Free Camping Near Great Smoky Mountain National Park

This beautiful campground is a family favorite on account of the riverfront sites. The sites are spacious with a picnic table and fire ring. The Little Arrow Outdoor Resort changed owners in the recent years and is developing that hipster glamping vibe that is so popular right now. Framed as a ‘wilderness retreat’, they offer RV sites, tiny homes, cabins, tents, and even an Airstream.

Essentially about a ten-foot road base so it’s a bit narrow and as you go down there. The closest National Park Campground to the entrance here is Elkmont Campground which is accessible for both RVs and tents. Elkmont Campground has very large trees that do limit access to some RVs a lot of tents. Because of maneuvering in the park, they are long sites if you get into it any size RV will fit. Today I am going to talk about the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and ideas on where you should go camping in your RV or tent. Great Smoky Mountain National Park is enormous, there are really only a few main access points into the park.

We take the hassle and cost out of road trips by giving you easy to follow directions and combining them with FREE and low-cost camping destinations. Only campsites with all of the selected features will be displayed. Unselect all features to return to default settings. Only campsites that meet at least one of the selected criteria will be displayed. The trail is primarily used for bird watching and scenic driving and is best used from May until November.

Camping In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Despite the crowds, you can still carve out your own little piece of solitude camping in one of the park’s magnificent campgrounds. Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park attracts more than 4 million visitors every year to this natural playground. Estes Park and Grand Lake, Colorado, are popular gateway towns, each offering a different vibe. Here are top choices near each side of the national park.

With plenty of shaded and secluded sites, Cosby Campground is the place to get your Appalachian on. Hike around the glorious smokies or get fishing for your dinner, we’ll let you be the judge. If you’re hankerin’ to stock up on some munchies, the small town of Cosby has convenience stores and gas stations located only five miles down the road. This waterfall mimics a double-decker and falls 80 feet.

Boondocking And Dispersed Camping

Located in one of the more remote areas of the park, Abram’s Creek features a more peaceful camping experience away from the crowds. Hammocks are allowed but must be within the boundaries of the campsite and only use larger trees. Remember to use proper hammock straps to protect the trees.

The area is packed with amenities, including hiking and biking around the Cades Cove loop road, which is about 11 miles long. While it may be disappointing to have your dream trip suddenly disrupted by a lack of campsite availability, you shouldn’t cancel your plans. Most popular national parks are located near gateway towns where you’ll find private campgrounds that may not book as quickly as campgrounds located inside of the park.

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Biking, hiking, and horseback riding are common, but as well as wildlife viewing. Bear and elk are known to frequent the campground area. Unlike other areas of the national park, Cataloochee Campground’s hikes are less commonly used, making them ideal for those who want to see elk or black bear near to the campsite. There are fly fishing opportunities nearby, and over 90 historic structures, including churches and schools, near to the area. The Cataloochee Campground is a standard, nonelectric campsite offer campfire rings, picnic tables, a fire pit, and water hookup for users. It’s close to the Steve Woody and Caldwell Houses, both historical treasures, and the Rough Fork Trail, a two-mile round trip hike.

Elk are common in this part of the park in the spring and fall, so make sure to pack your binoculars. Big Creek Campground is located in the far northeastern corner of the park. Only 12 “tents-only” campsites, a group campground, and a horse camp.

What People Are Saying About Arrow Creek Campground

But staying here is about location, location, location. Where you should stay will depend on what geographical area you want to be in and the type of environment you want to experience. There are campgrounds smack dab in the middle of Pigeon Forge with all the amenities and campgrounds in the heart of the national park without any hookups. And yes, it’s hard to pick just one out of all the amazing options. Perhaps that’s why we ended up staying at three different campgrounds on our last visit to the Smokies.

This is just an overnight campground with no day-use facilities available. There’s much to love here, including being along the waterfront. Hiking and fishing are common, with trailhead to Little River, James Creek, and the Elkmont Nature Trail nearby. Because it is popular and a first-come, first-serve location, it can be hard to find available sites during weekends and peak summer months.

There are no hookups at the campground, so be prepared to dry camp. Camping in the Smoky Mountains can be a great experience. Many different campgrounds around this area cater to every type of camper with basic amenities or more available for use by visitors who plan on staying longer. Cosby is mostly a tent campground, though a limited number of RV sites are available. There’s no electricity but flush toilets and drinking water are available. There is no electricity but there are flush toilets and drinking water.

Same day reservations for Cataloochee are acceptable, but they must be made online or at the above phone number before arrival. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material, both writing and images, without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Choose first what region of the Smokies you want to focus on exploring, and try to find a campground in that area. No matter what, a trip to GSMNP will involve driving, but you can limit that by picking the right campground. Even though Townsend is quiet, there is a ton to see and do in the area.

Mid-summer (mid-June through mid-August) and the entire month of October, when the fall colors begin to peak. Weekends in October are especially crowded and traffic congestion should be expected. A season of warm days and crisp, cool nights, highs are usually in the 70s and 80s in September and the 50s and 60s in November. In the higher elevations, snow is possible by November.

If you’re looking to just get away some of the areas around Cherokee and Cataloochee would be good. That is the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, not a lot to it from the surface. There are a lot of campgrounds around and it as well as inside it. The National Park Campgrounds tend to be pretty crowded and a little tight, they are best suited to smaller rigs.

Most Popular And Best Campgrounds In The Smoky Mountains Include:

Located in Cosby, Tennessee, this campground has 48 tents or RVs with picnic tables and fire rings on a first-come, first-serve basis only. Still, they maintain potable water available throughout the season for visitors who might come prepared during those months when it is unavailable from November through March. Hen you stay at Greenbrier Campground, you can do as little or as much as you would like…it’s all up to you. Accommodation and dining is a very important aspect of trip planning and should be afforded utmost importance, especially when visiting. Where you stay depends on price, reputation, and most importantly the size of your family. Every visitor to the national park has a unique situation that helps in deciding the best location through their visit.

Campgrounds at the park range from under 2,000 feet to over 5,00 feet in elevation. This means a difference of up to 20 degrees in temperature difference. Hiking highlights include Deep Creek Trail and Indian Creek Trail which take you past two waterfalls. Deep Creek skirts the campground, creating opportunities for wading, fishing, and tubing.

When you are done then you can stay right there at Cades Cove, which is very accessible for any size rig. There is plenty of space so any size rig can fit into Cades Cove very easily. The sites are pretty close together but not too bad. Smoky Mountain National Park tends to pack them in there pretty tight in the different campgrounds. Cades Cove Campground is a very popular campground inside of the park and reservations are highly recommended.