Deer Leap Campground

This is a nice quiet campground with only 7 sites well spaced out. Sites are $13. River access from campground. Backwater area has cool deep water pools to explore. Day use parking is $3.

This is a good spot to put-in for river floating. Bring your own tube, cooler with canned drinks-not glass, that is illegal- sandwiches, etc., and you can float down to the bridge. You need two vehicles or have someone drop you off at the beginning OR pick you up at the end of the trip. If you don't know what you are doing and it's your first time floating, go with someone who has done it before help and tips. Also, DO NOT tie your floats together, there are too many obstacles in the river, like fallen trees and large fallen branches that can tangle you up and it is hard to quickly maneuver a large group around and through them. The string on your floats will get you stuck and that current will keep going until it takes you under. Tying your floats together is the quickest way to injury, death and catastrophe. Even if all you have is a cooler tied to your raft, you better be on the lookout and keep it close to you where you can have it under your control. There are different gravel bars along the way where you can stop for a break, lunch, to reapply sunscreen or otherwise chill for a little bit as a group. Have yourself some fun!

The location is beautiful. The campground is in deep woods right along the Current River. The biggest drawback is that various businesses (Rocky's River Resort, KC's On The Current) use the river access in the campground as a drop off point. So beginning at 6:45 AM on weekends, you can expect to be awakened by a seemingly endless parade of vans or buses towing huge trailers full of rafts, tubes, canoes, etc to drop off for the day. In addition to the racket, they drive at full speed and stir up all kinds of dust from the unpaved road. It's condoned by the park service, so it's not like they're doing anything wrong; I just wish we had known prior to selecting this campground that this was the case. Otherwise it's what you'd expect from a rustic National Forest camping experience.

I really enjoyed this quiet shady campground near the beautiful river. And the vault toilets were seriously the cleanest and best smelling I have ever experienced.

Overpriced and under favored. No cell service. Camp at your own risk. Not worth it when the water is not enjoying a crowd.