October Mountain State Forest — Attraction in Lee

2025 Update: Returned for a great week here. This time camped in the lower section. Staff is very nice and helpful. The campground sites are clean and well maintained. However, the bathroom needs some maintenance and a deep steam clean of the tiles-- the floors, the shower walls. The toilets and sinks are cleaned well, however, the scum on the walls, especially in shower area and toilet dividers is gross. A quick 15 minutes scrub here or there with some mold remover or an engagement with a pressure washer would improve the cleanliness. Another negative is staff regularly drive a UTV through the back camping area section of this lower level to access maintenance area in the bathroom. It's actually quite annoying. It would be better if they drove around and on the road to enter. As always, your experience here will depend on your neighbors. It is more of an open area for camping and sound does travel. The hum from the electrical is definitely more evident in the lower section, however, you won't be there much because you'll be out exploring. There is just so much to see and do in this area. If you do plan on just hanging around the campsite all day between the hum and whatever is going on at the maintenance shed.... I think maybe they were milling lumber.... It's a bit much to tolerate. Beautiful short trails to access within the campground. Anything you might need to access can be found a short distance away in the center of town. I have to give it three stars just because of the negatives. I experienced this time. Five stars for its location, offerings in the area and pleasant staff.

2022: Small campground and sadly you will hear the hum from the electrical facility right across from the entrance. Stayed in a yurt that was pretty smelly but after a heavy dose of disinfectant spray, it was much better. The bathrooms, however, were clean-- for a campground. The staff was awesome and knowledgeable about the area and had great suggestions for activities and places to visit. You will have more than 17,000 acres of forest to explore and you won't spend that much time at your campsite. If you can sleep with the hum of power in the background and spend your days away in the forest the noise won't bother you in the least. Great hiking! The Appalachian trail runs right through. There is plenty to do and to explore in nearby towns. Again, another state forest with tons of potential but not enough staff and not enough money budgeted to keep it up the way it...

I've been to October Mountain campground twice this year and both visits I found the location quiet, peaceful, beautiful and clean. The hiking is great. The sites are close together, but planned into the woods to give privacy to most along the outer ring. Really just the sites in the middle are open field. We tried a yurt the second time and it was WONDERFUL! The weather turned and we got so much rain, making us very thankful for not being in a tent. We got a severe storm warning and left the site for ice cream. When we returned, everything inside was dry. Due to the circular shape, there is plenty of room between the rectangular furniture and the walls of the yurt for stacking gear. It also had a table and small couch, in addition to the beds for 6. I love the fire pits here. The foldable grate cuts down on the dishes and gear I need to bring. I could basically just pack a spatula and tongs and be all set. The window tag for the campground gets one into Lee Sandy Beach (in season) which is a clean, quiet beach with grass, sand, lifeguard, floating dock (the kids favorite) and a view of the hills that can't be beat. We...

My partner, dog, and I went camping here Memorial Day weekend. The check-in process was easy although I was given someone else's parking pass and camp site number.

Upon our arrival to our site, there was a guy with a child (possibly grandchild) going around attempting to steal camp wood from other camp sites.. Wood can be brought at $7 a bundle at the check-in office.

The kids from other camp sites were obnoxious. Many would cut through our campsite and hit our tent. When we told one kid to stop (as our dog, like many others, can be territorial), the kid responded back, "I'm not friendly" and rode off on his bike. During the two nights we were there, I could hear people snoring 1-2 camp sites away, and a baby crying for quite a duration of time after 11pm.

Many of the hiking paths were not maintained, and there were so, sooo many ticks.

Showers are available, and no coins are required, but the pressure drops significantly when someone flushes the toilet. Water is, oftentimes, luke warm.

I honestly would not recommend camping at October Mountain State Forest, but my partner and I enjoy...