Best Equestrian Camping near Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Great Smoky Mountains National Park

392 Reviews of 41 Great Smoky Mountains National Park Campgrounds

• M

  Megan B.

  Legend

  Oct. 1, 2016

  Deep Creek Tube Center & Campground

  Love the tubing and hot showers

  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!

• 

  not S.

  Ranger

  Jun. 14, 2023

  Cherokee-Great Smokies KOA

  Great location

  We stayed here in order to visit both Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Wheels Through Time museum. The deluxe cabin on the Raven Fork river was comfortable and the propane Weber grill worked well. The new swimming pool with spa is really nice, great pool area. There was a lot of construction going on while we were there, improving the roads and parking, but overall it was a good stay and great location. The tent sites were next to a busy road, but looked mostly level.

• 

  Meg S.

  Ranger

  Jul. 1, 2015

  Cades Cove Campground

  Beautiful and Quiet in the Fall, Tons of Wildlife

  Rustic camping, with tons of wildlife in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Well cared for, nice staff. Beautiful hiking trails, convenient store with bike rentals and wildlife watching. Remember to keep your food well locked, this is black bear territory, and since many people can't follow simple directions, and do feed the wildlife, the black bears in the smokies are not afraid of people, and associate them with food. There is some nose pollution from the generators. No electricity, no showers, no cell service, perfect for a weekend getaway into the wild.

• 

  Stella S.

  Scout

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Big Creek Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  Review of Big Creek Campground

  Big Creek Campground, located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, offers a peaceful tent-only camping experience alongside the beautiful Big Creek. With amenities like flushing toilets and potable water, it combines backcountry charm with essential comforts. The area is a hiker's paradise, featuring over 800 miles of trails, including the challenging Baxter Creek Trail and the scenic Big Creek Trail with its stunning waterfalls. Anglers can enjoy excellent trout fishing, especially in spring, while wildlife enthusiasts may spot black bears and river otters. At an elevation of 1,700 feet, the campground is surrounded by picturesque mountains and pristine streams, making it a perfect spot for relaxation and exploration. Nearby attractions include Cataloochee Valley and the Appalachian Trail, enhancing the outdoor adventure experience. Overall, Big Creek Campground is a fantastic destination for nature lovers seeking both adventure and tranquility.

  Regards

  Stella Smith

  Founder of Bombitup

  http://bombitupapp.in/

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• 

  Lynn G.

  Ranger

  Sep. 30, 2017

  Cades Cove Campground

  Very popular but very pretty in GSMNP

  This campsite is in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is one of the biggest and busiest. It’s a little more RV-friendly than Elkmont it seems, but we like them both a lot.

  Yay: this is a fairly typical big national park campground in many ways. There is a camp store with firewood (you are required to buy it from an authorized location!). Nice roomy campsites, but not as much plant cover as at Elkmont in my experience. You can hike some trail from right on site. Rangers have almost nightly programming for all ages. Love the tent only areas.

  Nay: given the traffic it is well maintained but can still be a little behind in restroom cleanliness. We’ve stayed here many times and how clean the campsite and bathrooms/facilities are can vary a lot. The staff are all excellent though and are happy to hop to it and solve any issues you may have with the facilities. Also bring tons of bug spray! No showers.

  Surprise: This is a better campground if you have people in your group that are not as mobile or into hiking, as you can drive the Cades Cove scenic drive.

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• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  May. 30, 2019

  Deep Creek Tube Center & Campground

  Great Campground Close to National Park and Creek Tubing

  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.

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• 

  Lori H.

  Legend

  Jul. 21, 2019

  Cades Cove Campground

  Ranger Review- Wenzel Moonshine Shade at Cades Cove Campground

  Campground Review- Cades Cove is one of the most scenic areas in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The 11 mile loop through Cades Cove is beautiful and full of wildlife. The road is paved, and is closed to car traffic on Saturday’s and Wednesday’s until 10am, so it is great to take a bike, or go on foot and explore! We always see lots of deer, turkeys, and sometimes bears and coyotes. Abrams Falls is a popular hike, it’s roughly 5 miles round trip, is moderately difficult, and has a beautiful waterfall at the end, but beware of swimming there, several deaths have occurred at Abrams Falls, even from strong swimmers.

  The Campground at Cades Cove is heavily wooded, with lots of sites, none of them have electricity hook ups, but the B loop allows generators, the C loop does not allow them. The sites are fairly close, but each site has plenty of room to not feel cramped.
  The restrooms do not have showers, but do have flush toilets, and were well maintained and clean. The campground has a nice store that has the approved heat treated firewood, ice, souvenirs, ice cream, and other things you might need. I believe you can rent bikes there too. This area is extremely crowded during summer and peak seasons, so plan accordingly!

  Product Review- *Ranger Review- Wenzel Moonshine Shade As a ranger for The Dyrt, I sometimes get cool gear to test and review, so today I’m reviewing the Moonshine Shade from Wenzel. The Shade arrived on Friday morning, the day I was heading to Cades Cove, with rain in the forecast I was so pumped I got it in time to take! I have been looking for a lightweight canopy to replace the big, bulky ez up we’ve been using, the Moonshine Shade weighs in at 14lbs, and fits in a small carrying case! The first time setting it up, it was in the rain, and I should have actually read the Instructions, instead of skimming over them! Lol. But I figured it out, and in hindsight, i made it way harder than it actually is. It is really a quick 5 minute set up, and the 9x12 area actually provides more shade than the 10x10 canopy, especially with the movable side wall.

  The Moonshine Shade from Wenzel is a fantastic product, and excellent for camping, or any outdoor event! Find it here- Wenzelco.com

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• 

  Crystal C.

  Legend

  Jan. 2, 2021

  Cataloochee Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  Remote Camping Near Smoky Mountain History

  Full Video With Drive Through Of The Campground CLICK HERE

  When visiting the smoky mountains you might be tempted to try something a little bit more off the beaten path. Sometimes the path being rocky and windy makes the campsite all the more worth it. As is the case with the Cataloochee campground. 

  I took a trip to this campground in hopes of finding something spectacular I had heard that the elk in this area around freely and that on a crisp day you could hear the water which runs along side the camp even at the furthest campsite. As I drove down the winding road I noticed that the twist interns grew narrow the bumps grew frequent and then encountering a motorist was a hairy experience. I had been told that large RVs we're not permitted however I saw one precariously going down the mountain side. 

  The roads suddenly turned from dirt and gravel to a paved section of highway and I was slightly confused. 

  Just a short distance after this occurred I found the Cataloochee campground jetting off to the left-hand side of the road. It welcomed me with open arms and tall trees casting gorgeous shade that seem to be dancing in the sunlight. I pulled in to speak to the Ranger on duty and then quickly found my campsite. It was something unlike any other campground I had found in the area completely removed from the comforts of community and distanced intentionally from the creature comforts. 

  This campground is one for making memories and enjoying truly the outdoors. Hiking trails depart from this campground and lead to some of the most historic areas of the great Smoky Mountain National Park including several structures which ones were the homes of some of the first residents of the Smoky Mountains. 

  Each site was large enough to spread out in with a small camper or a tent. Tent pads are large and size allowing for even the largest of tents. Each pull in was large enough for a large vehicle, though I could see an RV being an issue. Campsites came standard with lantern hooks and picnic tables in addition to a fire ring. 

  Centralized restrooms and trash receptacles were available in addition to a spigot. These restrooms are very basic however do have a wash sink area in a common area as well to avoid restroom clean up for dishes. There are no showers at this facility. 

  Since this area is widely regarded for bear sightings in addition to other wild animals, you can find bear safety at the kiosk and locking trash bins. I would advise brushing up on your bear safety before a trip to the Smoky Mountains for a camping trip in general. 

  Sure enough after settling in this campground was a peaceful and idyllic setting. At$25 per night the waterfront sites more than justify the price point. However, I will say reservations are required for this campground as it is more remote and also more limited on availability. 

  This campground is frequently effected by weather so planning in advance is a must!!

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• K

  Kristina

  Scout

  Jun. 11, 2019

  Cataloochee Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  My favorite campground in the Smokies!

  Tent Camping specific: Cataloochee is my favorite campground in the great Smoky Mountains national Park. It’s secluded, on the small side, and quiet. It’s very much a family campground, and there seem to be a lot of regulars that camp here year after year. I know our family does.

  As a tent camper, I look for campgrounds where there are not going to be a plethora of large RVs. The last thing I want to hear when I’m out camping is somebody’s TV playing at full blast and the generator going all night. I’ve never had this happen at Cataloochee. Yes, some people use generators, but it usually tends to only be for an hour or two during the day which I can handle. What keeps out the large RVs? This:

  “Access to Cataloochee is via a narrow, winding, mountain road. A 3-mile stretch of gravel road contains many narrow, blind curves. Though many campsites will accommodate large rigs, motorhomes over 32' and trailers over 25' in length are not recommended due to the access road. “

  The road is quite the trip just in a car, and I can’t imagine driving a large RV on it. There are two approach roads. There’s one that goes from Big Creek Campground to Cataloochee. I would recommend this one because of how scenic it is, but we once got stuck behind a tractor trailer on the small gravel road and had to sit there for an hour in order to get going again.

  The campground specifics: there are flush toilets and there is drinking water, but that’s it. No electrical hook ups. This is bear country, so put your food up, along with any scented health and beauty items. Tent pad is 16‘ x 16‘. You can collect the dead wood, but please don’t bring firewood into the park unless it’s been specially treated.

  Reservations are highly recommended, but it is possible except on the busiest weekends to occasionally snag one of the not so prime sites. And even the not so prime sites are still wonderful because of this campground. Just keep checking Recreation.gov to see what comes available.

  There’s great fishing, great hiking and a lot of historical buildings to explore. There’s an area of the stream where little kids can easily play which is important because I have a three-year-old. Lots of people bike throughout this area of the park because there’s not a lot of traffic. Fishing is great, just do your research on what is effective on the trout in this area and what the rules and regulations for fishing in the park are. And there’s elk! They have their babies at the beginning of June and mid September through October is their mating season, so you can hear their strange whistles.

  Site specific: Sites 3, 5, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are located along the stream. 1, 2, 4 & 6 are across the the road from the waterfront sites. Sites 11-15, 17-19 are on the outside of the loop. Sites 20-27 are located on the road that bisects village. The best sites? 5 & 10. They are really nicely sited with the tent pad quite a distance from the gravel road around the campground. All of the other waterfront sites are great. Site 11 is not waterfront, but it’s spacious and private. The worst sites are those on the road that bisects the Loop Road.

  LET ME BE VERY CLEAR: any campsite at Cataloochee is worth reserving. They’re all nice. You can hear the water from any of them. They are paths that lead behind the campground to the river so it’s just a matter of walking a few more feet. Your neighbors might be a little close, but with the ambience of this campground, it won’t feel like that.

  I’ve stayed in Cataloochee every year for the past six years. I’ve stayed at almost every other campground in the park. Cataloochee is just fantastic. To prove that point, we have three stays reserved this year for our family. So go! You won’t regret it.

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