Lookout Mountain-Chattanooga West KOA

As exclusively tent campers, I have always steered away from KOAs. But given how close this one is to my home city of Chattanooga, and how beautiful the Lookout Mountain region is, I decided to do a drive-thru tour just to check out a campground within 30 minutes of home, and this is definitely a place I would love to camp, even in a tent! 

  

Convenient to I-59, this KOA is in an extremely rural part of northern Georgia, giving it a backcountry feel despite how easy it is to access. And while it is still primarily for RV campers, they do have a some designated tent-only sites that are on their own leg of the road, and spaced out to provide some privacy--site D in particular had more of a feel of a private campground to it.

  

There are two distinct sections to this campground; when you first enter, there is a turnoff to the right that takes you to lower elevation. These sites are more spaced out, have trees (or bamboo!) in between them, and are generally larger. This is also the side where the tent and group camping sites are. Group camp sites allow one tent per site, and RV sites are all 50A full service except for sites 60 and 61 which are 30A. Tent sites have water and electric available but are for one vehicle and tent only. 

  

To the left of the welcome center upon entering sites are closer together, with a combination of 30A and 50A full services hookups. There are still plenty of trees, particularly along the uppermost loop (sites 16, 18, 20, and 22). This side is also where the majority of the cabins are. 

  

The coolest aspect of this campground for me was the massive jumping pad they have, and I had to promise my kids we would take an overnight trip here just so they could use it! It is restricted to ages 16 and under (and appeared to be closed, along with the playground and saltwater pool, due to COVID-19), but looked like an amazing addition, especially for families who may be staying here long-term and need a way for their kids to get some energy out without leaving the campground! 

  

This would still not be my primary choice for tent camping as it is still largely geared towards RVs, however the group camping, the wooded feel, and the convenience to Chattanooga make this an amazing play to stay, whether it is folks in the city looking to get into nature without a long drive, fulltimers who want long-term accommodations while they take advantage of all the region has to offer, or travelers just looking for a quiet place to stay while passing through.

Private campground feel at KOA convenience 

Small sites and will flood when rains. Kids loved the pool and jumping pillow. Very rocky throughout campground.

Good location 

Close to Cloudland Canyon &amp; Lookout Mountain &amp; Chattanooga! Clean facility and friendly staff! The view from the campground alone was beautiful! Also close to Raccoon Mountain! Could spend 4-5 days here and have a lot to do! We wished we had more time!

Perfect location 

We asked for a fire ring several times and were never presented with one. The trash is suppose to be left at the end of the site for pick up but we were never told that. Short drive to Chattanooga and enjoyed all the touristy things there.

Needs a little work

Very nice place!  Some Bathrooms/Showers under construction.  Very clean.  Staff are very nice.  Made reservations last minute and got lucky.  Staff member was very helpful.  They have a small store here and amazingly the prices are very reasonable!

My grandson and my daughter really enjoyed the pool!

Other stores are not very far.  

Very nice place!

Friendly staff. They are updating the shower/bathroom areas. Will be amazing when they are done. Salt water pool, huge sand box, jumping pillow. Fun area for the kids. 

Great Stay! 

Nice campsites. Bathrooms ok. Showers ok. Nice pool. Close to drive in movie theater (extremely nice place!) wilderness outdoor theater... keep your food in vehicle, a raccoon visited our food stash! 

Fun place!

Our site (33) was very nice. Far warning look into what you book as they all aren’t the same. Admittedly I am more of a state park person but my kids had a blast at this KOA. great staff and service. Great location can be at look out mountain or downtown Chattanooga in about 25 minutes. WiFi was great for movie nights. Kids bounce pad and play area were great. 

Family Fun and so close to so much  

Cute campground, sites are a bit close. It’s a bit off the beaten path to get to. Grocery stores are about 15 minutes away. 

Lookout mountain 

Site 56 is a good spot. Very level. And a nice view.

Great spot 

I stayed here during the off season when the office was closed and it was an easy process in and out. Very clean place and maintained well. I would definitely stay here again. 

Great stay

The great experience started soon after booking. I booked two non-consecutive nights due to staying here on the way to and from a destination. They immediately texted to confirm it wasn’t a mistake, which I appreciate. The campground has excellent facilities and feels VERY secluded. It is steep here but not terrible. The cabins look nice. It’s also well wooded, which I appreciate. Overall definitely recommend! 

Great choice close to Chattanooga ! 

This park, like many other KOA(s) does what it says on the tin. It is a place to stay a couple days when you are in-between National/State Parks. It has all the bells and whistles you'd expect from a KOA (just make sure they are in season).

I knocked 1 star off because they did not have any water for sale at the office. I have other reasons I could drop other stars but long story short… It's a KOA and you dont go to a salad bar expecting a steak.

Just to give this place a complement sandwich, the trails in the back were a great place to walk a dog.

Would Return

It's a KOA - What else can I say?

This was our first stop on a 2-week circuit through TN, GA and FL.  We stayed for two nights while attending the National Cornbread Festival in S. Pittsburgh, TN.  The campground has been around for a long time and shows that the owners take great pride in maintaining the property while expanding the camp footprint.  We were at site #22, graveled and level.  There was enough room between sites to not feel like you were on top of each other.  We were impressed with the amenities for families, the office/store had recently been expanded and renovated and a great bathroom/shower/laundry area had been added.  All very well maintained on a daily basis.

A very nice stop

Great experience! Our first time out in new to us RV. Went over President’s Day weekend.  Myself, Husband &amp; our four boys (5, 16, 19, 21) had a great time relaxing by the fire, jumping on inflatables at playground and gathering firewood in the woods.  Site was roomy and very clean. Great crew in the office helpful &amp; super nice.  Would recommend!

Chattanooga Winter Weekend 

We’ve stayed at this campground several times over the past 20 years.  It has actually improved since our last visit 7-8 years ago.  Bathrooms/showers are very nice…each guest gets a private room with shower, sink and toilet.  Dog park is very nice, and trails are good.  Campground is quite hilly but our site (15 pull through) was level.  Only suggestion would be a better stocked store.  

Nice Basecamp To explore Chattanooga 

Quiet campground tucked away on Lookout Mountain, with super friendly and helpful staff. The campground is very well maintained, has a large pool, playground and giant in-ground bounce ballon for the kids, and a fenced in dog park complete with slides and playground equipment for dogs! There is a walking trails around the campground.
The bathroom\shower house was impressive to say the least, very clean and renovated.