Map showing campground location near Maryville, Tennessee

Camper submitted image from Look Rock Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Look Rock Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Look Rock Campground sits at 2,749 feet elevation on the Tennessee side of the park. Managed by the National Park Service, this 68-site campground reopened in 2023 after a nine-year closure for restoration and upgrades.

The elevation provides cooler temperatures during summer months, with campers noting temperature swings of 20 degrees or more throughout the day. "The elevation made it perfect weather, and the hosts were excellent," reports Amy K., who stayed nearly two weeks during peak summer heat. Black bears frequent the area, though the campground lacks bear boxes despite being in the park's largest bear population zone.

Sites accommodate RVs up to 48 feet with electric and water hookups, plus a dump station. The campground includes both drive-in and walk-in sites spread across forested terrain near creeks and waterways. Restrooms serve the large campground but lack showers, and reviewers note they can become crowded during busy periods. Campfires are permitted, and pets are welcome throughout the facility.

Access requires navigating narrow switchbacks with steep grades on the approach road. "The road to get to this campsite is beautiful but very narrow with steep switchbacks so make sure your tow vehicle has enough power," advises Jerry P.. Several reviewers emphasize taking only Flatrock Road to avoid more difficult routes. The Look Rock Tower trail provides a short hike to views, with additional hiking options nearby.

The campground operates from mid-May through October with reservations available through Recreation.gov. Book early for summer and fall dates when the cooler mountain air draws visitors escaping lower elevation heat.

Description

Overview

Look Rock Campground is located along the beautiful Foothills Parkway West. The campground offers 68 campsites in a high country wooded landscape. It offers a traditional outdoor camping experience with the added convenience of flush toilets, drinking water, and a dump station. There are 10 sites with electric hookups. There are no shower facilities at the campground. Avoid GPS directions leading you along Montavale Rd, Happy Valley Rd, or Flats Rd if you are towing a trailer or vehicle.

Recreation

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hikers paradise. Visitors to Look Rock Campground love the opportunity to enjoy day hiking and backpacking the parks 802 miles of trails. There are abundant opportunities for wildlife viewing as well as birding. The park is also a fisheman's paradise. While there are no fishing opportunities at the campground itself, it is just a short drive to several lakes and many streams where trout are abundant. Many visitors enjoy the scenic views that the Look Rock observation tower offers. There is a beautiful picnic area nearby for day use. Visitor looking for scenic roadways will not be disappointed. The Foothills Parkway West offers a relaxing drive through the high country, with many scenic pulloffs along the way. Nearby is the section of State Route 129 know as "The Tail of the Dragon". This unique section of roadway offers scenic views and features 318 curves in 11 miles.

Facilities

The campground offers 68 campsites in a high country wooded landscape. It offers a traditional outdoor camping experience with the added convenience of flush toilets, drinking water, and a dump station. Each campsite has a picnic table, tent pad, and fire ring. Some sites will accommodate tents only, while other sites will accommodate large camper trailers. There are 10 sites with electric hookups. Be sure to reserve a site that will accommodate the type of equipment you plan to bring. There are no shower facilities at the campground.

Natural Features

__Look Rock sits at a higher elevation than most of the other campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains. It features a wooded, high country landscape. There is a nearby picnic area for day use, and the Look Rock observation tower offering panoramic views of the park. The campground is just a short drive to Chilhowee, Cadlerwood, and Cheoah Lakes, providing ample fishing and boating recreation. There are many opportunites for unique and scenic drives in the area. Wildlife viewing opportunities abound. While hiking is limited from the campground itself, the nearby main section of the park offers over 802 miles of hiking trails. A hikers paradise.

Nearby Attractions

Look Rock Observation Tower State Route 129 (Tail of the Dragon) Calderwood Lake Cheoah Lake Chilhowee Lake Look Rock Picnic Area Little River Abrams Creek Cades Cove Twenty Mile Appalachian Trail

Contact Info

For facility specific information, please call (865) 448-4103.

Fee Info

Individual Campsites: A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee. Customers that check out early or do not plan to use their reservation MUST contact the campground office the day they leave or are due to check in, in order to receive a refund. Refund requests for early departure or non use of the site made AFTER the reservation has ended will be denied. Office phone numbers are given in the Facility Contact information for each campground.

Check Availability Suggest an Edit

RV Road Trip Guides

TransAmerica Trail Road Trip

Berea to Yorktown: 4 Day Road Trip

Build Your Trip

Plan a TripAdd

Location

Public Campground

Look Rock Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located in Tennessee

Directions

From Maryville, TN: Take U.S. 321 North (you'll actually be driving south!) from Maryville to Walland, TN. Turn right onto Foothills Parkway Section 8G/Foothills Pkwy W (signs for Look Rock/US-129), about 9.5 miles to campground along Foothills Parkway. Avoid GPS directions leading you along Montavale Rd, Happy Valley Rd, or Flats Rd if you are towing a trailer or vehicle. From Pigeon Forge, TN: Follow US-321 S to Foothills Parkway Section 8G/Foothills Pkwy W in Walland. Exit from US-321 S, about 24 miles. Turn left onto Foothills Parkway Section 8G/Foothills Pkwy W (signs for Look Rock/US-129/Fontana), about 9.5 miles to campground along Foothills Parkway.

Address

7040 Flats Road
Walland, TN 37878

Coordinates

35.63690473 N
83.9361425 W

Open in Google Maps

Connectivity

T-Mobile
No Coverage
Verified by 5 users
Last on 4/2/26
VerizonLTE
Some Coverage
AT&TLTE
Some Coverage

Is Look Rock Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park sold out?

Quickly grab cancellations!

Learn More

Connectivity

T-Mobile
No Coverage
Verified by 5 users
Last on 4/2/26
VerizonLTE
Some Coverage
AT&TLTE
Some Coverage

Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site
Walk-In
Park in a lot, walk to your site.

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

Trash
Reservable
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Sanitary Dump
Water Hookups
30 Amp Hookups
50 Amp Hookups
Big Rig Friendly

Contact

General Info

Reservations

Make reservation

Drive Time

42 min from Knoxville, TN
1 hr 22 min from Morristown, TN
1 hr 28 min from Cleveland, TN
2 hrs 22 min from Asheville, NC

Add Review

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

4.0

out of 5

14 Reviews

Guests frequently mentioned the spectacular mountain views and spacious primitive sites at this quieter GSMNP location. Some visitors expressed disappointment with the lack of bear boxes and limited bathroom facilities. Access involves challenging switchbacks, but the secluded atmosphere and beautiful setting appeal to many campers.

Alexis S.

Traveler

Reviewed Sep. 20, 2023

TAKE FLATROCK ROAD!

Beautiful primitive sites but DONT TAKE ANY ROAD OTHER THAN FLATROCK ROAD. brutal switchbacks. The sites were spacious and primitive, perfect for boondocking. Keep your sites clean since there are no bear boxes!

Site44A

Month of VisitSeptember

Jerry P.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 2, 2023

Restored/reopened in 2023

This campground was closed for a very long time to be restored and it needed it!! Even after the long restoration it missed many key improvements. One huge over looked upgrade at every GSMNP camp site is the lack of bear boxes!!!! In the NP with the largest black bear population you would think every campsite would have a bear box to protect the bears as well as the campers. The second major miss is small bathrooms that lack showers. This campground is on the larger side with almost 70 campsites so the bathrooms get over crowded quickly. The road to get to this campsite is beautiful but very narrow with steep switchbacks so make sure your tow vehicle has enough power to get up there and your rig isn’t too long to make the turns. Over all it’s a nice campground but for being the most visited national park Great Smoky is the least equipped and the least cared for park we have ever been too.

Site42

Month of VisitJune

(5) View All

Kristin S.

Legend

Reviewed Feb. 8, 2023

Re-Opening Spring 2023

Hoping to address older reviews letting campers know that this campground is closed, I was able to confirm the recent re-opening of this site. After a 9-year closure, Look Rock Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be welcoming visitors into this campground this spring! Look for reservation availability on rec.gov and learn more about the campground on National Park's website.

I'm looking forward to planning my visit!

Ginger G.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 2, 2019

Closed

Can hike to watch tower but camping is closed

Amy K.

Ranger

Reviewed Jun. 25, 2018

Beautiful campground on the Foothills Parkway.

We stayed here for almost two weeks and it was wonderful. For most of our stay it was just us, the host site, and maybe one or two other sites on the weekend. We are Michiganders and made the error of traveling South in the summer, if we hadn't found this place we might have gone home early due to the heat, but the elevation (2,7249 ft.) made it perfect weather, and the hosts were excellent. We even got to see bears! There is a state campground near the base, but it was crowded and noisy. Unfortunately I've been informed this campground is no longer in operation, so sad.

Month of VisitJuly

(8) View All

Cal L.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 22, 2018

Closed

This campground is now closed.

Cal L.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 22, 2018

Short hike

The campground has been closed for the last few years. The views are great but the hike to the tower is very short. for some good bouldering walk past the tower through the wood to some fun small bluffs.

Cal L.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 22, 2018

closed

The campground has been closed for the last few years.

Jill R.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 15, 2016

Beautiful

This place has so many gorgeous camping spits and hiking trails! In the fall there is just so many different hues of oranges reds and yellows

Stefanie J.

Traveler

Reviewed Jul. 7, 2016

Amazing views!

Simply beautiful! Amazing look out views! Can't wait to return.

Amber A.

Ranger

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2016

Quieter site, higher elevation

A smaller and less popular site in GSMNP, so it's quieter. Great birding right by my tent! Nice clean site with the expected simple amenities from NPS. Lovely wooded sites. Lots of views and hiking really close.

Tyler M.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 28, 2016

Amazing views

Great place for views and not too over crowded. Can be secluded and awesome date place. Temperature fluctuations can happen throughout the day by 20° or more. Storms czn pop up and bring heavy rain and wind to this area so be prepared. Sunrises and sunsets are breathtaking from this area.

Chris B.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 24, 2016

Great Sights!

If you haven't visited the Smokies, then do yourself a favor and book a trip. The mountains are gorgeous, and the temperature is usually JUUUUST right in the fall.

If you go before Thanksgiving, the traffic in the area isn't too bad.

Brad O.

Guide

Reviewed Jun. 14, 2016

Look rock

Spectacular views

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there photos available of Look Rock Campground facilities?

Photos of Look Rock Campground facilities are available online through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park official website and various camping platforms including The Dyrt. These images showcase the campground's wooded sites, primitive facilities, and natural setting. Photos of the nearby observation tower and scenic views are also widely available. For the most current visual information about the campground's condition since its reopening, check the National Park Service website or contact the park directly.

What do visitors say about Look Rock Campground in their reviews?

Look Rock Campground offers spectacular mountain views and is known for being less crowded than other Great Smoky Mountains National Park campgrounds. Visitors appreciate the quiet atmosphere, clean facilities, and simple amenities provided by the National Park Service. The campground reopened after a long closure and features spacious, wooded primitive sites ideal for boondocking. Many visitors highlight the excellent birding opportunities right from their campsites and the beautiful fall foliage. Temperature fluctuations can be significant throughout the day, and storms can appear suddenly, so preparation is essential.

Is there a map of Look Rock Campground showing campsites and trails?

Maps of Look Rock Campground showing campsites and nearby trails are available through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitor centers and the official NPS website. These maps detail the layout of the primitive campsites, the short trail to Look Rock Observation Tower, and connections to other hiking routes in the area. For the most detailed and up-to-date maps, contact the park directly or stop by a visitor center upon arrival. Digital maps can typically be downloaded from the National Park Service website before your visit.

Where is Look Rock Campground located in the Smoky Mountains?

Look Rock Campground is located on the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park along the Foothills Parkway. It sits at a higher elevation, providing cooler temperatures during summer months. The campground is accessible via Flatrock Road (visitors are strongly advised to avoid other routes with difficult switchbacks). Its location offers excellent access to the Look Rock Observation Tower, which provides panoramic views of the Smokies and is reached by a short hike from the campground.

Keep Exploring