Cliffside Lake Shelters in NC -- Campground & RV Camping in North Carolina
Cliffside Lake Shelters in NC
U.S. Forest Service allows overnight stays only at the designated sites here.
Cliffside Lake Recreation Area is a mountain day-use site in Nantahala National Forest near Cullasaja Gorge. Set between three peaks at 4,118 feet elevation, the area centers on calm Cliffside Lake, where visitors fish for trout, bass, and bream, or swim from the sandy beach. Amenities include flush and vault toilets, a fishing pier, open picnic tables with grills, and reservable covered picnic shelters. Six hiking trails start here, including the Ranger Falls Trail. No boats are allowed on the lake. Nearby options include Dry Falls and the adjacent Van Hook Glade Campground.
Road difficulty 1 of 5 -- an easy drive in. Recorded as fully maintained, paved, pitching to 8%, 100% of it on a shelf. Flat ground is scarce -- under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
The Cliffside Lake shoreline is 0.2 mi off. Big Dog Mountain stands 912 ft above the site, 1.3 miles south. Night skies measure Bortle 2 -- true dark-sky territory. The nearest town, Highlands, is 2.8 mi off.
September normals 56–76°F, 5.4″ rain. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Set by U.S. Forest Service. Stage 1 and 2 orders change within days -- check the current order before you build a fire.
fs.usda.gov