The best EQUESTRIAN camping near
Athens , TENNESSEE

Absolutely incredible park. Very busy but easy to spread out. We stayed at campsite e217 and it was a pull through and quite spacious. Bath house was clean. The 2 regular stalls had very low toilets with no separate seat. The park office and store was well equipped and was open to 10pm every night!

There was a fun little "village" on the grounds as well with a general store and outfitter. There was a restaurant but was closed due to coronavirus. I wish we found the store first because trekking poles would have been great on the trails.

THE TRAILS. Words cannot do them justice the hike down to the base of the falls was slow going down. There is a railing but this is where trekking poles would have been a benefit. But oh was it worth it.

I realized after leaving I took no photos of the campsite, but yes, great spot

Really nice sites and facilities and super helpful staff. Great hiking trails and the falls are beautiful. A great park for a relaxing get away.

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)

Harrison Bay SP near Harrison, Tn is obviously a popular park. I arrived on Sunday and the crowds were leaving. And yet the park was still crowded. Nice lake , good fishing. There are several sites on the water and plenty up in the woods too. These are nice sites. Paved and for the most part level. Depending on where your site is there is a lot of room to set up. Well maintained park. A lot of activities to keep you occupied.

We had a great time at Fall Creek Falls when we visited in October 2020. The park is very well maintained and the campsites are nicely spaced. We were supposed to stay in campsite A26, but had a really hard time locating it when we arrived after dark. We ended up staying in A25, which was a little difficult to get our 30' travel trailer into due to trees surrounding the site and the access road. We ultimately learned from a park ranger that A26 had its own service road, which we would never have found without the direction from the ranger. The time of year was beautiful to visit and the hike down to the base of the falls was short enough to do prior to our check-out time and long enough to help get our kids' energy out before the next leg of our trip. It was a truly beautiful waterfall. We would definitely go back.

One of the best campgrounds, hands down. As an Eagle Scout from around this area, this was our go-to place for summer camp and occasional other camping trips as well. With a large lake, open field, and well maintained roads and accommodations - Woodruff is one of my favorite camps!

Had a two night stay reserved, Hurricane Zeta had other plans. We arrived after visitor center had closed, but were able to locate and set up camp before sun went down. We were staying in A-16 just next to the natural trail that takes you off the Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River State Park grounds and into Cherokee National Forest. Our site had views of the southern edge of the Appalachian mountains and they were “smokey” all day. It would be beautiful to camp here anytime of year. The less leaves the better the views.

We set our rain shelter porch and tent on the flattest part of the large campsite. All the sites I saw were pull through style. This seemed to be to make allowance for vehicles with trailers towing River recreational gear like canoes/kayaks and the like. It is park of the extensive Tanasi river recreation area. Other reviewers likely have more to say on this. We were there off season during late October.

The next day we went to the visitors center to check on the weather and found out were in the cone of what was becoming a hurricane zeta. At the time it didn’t look like it would be anything more than rain by the time it got there, I asked the staff member to let us know if the forecast changed to a situation where we should breakdown camp. She said of course. Very friendly and very on top it of it. Maps were readily available.

We went for a drive through the National Forest and enjoy the many views of the river. I would recommend downloading a map of the area on google maps before spending time out there as the connection is spotty. We made our way back to and we’re planning to hike a trail as the rain had stopped, when a park ranger cane by to tell us they were predicting a quicker arrival of the storm meaning it would be a lot stronger when it got to our area. He said he didn’t want to leave for the day before letting us know the conditions were not safe. We packed up and left. I very much appreciated this care for their campers. This experience speaks so highly of the Rangers. Every exchange was thoughtful and respectful. Would return anytime. As we are boaters, I think I would probably stick to off season.

We stayed here for 3 nights in section C, was a great experience. Only complaint but not really a complaint, would be the shower/bathroom. Little out dated but works just fine! Hot water worked perfectly. Sites were a little close to eachother but that didn’t bother us any. The hiking was absolutely breathtaking. Tons to do. Gift shop and welcome center was very nice. I would most definitely come to this park again, going to start planning for next year!

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.

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 & 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!