16 tents-only sites on the banks of Deep Creek.
10 creekside sites with power and full hookups
16 RV sites with power and full hook-ups
3 sheltered sites with water and electricity
10 big rig sites including 3 pull-through sites with full hook-ups and cable

A cascading whitewater stream flowing out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Rippling trout runs, sparkling waterfalls, natural swimming holes, mountain trails lined with wildflowers and a mile of the best whitewater tubing in the Smokies. That's Deep Creek, a family vacation paradise in the Great Smoky Mountains of Western North Carolina.

Deep Creek Tube Center & Campground

This campground has just about everything you could ask for.  Located close to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it is a private campground and has several types of camping opportunities.  Although most of the sites are for RVs, there are a few sites beside Deep Creek for tents.  If you have two tents, as we did, you need to make sure they are small because the tent pads are not that big.  However, it was great sleeping beside the creek away from the RVs, and it was not too far of a walk to the bath house.  If you are in an RV, there are pull-through sites and back-in sites.  This is also the first campground that I have ever seen with shelters at some of the RV sites.  As far as activities, there is plenty for the kids to do so they will not get bored.  For younger children, there are two playgrounds and a “fort.”   I can hardly wait to come here again with my grandson since I think he would especially love the fort.  The modern bath house is coupled with a laundry, and there are quite a few cabins if you don’t want to stay in a tent or an RV.  The camp store is fully stocked, and the whole campground has a quaint mountain theme.  The person I spoke to in the store spoke matter-of-factly, but she was not unfriendly.  I guess I should have bought some of the bundled firewood because we had a hard time trying to start the fire without dry wood.  We were able to miss the Memorial Day crowd since we camped there before the big rush.  Since this is also a tubing center, you can rent a tube and take it into the national park, which is about a mile down the road.  If you don’t like crowds, I suggest that you go when I did—a few weeks BEFORE Memorial Day.  Once Memorial Day comes, it will be crowded and the creek will be filled with tubers.  If you take the short drive into the national park, you will come to a parking lot, and from there, you can hike to three waterfalls close by.  The closest one from the parking lot in the national park is two-tenths of a mile, and it is an easy hike.  If you want to do some shopping or sightseeing, downtown Bryson City is a couple of miles away.  From there you can book a ride on the Smoky Mountain Railroad, or you can drive into the national park down Lake Shore Drive (a.k.a. “The Road to Nowhere”).  It is a pleasant six mile drive and has an overlook to view the beginning of Fontana Lake.

Great Campground Close to National Park and Creek Tubing

Campground review:
Located in Bryson City, N.C. on Deep Creek, this campground has around 50 sites with full hookups. There are tent sites, RV sites (some directly on the creek) and also cabin rentals. The office is a gift shop with souvenirs, basic camping needs and hand -scooped ice cream. 
There are tube rentals at the entrance as well as gem mining and a petting zoo with goats. There are 2 coin-operated laundry facilities at the campground that are very affordable.
You can put in your tube at one side of campground and float to end of tent sites to get out (15-20 minutes total float) or drive up the road a bit to Smoky Mountain Deep Creek entrance for a longer run of about 2-3 hours and end up back in camp.
Our first time experience here was a little tainted by some grouchy staff and no wi-fi even though it was advertised. There were also multiple power outages during our week stay that were finally fixed. This would not keep us from coming back to the serenity of this creekside camping. There are many things to do in town as well. Train rides, antiques and lots of trendy shops and restuarants. This town is up and coming. Fontana Lake is nearby where you can fish, boat and swim. We met new friends who we plan to return with next summer. 
Product review:
Palmilla Notched Tank from Toad & Co. is light and comfortable. I wore it on a hike into Deep Creek entrance of Great Smoky Mountain N. P. for several hours while we walked along the creek to see waterfalls. The fit is great and love the vibrant cedar orange color.

Ranger Review of Palmilla Notched Tank from Toad & Co at Deep Creek Campground

This place is rad!  Keep finding awesome little spots in and around the great smoky mountains.  This is a quiet and fun family spot with accommodation options for everyone plus TUBING!!!  Great way to cool off on a hot summer day in the Carolina!

Rad!

yea technically you are just outside of the great smoky mountain national park, but its so much fun here.  Great spot to be on the NC side of the smokies.  Hot showers and a big variety of camping options.  Hook ups, tents whatever you need!  Small enough to be quaint and quiet!  Reserve early!

Love the tubing and hot showers

Very clean and well organized, right on Deep Creek!

Deep creek

Have been here twice with my 3 kids.  LOVE it! The staff has always been friendly and helpful with any questions. The tubing is great! Location is perfect. It’s very peaceful and quite but close to town. Private restrooms with heat and hot showers are definitely a plus! 

Great quite place!! 

This was a great family campground. Plenty for the kids to do, including gem mining, feeding goats and several playgrounds. Plus you can rent tubes and drive a short distance into the national park for some fun tubing. The campground fills up, and most of your neighbors will be in RVs, but everyone was respectful and quiet during our stay. A dish sink outside the bathrooms made cleaning up from meals a cinch. It's also amazingly close to Bryson City, but you wouldn't be able to tell once your in the campground. Try to get a spot on the river, sites 1-10, but we stayed in 12 and it was fine. There are plenty of trees for shade, and this area of WNC rains a good amount, so everything is very green. Staff were all very friendly and helpful.

Great location

We spent a weekend here with a group of friend for a rafting trip. 
Big mistake!
The sites are so closely packed you could not eat at the picnic tables without being in someone else’s site. 
Couldn’t make a fire in the fire ring because it was right next to the RV in the next site.
Over priced. Over crowded.
Won’t go back!



Packed like sardines 

After backpacking a few nights in the mountains, this was the perfect place to rest and get a hot shower. The store clerk was very nice and they have a bunch of snacks and firewood $7 a bundle. We stayed in the primitive sites by the creek which was amazing. Most people seem to be older and stay in the cabins which looked fun. The primitive sites aren’t very private. You see all your neighbors, but it’s nice. The showers were clean and hot most the time. There is also laundry. I’d like to go in warmer months and tube. 

Sweet little spot by the Smokies 

We tent camped at an electric site and it was awesome. There’s shelters to camp under, a fire ring, and a picnic table. We were close to the bath house which was welcomed in the middle of the night. This campground has a ton of activities for the whole family. Just a short drive into the GSMNP, we did hiking during the day, explored Bryson City, then enjoyed the campground at night. When we were there, it was nearly sold out but still quiet. Would love to go back in the summer and tube. 


If you forget something, the campground store is great. They do have fire wood AND the Wi-Fi was strong enough for us to stream Netflix / send emails. 

LOVED this place

Stayed here this past weekend. It is well kept and relaxing to be there. It was quiet and my kids enjoyed the playgrounds and the goats. Definitely will come back during busy season. It was absolutely beautiful there. 