Cades Cove Campground

I'll give it 5 stars because there is no way to beat the location of the Cades Cove campground located at the entrance to the Cades Cove loop road that is dotted with old homesteads, trails to waterfalls, and wildlife. Stay here because the road itself is crowded enough during peak seaon; you'll be glad you won't have to fight the traffic just to reach it!

Some of the B loop sites are starting to look a little older, with cracking pavement. There's been some tree loss here as well. The back of the campground offers slightly larger, more level, and quieter sites. bathrooms are no frills, clean, flush toilets, no hand soap. The C loop is open year round, but not all of it. The front rows tend to have more of a slope and are closer together; the ones on the back side of the loop are larger, more level, and more secluded. No showers in the park; ask at the visitor's center for a list of area campgrounds that will allow you to shower for $3-5.

This is one of two year-round campgrounds in the park. Make your reservations online. You need to spend a couple of days here, but not your entire stay. The camp store is heavy on souvenirs, also has take out food. Bike rentals make it easy to take advantage of the bikes only mornings on the loop road. Firewood is available here, but you may also gather downed firewood in the park. Otherwise, it must be heat-treated firewood.

No cell service; head into Townsend, TN for that.

Great location to explore Cades Cove Loop

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. 


Beautiful and Quiet in the Fall, Tons of Wildlife 

The campground is very clean, and there are lots of campsites available. Cade's Cove is a gorgeous area in general, and camping is a great way to take advantage of the pedestrian and cyclist-only Wednesday/Saturday mornings (highly recommend this!).

Beautiful.

Very family friendly campground! Rangers walk through a couple times a day, felt safe. The kids had a great time playing outside 

Cades Cove with Kids 

It's all about location!  This is a semi-rustic style camp area, however, it does boast a general store (which is really handy if you don't care to travel back toward town), and rentals for biking.  The kids had ice cream (also at the store), which is good - because Cades Cove is an open, low elevation historical site, and usually one of the warmer summer spots in the Smokies.  There was so much history to hike around, not to mention beautiful views in every direction.  It's a boon for wildlife so be alert for black bears - they're everywhere!  We also did 3 waterfall hikes whose trial heads were very nearby.  I'd highly recommend these for adult AND kids, as they were only a few miles and there was a nice payoff at the end with the falls!

Cade's Cove

I've been exploring in the Smokies since I was a wee lad, and Cades Cove is a must stop kind of place.
Here's my plan for a perfect stop here...
Go on a day when bikes are allowed. Go early and bike before they open the road to cars. You'll see tons of deer.
Go back to your car and drive the route.
Drive back in and stop at the Abrams Falls Trail. Be sure to take swimming clothes. Hike to the waterfall and jump in.
Then go find a great place to eat.

A Must See Stop!

This is a great campground, but can get a little busy. That doesn't make it good or bad, but you need to know what to plan for. If you want nature and solitude, go somewhere else. If you want nature, love community, and want someone for your kids to play with, this is perfect.

Great but busy!

Definitely a lot quieter here than Elkmont.  Bears and Deer Galore!  And still flush toilets!  Winning!

Cades Wildlife Cove

You WILL see bears. You WILL see deer. You will see a few hundred people as the day goes on as well. This place is great but super busy. Campsites are primitive but there are plenty of modern facilities nearby. There is a camp store as well as flush toilets.

Be Prepared for Wildlife!

This is a very unique spot in the smokies. I have never seen more black bear. It was a very safe distance we watched them about a football field away across a field pretty amazing experience. Make your reservations far in advance this is a destination!

Amazing wildlife! Awesome historical buildings

Getting in and out of Cades Cove can be a traffic nightmare!  This campground keeps you right in the thick of things, but on the other hand, you are right in the thick of things!  The campground is beautiful, with plenty of attractions to walk to, but there are just too many people!

We stayed here and rented bikes from the camp store on Wednesday morning while the road through the cove was closed.  This was the highlight of our visit!

BUSY (But beautiful)

Nice big (150+sites) campground. Flush toilets and water, no showers. There's a nice little camp store where you can rent bikes. I would not come here in the summer, way too busy, but since it is an open year round campground, come in the off season. Great jumping off spot for hiking! The standard picnic tables and fire rings, level tent sites. 

Cade's Cove Campground-Smoky Mountain National Park 

This is certainly a nice reprieve from the bajillion visitors at GSMNP! The sites are beautiful and there's a nice stream at the campground that is great for just sitting in to cool off. The sites are beautiful and well maintained despite the large volume of visitors. This place is centrally located in a massive park which makes it a nice spot to spend a couple of nights. You won't be disappointed with this campground!

Nice break from the tons of visitors

Camping in the national parks is an amazing experience! We decided to spend a night at this campground because we kept hearing people talk about the amazing wildlife sightings here. I'm sad to report that we didn't see much (no elk or bears) but it was still a great spot to camp. Located near the entrance/exit of the 11 mile Cade's Cove loop road, it's the perfect spot for exploring the old historic homestead. Just be sure you have enough gas before you head out on the one way loop :) There's often quite a bit of traffic and driving the loop with the gas light on can cause a bit of anxiety!

This campground is pretty basic but is well maintained. There are flush toilets and fresh drinking water available. There is also a small campground store located here in case you run out of something. The park service also offers ranger programs from time to time so be sure to check out what might be on the calendar during your stay. You can also rent bikes at this campground which can be a fun way to check out the Cades Cove loop.

Bears are prevalent here and some visitors can be lazy. In an effort to help reduce the number of human-bear encounters, please store food and other scented items securely in your vehicle.

National Park Camping 

**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.**

Very popular but very pretty in GSMNP 

I didn’t get to the camgroud until super late, but they had a box where we could drop the money. Campsite was perfect for the small two person tent we had. Bathrooms were great! We weren’t there long at all because we had an early start time to hike Gregory Bald, but overall a great experience!

Super Quick Trip

Nice campground, sites are close together and don’t offer much privacy and the park is well maintained. Section C has level concrete  RV pads and the tent pads are level, free of rocks and have no drainage issues. No showers but the bathrooms are clean and have flush toilets. The season is has started so I’d advise calling ahead. Any RV over 20ft will find it difficult if not impossible to park in Section C, but section B can accomidate some larger rigs. No electricity or water hook ups anywhere in the park, but there are several dump stations and places to get fresh water. There is a nice store on site with basic provisions and a snack bar with burgers, bbq, ice cream etc. The park requires that all sites be “bear”proofed when you are not on site. We just got back from 3 days there during which we saw over 2 dozen bears and lots of turkeys, deer and other animals. Bears are often in the camping areas.  The closest town is Townsend, Tn., which is about 8 miles from the campground and Gatlinburg is about 20 miles from the campground.  Several trips around the Cades Cove Loop road are a must do-lots of wildlife, homesteads and exhibits to visit (9 miles total).

Lots of Wildlife

This is bear habitat, so be prepared to keep all food and scented items locked up. The generator-free loop was pretty quiet, although sites are tightly spaced. There are flushable toilets and a grey water sink. Campground was clean. The camp store is well-stocked and serves simple food and ice cream. There are a couple of hikes nearby, and of course the 11 mile road loop.

Popular, large area with plenty of amenities 

the campground was great. lots of people having fun. bears at the restroom were too close for comfort, but otherwise great campground. the wed morning biking the loop was awesome! more bears that we had to stop for a long time until they moved off the road, but still a great bike ride! beautiful part of the country!

great park !

we stayed in the horse camp. 

Cade’s Cove has a long paved road where you can see everything from deer, Bear, turkeys, and more. The campground has everything you need. Youreoff the beaten path, nearest ‘town’ is Townsend, TN, with limited resources.

CC is an excellent campground. The GSMNP is a busy place, so get in early. We camped here in November and didn’t have a problem getting a site, but the place did fill up! Go on the car tour loop and make sure to stop and look at the cabins and church. History at its finest.

November is when the leaves are changing. Temps cool at night, moderately nice during the day...got snow at Clingman’s Dome however during the day!

Right in the Middle of Nowhere

This campground is off the beaten path but found by LOTS so have a reservation. There is an 11 mile loop with historic structures and lots of wildlife. Watch for BEARS! Bears and deer may be just across the road from your campsite. There are bikes and firewood available as well as a small campstore (with ice cream). Lots of trails, a waterfall, rivers and creeks to fish and wade. Horses and wagons to ride. Activities for campers young and old. Night walks and ranger talks. The most beatiful views this side of heaven. Take special note of the view walking back from the John Oliver cabin (the first one).

Our Favorite

We camp at Cades Cove annually with our entire family. The campground is at the beginning of the Cades Cove Loop, but far enough away that the visitors at the campground came intentionally, filtering out many first time weekenders. The campsites are clean and most of the sites are level, having newly constructed tent pads on most sites. The bathhouses are clean, offering toilets, sinks and an electrical socket. A campstore, grill and ranger station are all found at this campground. Wednesday and Saturday mornings, the loop is closed to motor vehicles in the morning to allow bikers to safely ride the loop. We highly recommend this campground!

Remote, quiet and gorgeous!  

My husband and I love camping and to Cades Cove! There are numerous hiking trails and places to dip your feet in the creek! The campground sites are pretty spacious and and short walking distance to the general store and gift shop! 

Beautiful Scenery!

We really enjoyed our visit to Cade’s Cove. It was kept clean and there were nice hikes around to enjoy!

Beautiful views

Typical car camping ⛺️ setup. Pretty close together with clean RR but no showers. Very busy parking on Sat morning as only bikes are permitted on the loop road.

Busy but clean

This campground is extraordinary. There is endless amounts of trails and views seem to be from a movie. It is very common to see bears during your visit however please do not feed the bears and stay in your car or at least a good distance away. Remember your are in their home not the other way around! 

BEAUTIFUL!

We reserved our site online, this can be done a month in advance. We were impressed with the paved parking space, picnic table, fire pit and level tent pad. It looks like these are very new. Proximity to cades cove loop was great. The souvineer shop has great gifts and a good selection of snacks and some supplies. Prices are reasonable, better than we expected. Bathroom was not the best, not very clean. The dish washing sink behind the bathroom was handy. No showers, but this is true for any camp sites in the park. Ranger station nearby is helpful to get advice and current weather reports (no phone reception in the park). Bike rentals available near the gift/snack shop too, to bike the loop. Lots of trees on our site that we used to setup a tarp to stay dry.

Great campsite near Cades Cove loop

Loved visiting Cades Cove! We drove around the entire loop. Saw many horses, deer, and even a coyote! Would love to go back soon!

Beautiful place to visit!

This site is really a great site for those wanting a family destination. With lots of activities nearby including hay rides, horseback riding, hiking, biking and historical interpretive exhibits this campground has it all.

The first campground when you enter this section of the Smoky Mountains, this campground does stay pretty booked so I do recommend advanced reservations.

I visited and enjoyed the spacing of the campground, despite being sold to capacity on a Friday I felt like O had privacy and space for relaxing.

Sites were pretty typical of other government campsites, although the addition of bear boxes and heavy lid trash cans was a bit different than some. It is a wildlife haven and a park ranger pointed out a pair of sleeping bears just outside of camp to us to watch. I also saw numerous deer, a fox and even a coyote while here don’t worry the coyote wasn’t in the middle of camp)

Tips:

*   Lock up your food inside your vehicle after preparation so as to not attract animals.
*   Review the materials of what to do if you encounter a bear or other animals (located in park offices) and pack bear spray for hikes.

Bear Encounters!

The wildlife we saw were unbelievable. You can rent bikes during certain hours but kids are little and tire easily so we still drove “the loop” several times. The only downside would be that many people visit this campground and it is not necessarily quiet. After 10 it settled down quite a bit- the kids enjoyed seeing more kids their age nearby to make friends with. There are several short hikes and architectural gems in a very small area. Views are beautiful. We saw a wolf chasing a deer (deer escaped!)- finally saw a young Bear right off the trail. We saw many deer and wild turkeys, and birds.

Magical Smokies

Lots of tree coverage for hammocking! Great access to the Smokies, great for groups and families. Access to a store with firewood, food, and more. Just right inside Cades Cove!

easy access and accomodating

This is a great place for fall colors!
The campground is large, but the sites are placed so it doesn’t feel crowded. There is no water or electric available, so fill your tank before you come.
Cades Cove has a loop drive that is very popular for driving. It can sometimes have traffic jams. And pollution!
But, if you are camping there you can get around the loop before the crowds. Great scenery &amp; wildlife.


Large, but doesn’t feel crowded 

Very busy in summer but very nice in winter.

Great campground 

This is my favorite campground! It could be because I’ve been camping in Cades Cove every year since I was 5. I’m 30 now &amp; married my husband at the missionary baptist church in cades cove in 2014. Many good memories have been made in this campground. It’s primitive $20 a night no hook ups large wooded sites. One loop generators are allowed &amp; another loop they aren’t so that’s nice. It’s peaceful &amp; very quiet. There’s a river that runs a long the outside of the campground. Good swimming holes. A store that sells food (the best ice cream), firewood &amp; camping supplies. They also have bike &amp; helmets for rent. They’re very strict about bear proofing your campsite. All my years camping there I’ve seen many bear walking through the campground. So it’s for your safety &amp; the bears that you obey the rules. The rangers walk around frequently &amp; make sure no ice chest or grills have been left out so before you leave your campsite make sure to pick those items up or they will get confiscated &amp; you will get a little ticket. Again it’s all for your &amp; the bears safety. The 11 mile loop is closed for vehicles on wed &amp; sat mornings until 10:00 am so bikes can ride through. I highly recommend walking or riding your bike through early in the morning or in the afternoon. There is a halfway point to use the restroom &amp; buy some souvenirs. Also there is a road called parsons branch most of the time it’s closed but we’ve been lucky a few times &amp; it’s been open. Definitely need a suv or truck to drive down it bc you cross over water a few times. EXTREMELY PEACEFUL! All 3 times we’ve driven it we never saw anyone else. It’s a narrow road &amp; you end up on the dragon in North Carolina so you’ll have a nice drive down the foothills parkway to get back. Also rich mountain road is beautiful to drive down in the fall. It will bring you back out in townsend. 

All time favorite campground! 

What a great campground!! This is away from the craziness of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge. It puts you back into the outdoors as the National Parks should be. The campground is beautiful and on certain days they close off the loop of Cades Cove for bicycles to be able to ride. At the store near the campground they rent bikes for a reasonable rate. We took the entire family on the loop bike ride. This was so much fun. 

Closed loop biking

My wife and I thoroughly enjoy riding the Cade’s Cove Loop on Sat and Wed morning before they open it up for vehicles at 10am. You can ride right from the campground to the loop. The sights were much larger than expected and fairly spacious/private. There are no showers but adequate not special restrooms. Scenery is absolutely beautiful. Expect it to be busy at all times Fri and Sat night so book in advance. There is a camp store that has ice cream, firewood and ice. There are a number of park rangers on site most of the day with the ranger station being located at the front of the campground. I highly recommend this campground if you are wanting to ride the loop or just explore Smoky Mountain National Park. 

Great place to stay for bike riding the loop

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

Ranger Review- Wenzel Moonshine Shade at Cades Cove Campground

This was a nice campground in the smokies! There is a big campstore with food and ice cream right outside the campground. Nice bathrooms, no showers that I saw. This campground is in the perfect location to explore the cades cove loop in the early morning, where you can see wildlife and beat the crowds.

Pretty campground!

I love this place, no matter if we are tent camping or trying to fit our camper into the spots. Yes the spots are a bit tight but it is great place to camp. They updated the campground store and now have a huge selection of items. If you ever get a chance to go for the night hike don't pass it up. The stars are amazing out in the fields at night. One thing to do is make sure you keep your campsite clear as wildlife is all over the place. Yes bears will walk through camp.

Great place to relax and enjoy time away

We had ten people, so we opted for a group site. We had plenty of room, weren’t far from the bathhouse, and had shade. 

There are black bears, so be prepared for this and keep your food stored properly. We even saw a momma and cub on our way down the mountain. 

Cades Coves Loop was awesome. So much history, trails, and creeks to play in. The view can’t be beat and the pictures don’t do it justice!

One of My Faves!

Stayed here July 2020 for a couple of days. We were in site C-16 which was towards the back of the campground and only 2 sites away from the bathrooms and a bear proof dumpster. The bathrooms do not have showers but the restrooms were kept very clean. And the dumpsters don’t smell so that’s always nice :) 

There’s a camp store by the check in office that sells firewood, etc. they close at 5pm. 

We stayed a Thursday-Saturday and friday was much louder compared to Thursday night. People kept locking cars and shining bright lights/playing music until midnight. I definitely preferred the weekday over the weekend. 

Our campsite was nice and big enough for our 2 tents and a hammock. We built a fire every night and it was nice! Not as secluded as other campsites in the campground but still lovely! 

Townsend was only 20 minutes away so we went there for coffee and WiFi at the coffee shop and the IGA to grab firewood since we missed the camp store the first night. We didn’t have cell service at Cades Cove Campground (Verizon and spring) so it was nice to check messages in Townsend as well.

Loved this place! 

We spent the weekend there on two sites. One was tent only and one allowed for small trailers. It’s well shaded, which in our case blocked the breeze we found along the valley in the motor loop. It was a bit muggy during the day but was great at night. 

The staff were awesome and helpful. The store sells firewood and ice but they ran out of firewood Saturday morning. It’s about an hour round trip to the closest place in Townsend to stock up, so I suggest bringing in your own. 

Wonderful way to enjoy the Smokey’s

We are glad we stayed at Cades Cove Campground. Thanks to Jay at the bike rental, we were able to ride the famous Cades Cove loop (11 miles) on the last day of the season that the road was closed to vehicles. We also folded the 6 mile hike in and out of Abrams Falls in the middle of the bike ride. It was a fun day, beautiful views, wildlife (turkey &amp; deer). The campground was crowded. Every site was full. The sites are markedly close together, with minimal privacy between. Our site was C61, generator free (that part was nice). But we were on the end of a row, with two sites on one side, and a larger site on the other- all occupied, with just feet between each set up. Other than the tightness of the sites, we really liked everything else about the park.  We traveled from the park towards the Blue Ridge Parkway by going directly through the Great Smoky NP. This was an incredible experience! Highly recommend it!

Just a small portion of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park

The campground is right off loop road. Spots are a little close, and not very private,  but you cant beat the location in the park. We saw 3 bears, a red wolf, and numerous dear and elk during our stay. 

Pros:
- beautiful and scenic 
- Near great trails 
- lots of wildlife - saw a bear! 
- clean and quiet campground 
- camp store nearby 
- easy enough to get to with an RV 
- reserved same day 

Cons:
- campsites are kind of close to each other 
- no dogs allowed on trails (I know that’s pretty common for national parks, but it’s still something we look for) 


Heart of the Smoky’s

Great smokies campground. Nice walking trail and beautiful scenic loop to drive. Along the drive there are historic buildings and cemeteries.  Tent sites were too close together. Not enough privacy

Love this smokies campground

Unreal and must visit Smoky Mountain destination. Awesome automobile loop scenic drive and several other hiking paths we took. All sort of wildlife and abandon cabins and farm houses. 

Deiving tour and hike

Campground fills up so made reservations. The 11 mile loop is awesome but get there when they open. I saw lots of turkey and deer. 

Lots of wildlife 

10 🌟!!!!!!!! 

      Cades Cove was amazing.  Our only regret was we were only able to stay one night. The 11 mile loop was a great little drive. 
      We found it to be a very clean campground with close access to all the trails. Waterfalls you can play in, and every amenity I could imagine. 
      I don't have easy access to share all the pictures but will get a couple on here. (After my wife and I got married).   
      

Cades Cove!

While our site was not private, we felt like there was plenty of space.  We were close to the creek and restrooms.  We really enjoyed driving Cades Cove Loop, but plan on several hours to complete it. The hikes in the area are beautiful.

Crowded but Beautiful

I camped here with friends and our dogs. I've been to Cades Cove many times before. 
We mainly camped here to start early to hike the loop (from May till September, cars are not allowed to drive in the loop on Wednesdays).
The campsites have the standard amenities... picnic table plus bench and a fire pit. There are no hook ups or water spigots. The sites are very close together, so it can get loud, especially at night.
The bathhouses are ok. They are old but definitely clean. There are no showers at all. 
It is just a short walk to the main parking lot. There is a big souvenir store, that sells snacks and icecream as well. 
Cades Cove is just a very beautiful walk. The mountains look spectacular. But be aware. It is very crowded. 
I think I would camp here again but probably not longer then one night. 


Nice but crowded campground

We had a great time at Cades Cove and liked the convenance of being able to grab firewood and ice at the campground store. There is a lot to do near the campgrounds as well- Visitors Center, Loop, Horseback Riding, hikes, and a small stream to explore. The bathrooms were clean an nice. We arrived on a weekend and there were neighbor children ready to play with ours which was nice. They lost a star only because the sites don’t really have any screening between them or allow for any privacy from the road or neighbors

Great Family Camping

If you’re wanting seclusion, this isn’t the campground for you. But if you want accessibility and lots of things to do this place is great.

Love it

Beautiful Scenery

Clean, quiet campground with bike rentals available.  The loop is extremely close by and offers lots of wildlife and nature to take in.

Absolutely no service with Verizon so be prepared with a good book or downloaded shows if you need.

Quiet campground with bike rentals available 

My dog and I enjoyed 4 nights here! The sites are well spaced and the tent pad is nice and even. The bathroom could use an update but I’m happy they were flush toilets because that means no smell! There is no cell service with T-Mobile, so have a good book, downloaded shows, crossword book, or what have you. Cades Cove Loop is very close and I saw turkeys and bears every day on the loop- I heard a turkey in the campground but never saw him; also heard coyotes every night. 

Lovely stay! 

Cades coves was a good campground for our first visit to the smoky mountains. The sites were pretty close to each other but the store was convenient and awesome proximity when we biked the loop. Far drive from all of the other hikes and adventures we did. 

Relaxing and adventurous 

Cades Cove:
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer)
Overall Rating:  3
Price 2023:   $15 w America The Beautiful 
Usage during visit: Packed. 
Site Privacy:  Tightly packed. 
Site Spacing:  Most sites are close 
Site surface:   Blacktop 
Reservations:     Yes
Campground Noise:   Low
Road Noise:  None.  Not near main road
Electric Hookup:     No
Sewer Hookup:  No 
Dump Station:  Yes
Potable Water Available:  At toilet facilities.
Generators:  Allowed
Bathroom:  Yes.   Flush toilets 
Showers:    No
Pull Throughs:  some
Cell Service (AT&amp;T): 
Setting:  Open with some woods.   Not pretty in my opinion.  Nearby driving loop w trails is well worth the stay over.  
Weather:  70s and low 80s 
Bugs:   Not bad 
Solar:  There are enough trees to interfere w fixed roof panels. 
Host:    Around. They do no regulate offenses as tightly as I’d expected. 
Sites: B+ (door side more private w thick shrubbery &amp; pretty private back: 68, 80, 83, 43, 45,46 47,48,50 , 16. 4, 5, 21

B- (door points to corner but shrubbery is open, and private in back) 70 , 18, 42,1. - still better than most sites . 

C. Back of site a bit more private: 72,81, 84, 85, 44, 60,62, 


Most others are at least semi private to rear only 



