Fishing & water

Trout streams, the Nantahala and the Little Tennessee, and a swimming hole or two within a short drive.

Trout

Western North Carolina is serious trout country, and Macon County has both stocked and wild water. The Nantahala River and the Little Tennessee are the two obvious names, with smaller creeks in the national forest for anyone willing to walk in.

Licenses

You need a North Carolina fishing license, and some water carries additional rules depending on how it’s classified — hatchery supported, wild, delayed harvest. It’s all handled through the state Wildlife Resources Commission, and it’s worth ten minutes online before you go rather than a conversation with a warden after.

Swimming

Quarry Falls on US-64 between Franklin and Highlands — known locally by a blunter name — is the roadside swimming hole everyone ends up at on a hot afternoon. Cold water, easy access, usually busy.

Whitewater

The Nantahala Gorge is one of the most popular rafting rivers in the southeast, with several outfitters running trips daily through the season. Roughly an hour from the campground.

This content is actively being updated with our own spots and current license details.

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