Camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Campgrounds, Reservations and Tips

Smoky Mountains campgrounds compared

The park runs 10 frontcountry campgrounds, from 220-site Elkmont near Gatlinburg to 12-site Big Creek on the park's northeast edge. Every site has a picnic table and fire grate, and every campground has flush toilets and cold running water.

Fees come from the NPS fee schedule. Site counts and length limits come from Recreation.gov listings, and lengths vary by site, so check the exact pad length on Recreation.gov before you book. The NPS says Cades Cove and Smokemont are open year-round and the rest are seasonal, but it posts exact 2026 opening and closing dates on each campground's booking page rather than in its park text. Several seasonal campgrounds usually close for the year between late October and November, so confirm the date if you are planning a late-fall trip.

How reservations work

Advance reservations are required year-round at all campgrounds in the park, and the NPS says first-come, first-served sites are no longer available. Book on Recreation.gov or by phone at 877-444-6777. Reservations open up to 6 months in advance on a rolling basis, so a site for mid-October opens in mid-April.

October weekends, summer weekends and the spring wildflower season book up first, especially at Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont. Weekday stays and the smaller campgrounds (Cataloochee, Abrams Creek, Big Creek) are easier to get, though their small size means they also fill. Cosby allows same-day reservations, but cell service is very limited at most campgrounds, so reserve before you drive in.

Check in at the campground office when you arrive. Check-in is 1 p.m. and check-out is noon, and if you have not checked in by noon the day after arrival you may be treated as a no-show. Canceling the day before or the day of arrival costs a $10 service fee plus the first night.

• Up to 6 people and 2 vehicles per site; only one RV or trailer at RV sites.
• Stay limit: 14 consecutive days, and no more than 60 days in a calendar year.
• Quiet hours 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.; generators only from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and not at all in generator-free loops.
• Camping is allowed only in designated sites, not in pullouts or parking lots.

Tennessee side: Cades Cove, Elkmont, Cosby, Look Rock and Abrams Creek

Cades Cove is the classic choice: open all year, next to the 11-mile loop road, with a camp store, dump station and bike rentals in season. In the off-season only part of the campground stays open. The loop road is typically closed to cars on Wednesdays from May through September, which makes it a quiet day to walk or bike from camp.

Elkmont, the park's largest campground, sits along the Little River about 6 miles from Sugarlands Visitor Center. It is closest to Gatlinburg and the synchronous firefly viewing area, but it has no dump station (use the one across from Sugarlands). RVs and trailers cannot cross the Metcalf Bottoms bridge, so come in from Gatlinburg or Townsend. Laurel Falls Trail, a short drive away, remains closed until an expected 2027 reopening.

Cosby is a large, mostly tent campground in the quieter northeast corner, with only a handful of RV-only sites. Look Rock, on the Foothills Parkway, is the only campground with electric hookups, at some sites. If you are towing, Recreation.gov warns against GPS routes on Montvale, Happy Valley and Flats roads. Abrams Creek is a small, shaded campground on the park's western edge that suits tents and small rigs.

North Carolina side: Smokemont, Deep Creek, Cataloochee, Balsam Mountain and Big Creek

Smokemont, on Newfound Gap Road north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, is the other year-round campground. Loops D and F take RVs up to 40 feet, and loop F is RV-only. Newfound Gap Road can close for snow or wind, and Recreation.gov notes that refunds are not given for those closures.

Deep Creek, just outside Bryson City, has 92 sites, 42 of them walk-in tent sites, and sits at the start of the Deep Creek waterfalls loop. Cataloochee is a 27-site campground in a remote valley known for elk. The access road includes about 3 miles of narrow, winding gravel with blind curves, and Recreation.gov says motorhomes over 29 feet and trailers over 25 feet are not recommended.

Balsam Mountain is a high-elevation campground reached by Heintooga Ridge Road, which is open May 15 to October 31 in 2026. Its 42 sites suit tents and small RVs. Big Creek is a 12-site, tent-only campground on the park's northeast edge, near the Tennessee line.

Group camps and horse camps

Seven campgrounds have group sites for larger parties, and all require a reservation with payment at the time of booking. Five horse camps offer sites with hitch racks for up to six people and four horses; you must have a horse to reserve. In 2026 Round Bottom Horse Camp is closed, and Straight Fork Road nearby has no opening date because of Hurricane Helene damage.

• Anthony Creek Horse Camp (Cades Cove): March 27 to November 8, 2026, 3 sites, $30.
• Big Creek Horse Camp: May 15 to October 25, 2026, 5 sites, $36.
• Cataloochee Horse Camp: May 1 to October 25, 2026, 7 sites, $30.
• Tow String Horse Camp (near Smokemont): May 1 to October 25, 2026, 3 sites, $30.
• Round Bottom Horse Camp: closed in 2026.

Hookups, showers, dump stations and firewood

There are no showers anywhere in the park; the NPS points campers to nearby towns. Apart from some electric and water sites at Look Rock, there are no hookups. Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont have 5-amp outlets for medical equipment only.

RV dump stations are at Cades Cove, Cosby, Deep Creek, Look Rock and Smokemont, plus one across from Sugarlands Visitor Center that serves Elkmont.

Only bundled firewood that is heat-treated and certified by the USDA or a state agency may be brought into the park, to keep out tree-killing insects. You can also gather dead and down wood in the park. Camp concessioners at Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont sell certified wood during their March to November season. Fires are allowed only in the fire rings.

Bears and food storage

About 1,900 black bears live in the park, and bear activity around campgrounds is common. When you are not using them, keep all food, coolers, cooking gear, scented items and water containers sealed in your vehicle, preferably the trunk, or in a hard-sided camper. Unattended food or coolers can be impounded, and violations can bring fines.

Food storage lockers are available at Abrams Creek, Big Creek, Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Cosby, Deep Creek, Elkmont and Smokemont. Put trash in the bear-proof dumpsters, and keep at least 50 yards from any bear you see. Pets are welcome in campgrounds on a 6-foot leash but are not allowed on most trails.

Backcountry camping, shelters and LeConte Lodge

Every night in the backcountry, at a designated campsite or a trail shelter, needs a permit and a reservation. Starting April 30, 2026, all new backcountry permits are issued through Recreation.gov. The cost is $8 per person per night plus a new $6 non-refundable permit fee, and the old $40 cap on a trip's total cost has been removed. Appalachian Trail thru-hikers buy a separate $44.50 thru-hiker permit. The Backcountry Office at Sugarlands Visitor Center (865-436-1297) answers questions from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern.

Backcountry sites and shelters have no facilities beyond a food storage cable system for hanging food, trash and scented items. You still need a parking tag for the vehicle you leave at the trailhead. In 2026, campsites 19 and 91 are closed because their bear cables are down, sites 41 and 42 are closed by hurricane damage, sites 36 and 37 cannot be reached from Big Creek Trail, and Caldwell Fork, Gunter Fork and Swallow Fork trails are closed.

LeConte Lodge, on top of Mount LeConte at 6,593 feet, is the only lodging inside the park, and it is reached only on foot by trails 5 to 8 miles long, including Alum Cave, Rainbow Falls, Bullhead and Trillium Gap. It is generally open mid-March to mid-November and requires advance reservations through the lodge. Note that Bullhead Trail is closed Monday through Thursday through November 19, 2026.

Camping near the park and parking tags

If park campgrounds are full, look at the national forests that surround the Smokies. Nantahala National Forest borders the North Carolina side near Bryson City and Fontana Lake, with Forest Service campgrounds such as Tsali and Cable Cove. Pisgah National Forest lies to the east near Cataloochee and Asheville, and Cherokee National Forest lines the Tennessee side, with campgrounds such as Indian Boundary south of Cades Cove. The Blue Ridge Parkway, which starts at the park's Oconaluftee entrance, also has NPS campgrounds. Check the Forest Service or Parkway pages for seasons, since many close in late fall.

Your campsite reservation covers the car parked at your site. Recreation.gov notes that a parking tag is required for any vehicle parked for more than 15 minutes outside your assigned campsite, so buy a weekly tag ($15) if you plan to drive to trailheads during your stay.

More Great Smoky Mountains guides

• Best Time to Visit Great Smoky Mountains National ParkWhen to visit the Great Smokies: April wildflowers, the May firefly lottery, summer crowds, October color by elevation and winter road closures.
• Great Smoky Mountains Parking Tag Guide (Park It Forward)Great Smoky Mountains has no entrance fee, but parking over 15 minutes needs a tag: $5 a day, $15 a week, $40 a year. Who needs one, where to buy, exemptions.
• Best Hikes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park11 of the best Smoky Mountains hikes, from Kuwohi and Grotto Falls to Alum Cave and Mount LeConte, with mileage, elevation gain, parking tags and 2026 closures.