Best RV Parks & Resorts near Bean Station, TN

KOA I-40/Crossville, TN - We stayed one night in October, full hook ups, 50 amp, good wifi until the evening but our cell service was good. $59.87 per night, $53.88 with KOA discount. Nicely maintained park with level concrete sites in the front with grass, fire rings and picnic tables that were in excellent condition. Friendly, welcoming staff with a nice gift shop/store. Hand dipped ice cream is available along with freshly made pizza and wings if you don’t want to cook. It does sit right next to Highway 70 into Crossville and can be noisy but it didn’t bother us. Each bathroom is a private toilet and shower, very clean, nicely tiled and plenty of hot water. Small laundry, two washers and two dryers but there may have been additional laundry towards the back of the park. The park seems to be broken down into three sections, concrete pad pull throughs in the front, then the office area, then a second section of sites with gravel pads and these are closest to the bathrooms, then further out is another area with a pond or small lake for catch and release fishing. Well manicured property. Would definitely stay again and the ice cream was really good.

Amazingly clean campgrounds 10 minutes from the entrance of the National Park and 20 minutes from the Visitor's Center.

You have a choice of "rustic" tent sites, tent sites with water/electric/cable hook-ups, RV, or Cabins. All sites are pet-friendly including cabins. All camp sites include fire pit and picnic table.

Lots of amenities are included in your stay. 2 bathroom areas, 1 shower area, pool, wi-fi, etc.

There's a general store in front of the campgrounds with gas station and small cafe attached. The general store will even deliver your purchased firewood to your site.

This Koa is near a lot recreational places and some restaurants. Also near towns like Gatlinburg, Pidgeon Forge and Knoxville.

A nice vacation spot.

This is not exactly the camping in the woods without hookups atmosphere. This is more of a every want/need met glamping RV Resort. And it’s awesome!

The RV sites are large and level, full hookup. There are gorgeous cabins that look more like tiny homes, and the atmosphere at this park is a great way to retreat. 100 ft max for RVs.

Very kid friendly, pet friendly (Kamp K9), lots in the area to go do and see. Pools, hot tub, kitchen, firewood for sale, fishing access, snack bar, cable tv, and WiFi.

The staff here is awesome, very helpful and knowledgeable. The park is very clean and well kept.

Cellular service for TMobile was not very strong but AT&T provided plenty for streaming and working.

The Amenities - Bath House, restrooms and laundry are the finest I have ever encountered. Shower areas are large enough for families with young ones to be together with wet, dry, sink and commode area all in one room - some shower heads are adjustable for height and become hand held. Cleanliness was amazing. All campsites had concrete pad, fire pit or gorgeous fireplace, metal picnic table and they deliver a bucket of firewood for $5. Was surprised the only bug we encountered were flies - not one mosquito. Pet friendly - pick up stations and off leash area with activities for active breeds.

Wilderness Road Cumberland Gap : (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good 70 yr olds in 17’ trailer: Overall Rating: 4 Price: $24 w electricity $18 w/o Usage during visit: low Site Privacy: 2 to 4 depending on location. Some areas, sites close in 3 directions. Looks to be better privacy in non electric sites. Site Spacing: 3 to 4 Site surface: Gravel, ours, tough to level Reservations: Yes Campground Noise 5. Quiet Road Noise: 4, depending on location. Highway noise Electricity. 2 loops have electricity. Water: at dump station and restrooms Sewer: No Dump: Yes Bathroom: 5 Clean Showers: 5. Private rooms Pull Throughs most are backing Cell Service (Verizon): 5. Great Setting: Deciduous forest Weather: 60s to upper 30s Bugs: None Solar: Great. May change as the trees leaf out more. Host: They are active. Location: Near Town of Gap - quaint, make sure to visit. 1919 is the place for lunch or dinner we hear from locals. 10 minutes to good grocery stores in Middlesboro.

The Pros: 

• Location: This campground is located in a perfect spot, in my opinion. 10 minutes from the Metcalf Bottom entrance to Smoky Mtn NP. 15 minutes to the Townsend entrance. 30 minutes to Cades Cove. 15 minutes to Pigeon Forge. And 30 minutes to Gatlinburg. Close, but away from the madness. For a few shops and restaurants you have Wears Valley right next door (I recommend Mountain Chick for a light breakfast - awesome biscuits and coffee).
• Amenities: full hook-ups and a VERY nice pool/deli (see picture). The pool has karaoke on Friday nights. There is also a stocked fishing pond with dock though we didn't use it. 
• The view: Okay, not all campsites have great views. But the lower sites do, and that's where we were. Awesome backdrop of the mountains while you sit by your campfire. 
• The price: All the other campgrounds this close to the park charge $50+. Honeysuckle charges $35 a night.
• The sites: Sites are typically long, wide, gravel, mostly level, and with plenty of space in between. Our site even had a brand new deck with solar LED lights! Every site has a metal fire pit and a plastic-topped picnic table. 

The Cons: 

•  This is a mix of long-term RV park and campground. The lower sites are mostly campers while the upper sites are a mix of campers and long-term lots. This isn't necessarily bad. Most of the long-term units are nice looking, but it does impact the camping feel a bit. And along the lead-in from the road to the sites there are a lot of campers in storage. Some of these don't look so nice. 

• Dumpster: This is bear country so you can't leave your trash outside in cans. The only dumpster is all the way down the road to the office, and it is frequently full.

• Reservations: The process of making reservations was easy enough. I was assigned a site in the confirmation email I received. But when we arrived I was given a different site. When I asked about it, they didn't have record of the first site I was given. When I drove by that site, there was an RV in it that looked like it was being stored there. We went to site 50, the one they gave us, and it was okay. The one just down the hill, Site 49, was a little shorter but it had a deck. We called the office and asked to switch. They agreed. It worked out, but it was a little frustrating. 

• Amenities: Because it is more RV park than a campground, there wasn't a bathroom or laundry facility. 

Overall, we were quite happy with the experience. We would stay here again and recommend it to others.

Beautiful and convenient camp near Smoky Mountain National Park. River access for tubing on property, great swimming hole. Little things like the staff cleans every campsite before guests arrive. We watched the staff every morning zip around to make sure everything is tidy. River was low but we still had a great time. Stopped 2 nights on the way to ocean to give kids full day playing in river .
Site 18 is convenient to swimming hole and bath house (super clean). There are premium sites on other side of river where the LARGE 5th wheelers mostly were. Camping sites along river are shady and on gravel pads. Close to the river access.

The Greenbriar Campground was the Cadillac of campgrounds in the area, unfortunately we arrived on a weekend that would have been better suited to the “pontoon boat” of campgrounds.

Greenbriar is located near the Greenbriar entrance of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, very near the arts and crafts district of Gatlinburg. Access to the facility is by a small bridge that runs over the Little Pigeon River, which splits and runs around the Greenbriar, making it an island of sorts. This is notable as nearly every campsite backs up to the river. There are a handful of internal tent sites and rentable cabins as well. But the vast majority of sites have river access, including a fire pit mounted in the rocks RIGHT ON the river. Imagine yourself peacefully sitting out under the stars, mountain peaks in view, the rush of the Little Pigeon, illuminated by the fire directly in front of you. Though the water fluctuates with rainfall quite a bit, you can always hear it from your tent or RV, which was an added bonus. During warmer months, children can play and swim in the clear and smooth stoned river. There’s also an historic swimming hole on location. Several campers even had hammocks set up between trees that hung over the water on their sites.

Sites are narrow and fairly close together, although they’ve done an excellent job of maintaining the heavy trees around the river and on the “treelawn” area which separates each site. This helps to make a narrow space seem deceptively private. These sites also come equipped with water, sewer and electric hook ups, and even a cable hookup! A newer and clean picnic table is also provided. They designate those few interior sites as “tent” - not that you cannot reserve the other sites with a tent, but because the internal sites have soft, level grass to pitch on, whereas the outlying ones have level pea gravel across the entire site. Ample space is provided for your car to park at the edge of your site - they are long and narrow. I’d recommend a base padding or doubled tarp under your tent if you choose to go that route. Stakes may not hold well in the gravel and somewhat better in the “treelawn” dividers on either side.

Activities and facilities are aptly located in the center of camp. A playground, bath house, laundry facility, game room (with one game! - but to make up for that, it also has couches and a large flat screen TV which many campers happily watched March Madness together on), as well as campstore and volleyball and basketball courts make up the internal area of the camping island, keeping the sites themselves fairly free of noise and passers by. There is also free and reliable WiFi in the campground. This is notable because the area’s mountains make reception touch and go mostly.

This was a pet friendly campground, and many campers had their dogs with them. There was also a small dog park where owners could unleash their pets and let them roam a little. In spite of this, dog barking seemed to be kept in check. It was also a family friendly campground, and the kids seemed to really enjoy the playground coordinated games and socializing.

The bath house appeared to be newer, and will trump your home facilities in many cases! Within the bath house, there are several private doors leading to your own 3 piece bath with shelving and granite counters with outlets, and a stunning double shower. In spite of a very wet and cold weekend, we were pleased at how clean these were kept, as well as the whole campground - likely due to the fine, well draining pea gravel of all the paths.

As a Dyrt Ranger, I often get the opportunity to test products on our trips. This weekend we sampled the Mountain House Turkey Dinner Casserole. Despite traveling during the last weekend in March, we encountered very wet and cold weather for the region, and a warm meal was a welcome bonus. Mountain House has a simple preparation, all that is required is hot water to prepare, and the entire prep is done within the package itself, minimizing waste and cleanup. We also ate ours right out of the package as a bowl. The package also seals if you are hiking in and have to bring your rubbish back out in a pack. The meal itself was surprisingly good for a complete rehydration kit. My husband noted that it also seems as though they may have reformulated, the the veggies were brighter and the general consistency was more appealing than we’ve experienced in the past of these types of meals. It was quickly prepared and suitable for two adults.

The campground is perfectly situated for an unending array of activities. Arts and crafts, shopping and the GSM park entrance are all within minutes, and trailheads abound. 15 mins away is Pigeon Forge and all the entertainment that area offers. Access to all is easy and straightforward. Note: Always check the Smoky Mt National Park page before heading out. Given the dramatic nature of the area, including damage and changes in the land and vegetation (which didn’t impede our enjoyment or the natural beauty of the area, by the way) from the recent fires have left some of the trails unstable and can close suddenly. Also - if you wish to hike with your dog, there is only one trail available to you which runs down the side of a beautiful river from the visitors center and lets out directly into the pretty mountain town of Gatlinburg, packed with dining, whiskey walks and various forms of minor entertainment. We went at the very start of their peak tourist season, in inclement weather, and the walks were still crowded. Further in, you will find abundant hikes of varied lengths and difficulties, and many features like waterfalls, rushing rivers, historical primitive sites and much wildlife.

Overall, it is evidence of a great campground and region that we were able to pack so much in over a 3 day weekend in spite of the poor weather and lower temps. All left feeling refreshed and happy from the Greenbriar and the Smoky Mountains.