Donley Cabin in TN -- Campground & RV Camping

Donley Cabin is a primitive, pre-Civil War structure in Cherokee National Forest, set at 2,000 feet near the North River. Reached by a quarter-mile walk from the parking area, this un-locked, single-room historic cabin sleeps six on metal bed frames without mattresses. Facilities include a stone fireplace, table, chairs, an outdoor vault toilet outhouse, campfire ring, and grill. The site has no electricity or running water. Trout streams, waterfalls, and hiking trails sit close by.

Getting there: From Tellico Plains, Tenn., travel east on Highway 165 (Cherohala Skyway) for 5 miles. Turn right onto Forest Road 210 and continue 9 miles to the intersection of Forest Road 217 (North River Road). There will be a sign for the Donley Cabin and North River Campground. Turn left onto Forest Road 217 and proceed for 5.5 miles to the parking area on the right. The condition of the road may require slow travel. Follow the quarter-mile trail over North River to the cabin.

• Well separated here, a single-site campground with the nearest through road 1.7 miles off.
• Flat ground is scarce: under a tenth of the terrain within a few hundred yards is level.
• North River runs 0.1 mi off.
• Little Haw Knob stands 2,811 ft above the map pin, 3.3 miles east.
• 1 hike-in site, with most of them shaded.

Rules