Openings · last 7 days
15
Booking reality
Campsite Sniper detected 15 site openings here in the last 7 days
01 · Detected Opening History · the openings record · file CS-273848
When Balsam Mountain Campground reopens
Balsam Mountain Campground's openings record: every site-date Campsite Sniper detected turning available, logged and time-stamped. Refreshed hourly.
Openings · last 30 days
65
Openings · last 90 days
79
Weekday pattern
Detected openings by day of week · 90dNo strong weekday pattern is evident in the openings Campsite Sniper has detected: 79 openings spread across the week.
Hour-of-day pattern
First detected by hour · local time · last 90 daysThe largest concentrations of detected openings were first detected during the 07:00 and 19:00 local-time hours. Those hours contained 23 of 79 detected openings (29.1%). Hours show when Campsite Sniper first detected each opening, in Eastern Time, not when the change was made upstream.
Lead-time profile
Days before stay date · percentilesHalf of the openings Campsite Sniper detected appeared at least 16 days before the stay date; the middle 50% land 6–30 days out. Set an alert if you want Campsite Sniper to monitor future openings.
Highest-churn sites
Most openings · 90d| Site | Openings | Share of all openings |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 10 | 12.7% |
| 03 | 8 | 10.1% |
| 04 | 6 | 7.6% |
| 26 | 5 | 6.3% |
| 17 | 5 | 6.3% |
Site 23 had the most detected openings in the last 90 days: 10. One free watch covers every site here.
02 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18 – Oct 12, 2026 · of 43 monitored sites
Of the 1,050 tracked site-nights (Sep 18 – Oct 12, 2026): 630 open for online reservation · 420 reserved.
Where the open windows are
40% of tracked site-nights are not currently open for online reservation. 630 of 1,050 remain open; here is where they are.
Load status
Sep 18 – Oct 12, 2026Not open online40%
Open site-nights630 / 1,050
Reserved (of online inventory)420 / 1,050
Weekday openings413
Weekend openings217
Of the open site-nights on mapped sites, 413 fall on weekdays and 217 on weekends (Fri–Sun).
Open dates by month
Sep 2026 – Oct 2026September holds the most room. 380 of 546 site-nights are still open there.
Holiday windows
Sites open per night · of 42 sites| Window | Night | Sites open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | SAT Sep 5 | 0 | None open |
| SUN Sep 6 | 0 | None open | |
| MON Sep 7 | 0 | None open |
Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked night.
Best-availability sites
Most open site-nights · tracked window| Site | Open site-nights |
|---|---|
| 20 | 23 |
| 22 | 23 |
| 21 | 21 |
| 12 | 20 |
| 38 | 20 |
The 5 sites with the most open site-nights in the current snapshot. Pair a bookable date with a free alert to cover everything else.
Next windows
As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshotNext open dateFri · Sep 18
Next open weekendFri · Sep 18
The next bookable night is Sep 18; the first open weekend starts Sep 18. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.
Stays and site detail
630 open site-nights across 42 sites at Balsam Mountain Campground, from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.
Multi-night stays. 108 2-night, 79 3-night, 29 7-night openings where a single site is free for every night, per Campsite Sniper's current snapshot — soonest Sep 18 at site 20.
All 42 sites with current availability
| Site | Max RV | Hookups | Open site-nights | Longest run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 12 ft | None | 23 | 21 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +11 more |
| 22 | 15 ft | None | 23 | 21 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +11 more |
| 21 | 18 ft | None | 21 | 15 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +9 more |
| 12 | 21 ft | None | 20 | 19 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +8 more |
| 38 | 15 ft | None | 20 | 12 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +8 more |
| 09 | 17 ft | None | 19 | 12 nights | Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +7 more |
| 10 | 20 ft | None | 19 | 13 nights | Sep 18, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +7 more |
| 33 | 12 ft | None | 19 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +7 more |
| 35 | 24 ft | None | 19 | 13 nights | Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30 +7 more |
| 01 | 15 ft | None | 18 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +6 more |
| 13 | 24 ft | None | 18 | 12 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +6 more |
| 30 | 15 ft | None | 18 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +6 more |
| 31 | 15 ft | None | 18 | 6 nights | Sep 18, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +6 more |
| 15 | 15 ft | None | 17 | 8 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +5 more |
| 26 | 15 ft | None | 17 | 12 nights | Sep 18, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30 +5 more |
| 28 | 15 ft | None | 17 | 6 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5 +5 more |
| 17 | 21 ft | None | 16 | 13 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +4 more |
| 39 | 15 ft | None | 16 | 8 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 5 +4 more |
| 02 | 20 ft | None | 15 | 11 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Oct 4 +3 more |
| 08 | 24 ft | None | 15 | 8 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4 +3 more |
| 29 | 15 ft | None | 15 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5 +3 more |
| 32 | 15 ft | None | 15 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Oct 6, Oct 7 +3 more |
| 34 | 24 ft | None | 15 | 8 nights | Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +3 more |
| 40 | 12 ft | None | 15 | 5 nights | Sep 18, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +3 more |
| 43 | 24 ft | None | 15 | 5 nights | Sep 18, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5 +3 more |
| 16 | 15 ft | None | 14 | 6 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 +2 more |
| 19 | 18 ft | None | 14 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +2 more |
| 25 | 20 ft | None | 14 | 6 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 9 +2 more |
| 04 | 24 ft | None | 13 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +1 more |
| 05 | 15 ft | None | 13 | 5 nights | Sep 18, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 3, Oct 11 +1 more |
| 18 | 20 ft | None | 13 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30 +1 more |
| 24 | 15 ft | None | 13 | 4 nights | Sep 18, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 11 +1 more |
| 42 | 24 ft | None | 13 | 5 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6 +1 more |
| 06 | 24 ft | None | 12 | 12 nights | Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 9 |
| 14 | 24 ft | None | 12 | 6 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5 |
| 27 | 15 ft | None | 12 | 7 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 8, Oct 11, Oct 12 |
| 37 | 20 ft | None | 11 | 7 nights | Sep 24, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 5, Oct 8, Oct 9 |
| 11 | 24 ft | None | 9 | 6 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Oct 6, Oct 11, Oct 12 |
| 36 | 24 ft | None | 8 | 3 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 5, Oct 6 |
| 03 | 24 ft | None | 7 | 2 nights | Sep 18, Sep 21, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Oct 11, Oct 12 |
| 07 | 24 ft | None | 6 | 3 nights | Sep 20, Sep 24, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Oct 7 |
| 23 | 21 ft | None | 3 | 1 night | Sep 21, Sep 24, Oct 7 |
About Balsam Mountain Campground
Overview
Balsam Mountain Campground is located in a relatively remote part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The secluded setting offers visitors the ability to enjoy a multitude of recreational activities without the crowds which are sometimes common in other parts of the park.
Recreation
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hiker's paradise, with over 800 miles of maintained trails ranging from short, leg-stretchers to strenuous treks. The Balsam Mountain area features several trails that are less heavily used compared to other areas of the park.
The campground offers a short nature trail located beside site 43. The hiker only Flat Creek Trail is a pleasant walk through a hardwood forest. For the adventurous hiker the Hemphill Bald and Rough Fork trails provide a 14-mile loop hike, with outstanding views and old growth trees.
Campers can enjoy high-quality backcountry fishing in the cool waters of the countless streams and rivers that snake through the mountains. Anglers will agree that some of the best trout fishing in the area can be found along the Balsam Mountain and Straight Fork Roads, some of the most remote sections of the park. Fly fishing is particularly good during spring months when aquatic insects hatch in large numbers.
Wildlife viewing is a popular pastime, and with around 1,500 bears living in the park, it is not uncommon for visitors to spot one. The park is a sanctuary for a magnificent array of animal and plant life, all of which is protected for future generations to enjoy.
The park also holds one of the best collections of log buildings in the eastern United States. Over 90 historic structures have been preserved in the park.
For the auto touring enthusiast, the 14-mile Heintooga Round Bottom Road, a one-way unimproved gravel drive, offers spectacular scenery with mountain vistas and the occasional bear or elk sighting. Buses, motorhome, vans longer than 25' and any vehicle towing a trailer are prohibited on this road.
Facilities
Balsam Mountain Campground offers 42 campsites for a traditional outdoor camping experience with the added convenience of flush toilets and drinking water. There are no hookups or showers at the campground. No lights are available in the restrooms at this campground. For campers' safety use of a flashlight, lantern or headlamp is recommended when accessing these facilities after day light hours.
Natural Features
Balsam Mountain Campground is surrounded by picturesque mountain ranges and pristine mountain streams. Elk are common in this part of the park during the spring and fall. Located at 5,310 feet elevation, Balsam Mountain's daytime temperatures rarely exceed 70 degrees F and night time temperatures may dip into the low 50's.
Nearby Attractions
Nearby attractions include: Maggie Valley, NC, Cherokee, NC, the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, the Mountain Farm Museum, the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Nantahala Outdoor Center, the Bryson City Railway and Asheville, NC
43 monitored sitesRVs up to 24 ftNo hookups40 shadedPets OKFire pitsMax party 6
Getting there
From the North: From I-40 take Exit 20 Maggie Valley, NC and travel US-19 towards Cherokee, NC. Access the Blue Ridge Parkway at Soco Gap and continue South to mile 458.2, turning right onto Heintooga Ridge Road. Enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Black Camp Gap and continue 9 miles to Balsam Mountain Campground. From the South: Follow US-441/US-23 North. At Dillsboro merge onto US-74 West/US-441 North. At exit 74 merge onto US-441. Continue on US-441 through Cherokee, NC and into the park. Access the Blue Ridge Parkway traveling North to mile 458.2, turning left onto Heintooga Ridge Road. Enter Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Black Camp Gap and continue 9 miles to Balsam Mountain Campground.
253 Smokemont Campground Road, Cherokee, NC 28719828-497-9270
BikingCampingHikingWildlife Viewing
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗
03 · Field Photos · roll CS-273848 · facility + sites
Photo gallery
Roll CS-273848 · Balsam Mountain Campground · Cherokee NC12 frames · facility + sites
FAQ
How do I get a reservation at Balsam Mountain Campground?
Reservations for Balsam Mountain Campground are made through Recreation.gov. 630 of 1,050 tracked site-nights are currently open (60%). Campsite Sniper has also detected 79 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick a site on the map to see its calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.
Does Campsite Sniper book this campground for me?
No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.
How current is this availability data?
Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Sep 18, 2026 16:19 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.
How often do new openings appear at Balsam Mountain Campground?
Campsite Sniper detected 15 site-date openings at Balsam Mountain Campground in the last 7 days, 65 over 30 days and 79 over the last 90.
Can I get a multi-night stay at Balsam Mountain Campground?
79 three-night openings are showing, counting only runs where the SAME site is free for all three nights. The soonest starts Sep 18 at site 20. Confirm and book on Recreation.gov.
Which sites at Balsam Mountain Campground fit a 35-foot RV?
No RV-analyzable site here has a recorded maximum of 35 ft or more; the longest recorded is 24 ft.
Which month has the most availability at Balsam Mountain Campground?
September 2026, with 380 open site-nights in the current snapshot of 546.
How far ahead of a stay do openings appear at Balsam Mountain Campground?
Half of the openings Campsite Sniper detected appeared at least 16 days before the stay date; the middle 50% landed 6-30 days out. Campsite Sniper can monitor future changes for dates you select.
When is the next open date at Balsam Mountain Campground?
As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Fri, Sep 18 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 18. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.
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