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Best Campgrounds in the Smokies (2026)

16 curated picks · updated

The best campgrounds for a Smokies trip include four national park campgrounds (Elkmont, Cades Cove, Smokemont and Cosby) plus private resorts and national forest sites nearby. Park campsites need a recreation.gov reservation, bookable six months ahead. Cades Cove and Smokemont stay open year-round; most of the rest close by late November.

Camping options in and around the Smokies range from no-frills tent sites inside the national park to full-hookup resorts ten minutes from Gatlinburg's main strip. The 16 picks on this page cover that full range, weighted toward trail access, site quality, and realistic booking windows for peak-season travel.

Four sit inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Elkmont and Cosby on the Tennessee side, Smokemont on the North Carolina side near Cherokee, and Cades Cove in the valley known for its 19th-century homesteads and year-round wildlife. These are the most logistically demanding picks because they fill fast, but they're also the ones where you fall asleep to a creek instead of a neighboring generator. Reservations open six months in advance on recreation.gov, and if Elkmont or Cades Cove is your target, book the day that window opens.

A few things to sort out before you commit:

  • Parking tag: GSMNP requires a tag for any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes ($5 a day, $15 a week or $40 a year; federal passes are not accepted). Overnight campers with a valid park reservation are exempt at their campsite, but day hikes during your stay still require a tag.
  • Bear storage: All food, cookware, and scented items must go in provided bear boxes overnight. The park enforces this; rangers do issue citations.
  • Cosby vs. Elkmont: Cosby handles a fraction of Elkmont's visitor volume despite similar trail quality, making it the better choice if your dates are flexible and you'd rather skip the crowds.
  • Timing: Fall color peaks from mid-October into early November at lower elevations and draws the year's highest visitor counts. May is consistently the stronger camping month: better weather odds, wildflowers, and far fewer people than July.

The private campgrounds and USFS picks (Davidson River in Pisgah National Forest, Indian Boundary in Cherokee National Forest) typically offer longer seasons, better hookup availability, and easier reservations than the national park sites, which matters if you're traveling with a large RV or need a fallback when the park books out.

More to plan with: the camping hub, the backcountry permit guide, bear safety, the parking tag explainer and the events calendar.

  1. 1

    Elkmont Campground

    frontcountry · 211 sites

    Elkmont is the park's largest campground, with about 210 sites along the Little River near Gatlinburg. It runs through November 29, 2026 and reopens April 3, 2027.
  2. 2

    Cades Cove Campground

    frontcountry · 161 sites

    Cades Cove Campground is open year-round with about 160 sites near the loop road's wildlife meadows. In winter only sites C1-12 and C26-61 are open, by reservation.
  3. 3

    Cosby Campground

    frontcountry · 157 sites

    Cosby is the park's quiet northeast campground: 157 shaded sites at 2,459 feet, trails to Hen Wallow Falls, and a closing date of October 25.
  4. 4

    Smokemont Campground

    frontcountry · 142 sites

    Smokemont is the year-round campground on the North Carolina side, 6 miles north of Cherokee, with 142 sites beside the Oconaluftee River and a dump station.
  5. 5

    Greenbrier Campground

    private · 120 sites

    Greenbrier Campground is a private, river-side RV and tent campground on East Parkway east of Gatlinburg with about 120 full-hookup RV sites. Book through Campspot or call ahead.
  6. 6

    Deep Creek Campground

    frontcountry · 92 sites

    Deep Creek Campground has 92 sites beside a popular creek near Bryson City, with three waterfalls on a nearby loop. It closes October 25 and reopens May 1, 2027.
  7. 7

    Indian Boundary Campground

    usfs · 87 sites

    Indian Boundary Recreation Area in Cherokee National Forest has an 87-site campground beside a 96-acre lake, a swim beach and a 3.2-mile loop trail near Tellico Plains.
  8. 8

    Look Rock Campground

    frontcountry · 68 sites

    Look Rock is the park's west-end campground on the Foothills Parkway with 68 sites, 10 with electric and water. It closes October 25 and reopens May 8, 2027.
  9. 9

    Panther Creek State Park Campground

    state · 50 sites

    Panther Creek State Park, on Cherokee Lake near Morristown, has a 50-site campground with water and electric hookups, hot showers and Wi-Fi, about an hour from Gatlinburg.
  10. 10

    Smoky Bear Campground & RV Park

    private · 49 sites

    Smoky Bear Campground & RV Park is a private campground on US-321 east of Gatlinburg with 46 full-hookup sites, 3 primitive tent sites and 6 cabins. Pets are welcome.
  11. 11

    Balsam Mountain Campground

    frontcountry · 43 sites

    Balsam Mountain is the park's highest campground at 5,310 feet, with 43 cool, quiet sites off the Blue Ridge Parkway. It closed on October 12 and reopens in May 2027.
  12. 12

    Lake James State Park Campground

    state · 33 sites

    Lake James State Park near Nebo, North Carolina, has a 33-site drive-in campground at Paddy's Creek, plus walk-in and paddle-in sites. It is well east of the Smokies.
  13. 13

    Cataloochee Campground

    frontcountry · 27 sites

    Cataloochee Campground has 27 sites in the historic elk valley on the North Carolina side. Reserve ahead; it closes October 25 and reopens May 1, 2027.
  14. 14

    Abrams Creek Campground

    frontcountry · 16 sites

    Abrams Creek is the park's remote western campground: 16 sites beside a clear creek, flush toilets and no hookups. It closes for the season on October 25.
  15. 15

    Big Creek Campground

    frontcountry · 12 sites

    Big Creek is a tent-only campground with 12 sites beside a rushing creek in the park's northeast corner. It closes October 25 and reopens May 15, 2027.
  16. 16

    Cherokee / Great Smokies KOA Holiday

    private

    The Cherokee KOA, on Big Cove Road beside the Raven Fork River, is open all year with RV sites, tent sites and cabins, a short drive from the park's Oconaluftee entrance.

Good to know

Best Campgrounds in the Smokies (2026): FAQ

Do I need a reservation to camp at Elkmont or Cades Cove?
Yes. Both campgrounds require reservations through recreation.gov, as does Smokemont and every other frontcountry campground in the national park, so don't count on walk-up sites. The booking window opens six months in advance, and during summer weekends and fall foliage season prime dates fill within hours of the window opening.
What's the difference between the national park campgrounds and the private ones on this list?
National park campgrounds (Elkmont, Cades Cove, Cosby, Smokemont) have no electrical hookups at individual sites, require food storage in centralized bear boxes, and operate under the park's quiet-hours and fire rules. Private campgrounds like Little Arrow Outdoor Resort and the KOA properties offer full hookups, WiFi, pools, and generally easier availability. USFS campgrounds (Davidson River in Pisgah National Forest, Indian Boundary in Cherokee National Forest) fall in between: wooded settings with fewer crowds than the national park and more hookup options, without the same reservation crunch.
When is the best time to camp in the Smokies?
May and early June are the strongest window: mild weather, wildflower peak, and lighter crowds than summer. July and August bring the highest visitor volume and afternoon thunderstorms. Fall color usually peaks at lower elevations from mid-October into early November, which is the busiest period of the year overall. Most national park campgrounds close by late November (Cades Cove and Smokemont stay open all year); several private campgrounds on this list also stay open year-round.
Are campfires allowed at these campgrounds?
Campfires are permitted in designated fire rings at national park and USFS campgrounds. During dry conditions, the National Park Service may impose fire restrictions or ban fires entirely. Check nps.gov/grsm before your trip. Both the NPS and USFS strongly discourage transporting firewood from outside the region because moving wood spreads invasive insects and tree disease.
How serious is the bear risk at campgrounds inside the park?
Serious enough that you should treat the storage rules as law. GSMNP has one of the highest black bear population densities of any national park in the country. Park regulations require all food, trash, cookware, and scented items to be stored in the provided bear boxes at your site whenever you're asleep or away. Rangers issue citations for violations. The practical concern beyond personal safety is that bears which become food-conditioned are typically euthanized; proper storage prevents that outcome.

Where to stay

Near Smokies campgrounds

Pick your spots, then lock in where you'll sleep. Compare live cabin, hotel, and rental prices nearby across Booking.com, Vrbo, and Expedia.

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