A dark green Toyota pickup with a roof tent parked in tall dry grass as mist closes in.

Forest Service campground

Indian Boundary

Forest Service campground in Cherokee National Forest, Monroe County, Tennessee. 1,560 feet. 11 miles from Tellico Plains.

Managed by
Forest Service Cherokee National Forest
Elevation
1,560 ft As the Forest Service states
Sites
86 86 standard electric
Longest rig
26 ft The longest vehicle any site is listed for
Hookups
Electric
Reservations
Recreation.gov
County
Monroe County

Overview

Indian Boundary Recreation Area is the crown jewel of the South Zone of the Cherokee National Forest on the Tellico Ranger District. This family-oriented campground offers a swim beach and picnic area with grills and an accessible picnic pavilion, as well as a fantastic, 3.2-mile hiking and biking trail around the lake. Spectacular mountain views, glimpses of wildlife, and a peaceful setting await visitors who come to Indian Boundary.

Recreation

Opportunities abound for fishing, swimming, boating, wildlife viewing and scenic driving. Other popular activities include hiking and biking the trail around Indian Boundary Lake.

The recreation area contains a swim beach, boat ramp, fishing pier, picnic area and volleyball court.

Facilities

The 87-site campground has electric hookups, water faucets throughout the campground, grills, picnic tables and lantern posts. Modern restrooms add to the comfort of visitors in this natural setting.

An on-site campground store sells bread, ice, milk, ice cream and other camping supplies.

Indian Boundary Recreation Area Map

Natural Features

Indian Boundary Lake covers 96 acres at an elevation of 1,560 feet, and sits among hardwoods and pines. At the lake, visitors enjoy watching beaver that inhabit an adjacent pond, identifying several species of ducks and other waterfowl and trying their luck at catching bass, sunfish and catfish.

The Cherokee National Forest is located in eastern Tennessee and stretches from Chattanooga to Bristol along the North Carolina border. The 650,000-acre swath of land is Tennessee's only national forest. It lies in the heart of the Southern Appalachians and is home to more than 20,000 species of plants and animals, as well as many rivers, creeks and lakes. Elevations range from 750 to 5,500 feet.

Nearby Attractions

The campground is two miles off the Cherohala Skyway, a 43-mile National Scenic Byway that stretches from Tellico Plains, Tennessee, to Robbinsville, North Carolina. Bald River Falls on Tellico River Road 210 is a popular destination. The Pheasant Fields Fish Hatchery also on Tellico River is operated by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and is the rearing pools for the fish stocking program on Tellico River, Citico Creek, and the Green Cove Pond.

The description, directions and fees are the Forest Service’s own words, from its record on Recreation.gov.

What people do here

  • accessible swimming
  • backpacking
  • badminton
  • biking
  • birding
  • boating
  • camping
  • canoeing
  • fishing
  • hiking
  • kayaking
  • mountain biking
  • non-motorized boating
  • ranger station
  • scenic drive
  • star gazing
  • swimming
  • wildlife viewing

The land around Indian Boundary

The ringed pin is this campground; the others are its nearest neighbours. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see the way in.

Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.

Map layers

Layers
Base map
Legend

Federal land, by managing agency

  • Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
  • US Forest Service (USFS)
  • National Park Service (NPS)
  • US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
  • Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
  • Department Of Defense (DOD)
  • Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
  • Other Federal
  • State
  • Local
  • Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
  • Alaska Native Allotment

Federal campgrounds, by agency

  • Forest Service
  • Bureau of Land Management
  • National Park Service
  • Army Corps of Engineers
  • Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others

State and local land (USGS PAD-US)

  • State land
  • County and city land
  • Regional agency or district
  • Land trust or conservancy

Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.

Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.

Select any point to see who manages the land.

Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.

Source: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), record updated August 26, 2026. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Seasons, fees, water and fire rules change; the managing office has the final word.