Balsam Lake Lodge
October 2026
About
Overview
Balsam Lake Lodge is nestled in the center of the 39,000-acre Roy Taylor Forest within the Nantahala National Forest. The lodge overlooks Balsam Lake and offers
spectacular mountain views.
The lodge opened its doors to the public when the Forest Service acquired the dwelling and lake in 1982. Since then groups have rented the lodge for meetings,
recreation and environmental activities. NOTE: Balsam Lake Lodge is not a campground and has no campsites available for sewer, water, or electrical hook ups.
Recreation
Near the 8-acre lake are three short hiking trails, several fishing piers and a picnic area. The Robinson Trail, suitable for wheelchairs, leads to a dock and fishing pier. The Malonee Trail travels approximately a half-mile beside the lake to the day use area. The .3-mile Wolf Creek Trail continues beside a stream.
Anglers can fish for trout in Balsam Lake. It's also open to non-motorized boating.
Facilities
The lodge's amenities include 16 twin beds (some bunks). There are no linens, towels, and pillows available. The lodge has an accessible kitchen with all utensils and appliances,
outside grills, 3 bathrooms with flush toilets, toilet paper provided, one roll-in wheelchair shower, firewood provided, fireplace, gas heat and an available landline phone for emergencies. The lodge has
electricity. There is no cell phone service within 5 miles of the location. No wifi available. The lodge provides cleaning supplies for guests to clean the entire lodge after their stay for the next guests. None motorized boats only. Boats/ kayaks are not provided.
Natural Features
Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, Balsam Lake Lodge offers a haven in the Nantahala National Forest. This mountain getaway can be reserved for weekends and weekdays from early April through late November. Reservations will be open from early April through late November. A dense forest of mixed deciduous and conifer trees hugs the shoreline of this tranquil lake.
Nearby Attractions
Visitors to Balsam Lake Lodge can explore the rest of the Nantahala National Forest, which is especially known for its spectacular waterfalls. This includes Whitewater Falls, the highest falls east of the Rocky Mountains.
Charges & Cancellations
$170 per night sunday through Thursday. $200 per night friday and saturday.
Amenities
Phone: 828-524-6441
Is BALSAM LAKE LODGE fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches BALSAM LAKE LODGE in Tuckasegee, NC for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching BALSAM LAKE LODGE for cancellations is the paid part.