Great Smoky Mountains National Park Camping

There's no place like the Great Smoky Mountains for pitching a tent or parking your RV. Everywhere else pales in comparison when it comes to outdoor activities, scenic vistas, wildlife viewing, hiking, biking,

rafting/tubing, trout fishing, nearby arts & crafts, entertainment and so much more. The National Park Service maintains developed campgrounds at 10 locations in the park and numerous private campgrounds are located throughout the towns surrounding the National Park, offering something for everyone.

National Park Service Campgrounds are:
• Abrams Creek • Balsam Mountain • Big Creek • Cades Cove • Cataloochee •
Cosby • Deep Creek • Elkmont • Look Rock • Smokemont

Great Smoky Mountains National Park Campgrounds

Campground	No. of Sites	Fee	Elevation	2011 Open/Close Dates	Max. RV Length
Abrams Creek	16	$14	1,125'	3/11-10/31	12'
Balsam Mountain	46	$14	5,310'	5/14-10/10	30'
Big Creek	12	$14	1,700'	3/11-10/31	No RVs
Cades Cove	159	$17-$20	1,807'	Year Round	Trailers-35' Motor Homes-40'
Cataloochee	27	$20	2,610'	3/11-10/31	31'
Cosby	165	$14	2,459'	3/11-10/31	25'
Deep Creek	92	$17	1,800'	4/1-10/31	26'
Elkmont	220	$17-$23	2,150'	3/11-11/30	Trailers-32' Motor Homes-35'
Look Rock	68	$14	2,600'	5/13-10/31	No Size Limit
Smokemont	142	$17-$20	2,198'	Year Round	Trailers-35' Motor Homes-40'

Each campground has restrooms with cold running water and flush toilets, but there are no showers or electrical or water hookups in the park. Shower facilities are available in the communities surrounding the national park. Please inquire about the nearest facilities when you check-in at the campground. Each individual campsite has a fire grate and picnic table.

During summer and fall, sites at Elkmont, Smokemont, Cades Cove, Cataloochee and Cosby may be reserved online or by phone at (877) 444-6777. Reservations are accepted only for May 15-Oct 31. All other campgrounds are first-come, first-served.

In addition to individual campsites, several frontcountry campgrounds offer a limited number of group camping areas.

Quarantine Notice: Firewood from the states of Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec can not be brought into the national park. The United States Department of Agriculture has quarantined firewood from these states to prevent the spread of highly destructive insects that may be living in the wood.

Backcountry campsites change to reservation only

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK - Park officials have announced a decision to transition backcountry campsites 84 and 85, along the Hazel Creek Trail in North Carolina, from non-reservation campsites to reservation-only. This change takes effect on August 1, 2011. The decision was made as a result of repeated bear-human conflicts, which have necessitated lengthy closures of these two sites in the past couple of years.

Campsites 84 and 85 are currently available on a first-come first-served basis, which very often results in the sites being overcrowded. One consequence of overcrowding is lack of space on the food storage cables for everyone to properly store their food and other odorous items that tend to attract bears. Park officials expect that limiting the number of people at these campsites to the actual capacity will help ensure all campers have access to the food storage cables. When food and odorous items are properly stored bears have less incentive to visit campsites, which means fewer opportunities for bear-human conflicts. Fewer bear-human conflicts will, in turn, reduce the likelihood of campsite closures and allow more visitors to enjoy use of these sites during the season.

The reservation requirement will not affect the current capacity which allows a maximum number of 6 campers per night at campsite 84 and 10 people and 6 horses per night at campsite 85.

To make a reservation, campers must call the Backcountry Reservation Office at 865/436-1231. The office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily and reservations may be made up to one month in advance. In addition, campers must obtain an overnight backcountry camping permit, available at 16 backcountry permit stations throughout the Park. For more information about proper food storage, backcountry regulations or trip planning, visit the Park’s website anytime or call the Park’s Backcountry Information Office at 865/436-1297. The office is open 7 days a week from 9:00 a.m. to noon.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers plenty of activities from biking to hiking to wildlife viewing

No matter what your pleasure, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers something for everyone, from simply riding through some of the most beautiful scenery in the world to hiking to the top of a mountain or strolling on a quiet pathway exploring wildflowers.

Photo by Thomas Lowery Folds

AUTO TOURING - An auto tour of the park offers a chance to see panoramic vistas, rushing mountain streams, weathered historic buildings and majestic forests stretching to the horizon. Inexpensive booklets are available to serve as your personal tour guides along many park roads.

BICYCLING - Ride through Cades Cove on a misty summer morning for a truly memorable way to experience the park.

CAMPING - Escape into the Smokies wilderness for a backpacking adventure or choose a less primitive campout in one of the park's developed campgrounds.

FISHING - Anglers can match their skills against brook, brown and rainbow trout on over 700 miles of fishable streams in the park.

HIKING - Choose from over 800 miles of trails ranging from quiet walkways to multi-day backpacking treks through the backcountry.

HISTORIC BUILDINGS - The park has one of the best collections of log buildings in the eastern United States. Nearly 80 historic structures—homes, barns, churches, schools, and grist mills—have been preserved in the park.

HORSEBACK RIDING - The park has hundreds of miles of horse trails and five drive-in horse camps. If you don't own a horse, four rental stables provide mounts and guides.

PICNICKING - There are eleven picnic areas to choose from in the park for a nice picnic outing with your family. Many have pavilions that can be reserved in advance.

WATERFALLS - Waterfalls can be found on nearly every river and stream in the park.

WILDFLOWERS - Great Smoky Mountains National park is known as the "wildflower national park." You can find blooming plants year-round here, but spring and summer are renowned for spectacular displays of wildflowers along roads and trails.

WILDLIFE VIEWING - Hoping to see an elk, white-tailed deer or black bear? The Smokies and especially Cades Cove offer daily opportunities to spot these and many others.

Visit http://www.thegreatsmokymountains.org/ for books, maps and guides to the park. This is the Great Smoky Mountains National park's official online store, which is operated by the nonprofit Great Smoky Mountains Association. Proceeds generated by purchases at the store are donated to educational, scientific, and historical projects in the park.

Information from nps.gov