disappointing. The hosts did a good job of keeping the place clean, and we only noticed what looked to be a few pieces of trash left by day-use visitors which had all left around the same time.
A great place for tubing and swimming. The water was so clear and really cold. Love this place, completely worth the 30 minute drive up the mountain.
Swimming by the campsite?, this is it! We loved the hosts! They were super helpful and flexible. We had the best time ever! Totally coming back.
One of the most scenic camp grounds I’ve stayed at. Went during cold weather. Going to return in the summer months to enjoy the awesome swimming hole there. Place is really beautiful.
We love it here. The only large campsite by the river is #13, which has plenty of room to spread out. Stays booked the entire season! There are smaller, side parking sites on platforms near the river, with a common picnic area in-between, which are nice. The upper loop is across the road and the sites are somewhat smaller. You’ll hear road noise in all areas , but the sound of the river is amazing and mostly drowns it out. The picnic area is huge, on the river, with a multitude of wooded sites. The picnic pavilion is beautiful, with water, large grills (you could cook a pig there) and a fireplace…and can be reserved. There is one bath house each in the upper and lower loops, but they continue to have water and plumbing problems. In winter, 2024, we hear that the bathrooms will finally be renovated with commercial toilets which will hopefully fix the issues. When we stayed, only the lower bath house was open and just 2 of 4 showers were available. Only the 2 of the 4 toilet stalls were open, but there were 5 portalets in the parking lot that were clean and are dumped every Wed. The hot water in the showers is just the right pre set temperature of hot and are on timers. Just keep pushing the button. The park staff is very nice and helpful. A bundle of wood is $7 and we burned 3 bundles in just one evening, due to lots of soft wood inside. We used our solar panels for lights, so we were self contained in our camper and had a wonderful time. Note to RV’s: there is no dump station, but there are multiple places to fill your water tanks.
