Are you planning a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains and hoping to camp or RV? This post will guide you through the very best campgrounds in the towns of Townsend, Sevierville, and within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, to help you choose the best option for you.
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We were lucky enough to visit the Great Smoky Mountains recently and absolutely fell in love with the region. We spent time exploring the national park as well as towns nearby.
Read More: 11 Photos of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Below I will be sharing campgrounds both within the national park and in the towns of Townsend and Sevierville, Tennessee. We won’t be focusing on the towns of Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge that gear toward a different type of camper. In this post, we’ll also be sharing some of our favorite things to do in this area and a special review of Mountaineer Campground where we stayed in Townsend, Tennessee.
I’ll also be sharing a breakdown of the campgrounds. Including the cost and location of each campground, details about hookups and season dates, and any notes that I think you might need to know to plan your trip.
Below you’ll also be sharing campground highlights such as the cheapest, the most luxurious, best location, and highest rated campground in Townsend and Sevierville and within the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, to help you make the very best decision for your trip.
Read More: How to Spend 48-hours in Townsend, TN (with an RV)
Camping within Great Smoky Mountain National park is the cheapest option, but also the most primitive. With no hookups and limited amenities you’ll need to carefully consider if you and your rig can handle dry camping.
If you’re looking for full amenities and hookups, there’s plenty of options nearby. So many in fact, I had to make a chart!
* My posts contain affiliate links, which means I get a small commission from purchases you make at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Thanks for supporting my content!
Is Great Smoky Mountain National Park a Good Camping Destination?
Why Camp in Townsend, Sevierville, or in Great Smoky Mountain National Park?
The Great Smoky Mountain region is a fantastic destination for RV. While visiting you’ll get to experience beautiful scenic drives. wildlife like black bears, and great hiking.
If you’re traveling with a family or someone looking for lots of activities, the nearby towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge offer a variety of attractions to keep you busy. We personally opted for the quiet side of Great Smokies by staying in Townsend and nearby Sevierville, Tennessee.
This region was much more relaxing that the other Great Smoky towns and with way fewer crowds.
Yes, Townsend and Sevierville don’t have the exciting attractions like dinner shows, amusement rides, or tons of shopping, but they gave us a more realistic picture of what life is like for locals in this region.
Both Townsend and Sevierville are very close to Great Smoky Mountains National Park so you’ll have great access to all of the activities you want to do within the park.
Read More: Our Favorite RV Products You’ll Love
How Many Days Do You Need in the Great Smokies?
It’s so hard to say how many days you’ll need in this the Great Smoky Mountain region because truly you could explore for months and not tire of the views. The national park spans over both Tennessee and North Carolina, making it a huge area to explore. You may find, just a weekend is enough, or that you might want to spend 1 or 2 weeks here. Deciding how many days to spend in this region also depends on what you’re looking to do during your trip.
If you’re wanting to explore every hiking trail or scenic drive, then you may want to set aside more days.
We’ve found that 4 nights in the Great Smoky Mountains was a good amount. But I can easily see us going back for longer. We also were limited in our time because our visit was part of a larger two week RV road trip from Tennessee to Virginia up to Maryland. We felt four nights was definitely long enough to get a feel for the region but I would have loved to stay longer too.
Read More: How to Plan an Unforgettable 2 Week Road Trip
Plug for our Favorite RV Trip Planner
To plan our two week trip from Tennessee to Virginia up to Maryland we relied heavily on RV Life Trip Wizard. This is one of our favorite tools for planning our RV road trips and I bet you’ll love it too!
Best Campgrounds in Townsend, Sevierville, and within Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A note: This list does not contain backcountry campgrounds that you would need to backpack into. It also does not include horse camps. Any campground with a 3.5 or lower rating on Google has been excluded from the list as well.
For this post, I only focused on the towns of Townsend and Sevierville as well as campgrounds within the national park but know that there are TONS of other campgrounds in the area, especially in the towns of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge!
Pros of Camping within Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The major pro of camping within the national park is the proximity to park activities and attractions such as hiking trails, visitor centers, and scenic drives..
This option is best for those that don’t mind a more rustic experience.
Camping within Great Smoky Mountain National park is the cheapest option, but also the most primitive. With no hookups and limited amenities you’ll need to carefully consider if you and your rig can handle dry camping.
Pros of Camping in Townsend or Sevierville, TN
By camping in the nearby town of Townsend, TN, you’ll have access to more amenities such as adorable coffee shops, yummy restaurants, helpful services like a laundromat, car wash, and grocery stores.
This would be the better option for campers who like to have lots of food and service options available to them.
If you’re looking for full amenities and hookups, there’s plenty of options in nearby Townsend, TN. So many in fact, I had to make a chart!
Highest Rated Campgrounds in Townsend and Sevierville, TN
In case ratings are important to you (I always suggest taking them with a grain of salt), here are the highest rated campgrounds within the Great Smoky Mountains and in the towns of Townsend and Sevierville, TN. For the following campgrounds I consider both the actual rating of 0-5 stars and the numbers of ratings.
Cades Cove Campgound, Townsend/Great Smokies KOA, Cove Creek RV Resort, and Little Arrow Outdoor Resort
Cheapest Campgrounds in Townsend and Sevierville, TN
Any campground within Great Smoky Mountain National Park will be your cheapest option, however if you prefer to stay within Townsend or Sevierville, I recommend checking out, Honeysuckle Meadows RV Park or Cove Mountain RV Resort.
Read More: How to RV in the US for Less Than $2500
The Most Luxurious Campgrounds in Townsend and Sevierville, TN
For the most luxurious camping experience in Townsend and Sevierville, consider Sun Outdoors Pigeon Forge (located in Sevierville), The Ridge Outdoor Resort, Cove Creek RV Resort, or Little Arrow Outdoor Resort.
A Note on Mountaineer Campground
We stayed in Mountaineer Campground for 4 nights and loved our time! This is a really small, quiet campground that doesn’t have a ton of amenities but is at a great price point.
We prefer smaller campgrounds with less people to the larger ones, so this one hit the bill! It was also perfectly located right next to the entrance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The facilities were clean and the grounds were well maintained.
The sites weren’t super-duper spacious, but we’ve certainly had worse!
Campground Chart Legend
- $ – Under $35/night for RV Campsites
- $$ – Under $60/night for RV Campsites
- $$$ – Under $100/night for RV Campsites
- $$$$ – Over $100/night for RV Campsites
*All campgrounds in Townsend and Sevierville are open year round
Campgrounds Near Great Smoky Mountain National Park
| Campground | Location | Price | Tent/RV/Cabins | Hookups | Notes |
| Little Arrow Outdoor Resort | Townsend, TN | $$$$ | RV, Tenting, Cabin and Airstream rentals | Full | Riverfront sites |
| Townsend/Great Smokies KOA | Townsend, TN | $$$$ | RV, Tenting, Cabins | Full | |
| Mountaineer Campground | Townsend, TN | $$$ | RV, Tenting, Cabins | Full | We loved our stay – very quiet! |
| Riverstone Campground | Townsend, TN | $$$ | RV and Tenting | W/E | Riverside sites, quiet and small |
| Smoky Waters Campground | Townsend, TN | $$$ | RV only | Full | Riverside. 50 amp additional fee |
| Big Meadow Family Campground | Townsend, TN | $$$$ | RV only | Full | Big rig friendly, |
| Little River Campground | Townsend, TN | $$$ | RV, tenting and cabin rentals | Full | Fish from the nearby river |
| Honeysuckle Meadows RV Park | Sevierville, TN | $$ | RV and cabin rentals | Full | No bathrooms or shower available |
| Sun Outdoors Pigeon Forge | Sevierville, TN | $$$$ | RV and cabin rentals | Full | Large brand |
| Cove Creek RV Resort | Sevierville, TN | $$$ | RV, tenting and cabin rentals | Full | Saltwater pool, lots of amenities |
| Cove Mountain RV Resort | Sevierville, TN | $$ | RV and cabin rentals | Full | Call for reservations 865-429-5577 |
| The Ridge Outdoor Resort | Sevierville, TN | $$$$ | RV, glamping tents, tiny home rentals | Full | Big rig friendly, golf cart and jeep rentals |
Campgrounds Within Great Smokey Mountain National Park – MAKE THIS ITS OWN POST
| Campground | Price | Tent/RV/Cabins | Hookups | Season Dates | Notes |
| Elkmont Campground | $30 | RV and tenting | NA | March to December | RV Length Max: 35 ftTrailer Length Max: 32 ft |
| Smokemont Campground | $30 | RV and tenting | NA | Open Year Round | RV Length Max: 25 ftTrailer Length Max: 25 ft |
| Cades Cove Campground | $30 | RV and tenting | NA | Open Year Round | RV Length Max: 40 ftTrailer Length Max: 35 ft |
| Cosby Campground | $30 | RV and tenting | NA | Late March to Late October | RV Length Max: 25 ftTrailer Length Max: 25 ft |
| Abrams Creek Campground | $30 | RV and tenting *however RVs aren’t recommended due to entrance road | NA | Late April to Late October | Trailer Length Max: 12 ft |
| Big Creek Campground | $30 | Tenting only | NA | Late March to Late October | |
| Cataloochee Campground | $30 | RV and tenting | NA | Late March to Late October | RV Length Max: 31 ftTrailer Length Max: 31 ft |
| Deep Creek Campground | $30 | Rv and Tenting | NA | Late March to Late October | RV Length Max: 26 ftTrailer Length Max: 26 ft |
| Balsam Mountain Campground | $30 | RV and Tenting | NA | Early May to Mid October | RV Length Max: 24 ftTrailer Length Max: 24 ft |
| Look Rock Campground | $30 | RV and Tenting | NA | Late April to Late October | “Maximum RV lengths vary from 13 to 48 feet (4 to 15 m) depending on the campsite. Specifics are listed on recreation.gov.” |
Top 10 Things To Do in Great Smoky Mountains
- Look for black bears
- Take a scenic drive
- Hike Clingman’s Dome
- View Elk in Cataloochee Valley
- Bike Cades Cove on a car free day
- Go fishing for smallmouth bass
- Explore a nearby town (Townsend, Sevierville, Gatlinburg, or Pigeon Forge)
- Hike Abrams Falls Trail
- Check out the numerous waterfalls (Grotto, Laurel, Mingo, Spruce Flats)
- Hike Chimney Tops Trail
There are so many ways to explore Great Smoky Mountain National Park. First up, you can’t visit this national park without checking out Cade’s Cove Loop. This 10 mile loop is a fantastic scenic drive or bike ride. We drove and biked this loop and while the drive provided more chances to see black bears (13 in total!), the bike ride was gorgeous as the morning fog was rolling through.
And as with any good national park, there are tons of hiking options within the Great Smokies to satisfy any physical ability. We personally loved Clingman’s Dome and Abrams Falls Trail (we saw a bear on the trail!). And while we didn’t make it to the Chimney Tops Trail, it’s on our bucket list for next time!
We visited Clingman’s Dome around 11 o’clock and it didn’t feel too crowded. For some reason, I felt like this hike was really hard, which is kind of pathetic considering there were older folks and children passing me. But you get beautiful views of the surrounding area so we highly recommend. The views would be even better during sunrise or sunset.
If you’re close to Cataloochee Valley, you can see herds of elk. We went during sunset, and it was really fun. However, we had to drive about 2 hours to get there from Townsend.
A Note on Cade’s Cove Loop
You can’t visit the Great Smoky Mountains without checking out Cade’s Cove Loop. We explored this road twice. Once on bike and once in the car, and both experiences were magical! While in the car we were able to see over a dozen black bears and their cubs, which was phenomenal, and we felt so lucky. But biking around Cade’s Cove was also a really breath-taking experience (literally!). We headed out early in the morning when the fog was still rolling in. I won’t say it was the easiest bike ride but it’s definitely doable for most fitness abilities. I was winded and tired at the end, but it was totally worth it.
Final Thoughts
We hope you feel inspired to plan your first or a 100th camping trip to the Great Smoky Mountain region with this post. We can’t wait to go back! Perhaps we’ll see you there!
