Balsam Mountain Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Reviewed Jun. 24, 2022

Quite and Serene Sites on the side of a Mountain

After researching sites, this one peaked my interest for the serenity it offered within a busy park and boy did it deliver! It is a long drive from the Oconaluftee Visitors Center inside the park but it is a really beautiful one! We even saw some elk on the side of the road about a mile from the campground on the drive in! Once we got there though, it was full but everyone was very quiet and pretty much kept to themselves. The tent sites are very close together as others have said. We had awesome neighbors the whole time so it didn't bother us much. Everything was super clean, and well kept. 

There was no place up there to buy wood, so make sure to grab some before you go. The toilets are kept very clean and there are dish washing stations and bear proof trash bins within a short distance as well as bear vaults at each walk in tent site. 

At night, the whole campground was quiet and dark, so if you want seclusion and great stargazing this is the place! I'm also glad that I read some reviews because we came from 100 degree temps and enjoyed the cool 50 degree nights. I took our sleeping bags worried that we would get too hot but it was chilly at nights. 

There were just a few things I noted, at the walk in tent sites, there was really no great place to set up the hammock. This trip was just my husband and I so the limited space wasn't an issue. If we take the kids we will stay in one of the other sites that has more room to spare. The only other thing was that it is so far away from everything. Its a minimum of 20 min drive down to Cherokee or the visitors center so if you are planning on seeing a lot of stuff you might want to find a more centrally located campsite.

Site30
Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Balsam Mountain Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Katherine , June 24, 2022
  • Review photo of Balsam Mountain Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Katherine , June 24, 2022
  • Review photo of Balsam Mountain Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Katherine , June 24, 2022
  • Review photo of Balsam Mountain Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park by Katherine , June 24, 2022