Best Equestrian Camping near Cherokee National Forest

Equestrian Camping Reviews near Cherokee National Forest

224 Reviews of 28 Cherokee National Forest Campgrounds

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  Jul. 1, 2019

  Smokemont Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  Large National Park Campground Close to Historic Structures

  Despite having rained for a week, staying at this campground wasn’t half bad. Building a fire was next to impossible. I think there might have been thirty minutes without rain, so pictures are limited. Being in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, you need to be prepared for rain since it is a temperate rain forest. I had brought Boy Scouts to this campground years ago and wanted to go back. This time, we did not stay in the group camping area. Since it was at the beginning of the week, it wasn’t too crowded, although there were two Boy Scout groups in the group camping area. There are several camping areas, and the one we were in allowed generators during the day. I think I heard one, but it was not so bad. Unfortunately, there are gravel tent pads, which is bad news for campers with tents you have to stake down. I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again. As a tent camper, I hate gravel tent pads. Being in the national park, the amenities are about the same as the other national park campgrounds. However, I was surprised that the bath house had an electrical outlet to be used for blow dryers and shavers. I don’t remember any other Great Smoky Mountains National Park campgrounds having that luxury. But like the other ones in this national park, the bath house does not have showers or campsite hookups for water, sewer, and electricity. There are several trails in the area, but the ones that originate from the campground is the¾ mile nature trail and the Bradley Fork Smokemont Loop. When my son and I hiked this trail, we had to watch out for and step around horse poop. Since this trail is also used by horses, there was lots of it. Fortunately, the nature trail didn’t allow horses. My granddaughter loved walking over the log bridges and skipping rocks at the campground while it wasn’t raining. I think that was her favorite part. As with most of my camping trips, I want to explore, and there is plenty to explore around this campground. Being in the national park, there is a wide variety.  

  Fewer than three miles down the road, there is an old mill (Mingus Mill), the Oconaluftee Visitors Center (which has the Mountain Farm Museum), elk, wild turkeys, etc. Within the boundary of the campground I discovered something at the campground that I never knew existed. There was an old church at the campground that was built before Great Smoky Mountains National Park was established. We were able to go into the church for me to take a few pictures.  It was first constructed in 1836 and rebuilt in 1912. Not too far from the campground is the Appalachian Trail, the Benton MacKaye Trail, and the Kephart Prong Trail. This campground is also one of the largest campgrounds in the national park that I have been to. Although it is not an equestrian campground, Tow String camping area is“next door,” and it is an equestrian campground. The horseback riders pass beside the campground on route to the Bradley Fork Trail. Overall, this was one of my better experiences with national park campgrounds except for the rain.

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• 

  Susan E.

  Guide

  Jul. 16, 2020

  Bristol-Kingsport KOA

  What luck!

  I’d never used a KOA before but was tremendously impressed with the serene beauty of this place situated well away from traffic in a bucolic setting. Mindful of my budget I learned to ask for a tent site with no electricity, no water, just toilets and showers. The young man who helped me observed I was alone and put me in a small cabin for no additional charge. Just outside the cabin was a bonfire of old wood from construction debris. I was super stoked to get this deal. I spent lots of time stoking that fire and sitting outdoors watching the evening arrive. If you’re anywhere near the area do stop in and enjoy a quiet and lovely night. You can even pet the horses nearby.

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  maria I.

  Guide

  Apr. 10, 2021

  Smokemont Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  Peaceful mountain retreat

  Smokemont is a great campground in the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains. It is a perfect base camp to enjoy this amazing national park. About 1 hour away from Gatlinburg, but this side is less crowded. The sites are plenty big, a little tight to back into, but not a big deal. There is no cell service but this is also a great opportunity to disconnect. Right next to the campground there are horse stables, really recommend an early morning horseback ride around the trails Mountains of the campground. Definitely looking forward to visiting again!

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  Apr. 1, 2021

  Harmon Den Horse Campground

  Remote Campground for Horseback Riders

  One of my best friends invited me to go camping with him here, although I knew it was a horse camp and we didn’t have horses. There are lots of trails for horses, and there are places to tie up the horses. Knowing it was a horse camp, I expected there to be horse manure, but manure was everywhere—even on the tent pads. Other than that, which as I said I expected, it was a good place to camp. The sites are spacious and fairly private with woods between each site. You have to reserve in advance to get a code to get through the gate, so you don’t have curiosity seekers coming in. There was supposed to be access to water, but the only pump in the campground was not working. Fortunately, I brought water with me. There was a pit toilet, but when I first went to it, it smelled terrible and was in need of a big time cleaning. The next morning, when I went, it had been“cleaned”(if you want to call it that). My buddy and I decided to go to Max Patch, a mountain bald, a few miles up the road. Max Patch is a beautiful grassy bald with 360° views, and the Appalachian Trail runs across it. Unfortunately, it is popular. By that I mean TOO POPULAR. When we made it there, the parking lot was full, and there were cars lined up for about a half mile down the road. Having been on Max Patch before, I knew it was not going to be a pleasant experience. Overall, the campground is probably okay for horse campers except that there was no water. The pit toilet needed more attention than it was given, but it was a toilet. There’s a good chance I will not go back to this campground. It’s not that I do not recommend it in general. I just don’t recommend it if you are just camping in a tent without horses. However, I do recommend one of the dispersed camping areas not too far down the road, especially if you want to be close to Max Patch. Just don’t go in the more popular seasons.

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• 

  Kristen B.

  Guide

  Jun. 13, 2018

  North Mills River

  Great small spot

  Small campground, but there are free off road sites not too far down the road. Cell service disappears but I love that kind of disconnect. No power, can use a generator but only for a few hours during non quiet time. Quiet hours strictly enforced. Horse trails nearby. Roads lead to blue ridge Parkway. There is a shower and working toilet, but also outhouse for off season use. Hosts make you feel like family.

• T

  Taylor

  Guide

  Nov. 10, 2022

  Paradise Ridge Permaculture

  Small, quaint permaculture farm in the mountains

  Had a nice experience here. Amber, the host, was very kind and accommodating. She showed us around the grounds which has horses, pigs, chickens, a natural spring, and fruits/vegetables/mushrooms growing around the property. The grounds are conveniently located near the city of Asheville and hiking trails. There was a shared gazebo, cozy fire pit, and cold showers. The only downside was that there wasn’t a secluded spot available for car camping, even though Amber did figure something out for us to be able to stay. Would recommend to get away from your typical campground.

• 

  Myron C.

  Legend

  Jun. 22, 2019

  Harmon Den Area

  Primitive Camping with Great Fishing and a Short Drive to Max Patch

  Ranger Review: Eclipse Sun Sleeves at Harmon Den Area(Pisgah National Forest) https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=70836

  There are a few dispersed camping sites at Harmon’s Den, and they are spacious sanctuaries beside Cold Springs Creek. Harmon Den is in Pisgah National Forest, and dispersed camping is allowed but only where there is a camping symbol posted along Cold Springs Creek Road. To get to the campsite, you have to get off on Exit 7 along Interstate 40 in North Carolina and travel a gravel road for several miles. You will not want to drive too fast since there are several potholes, washboards, and protruding rocks in the road. At the campsite, there is a fire ring, but there are no other facilities such as bathrooms, showers, electricity, running water, trash cans, camp store, firewood for sale, campground hosts, etc. It is pretty much just a space for camping. With that said, it offers all the exciting activities that national forests offer, such as fishing, biking, hiking, etc. Harmon Den is mostly known as a horse camp, although car camping without horses is a common occurrence. When I was there, I passed by a couple of car campers that did not have horses. I did see a few vehicles with horse trailers pass by on the road. Because it is a popular horse camping area, you have to watch where you step. At our campsite, there was horse poop in several places, and I had to watch my grandson closely so he didn’t step in a pile of horse manure. Expect to encounter horse flies as well. There was also lots of poison ivy, so that was another concern I had about my grandson running freely. Since there are no bathrooms, practicing LNT(Leave No Trace) is important. Unfortunately, there was lots of trash, but that was a teachable moment for my grandson, and we definitely left the campsite better than what we found it. Before it gets dark, make sure you know where you are going to take care of business when you have to get up in the middle of the night. That way, you can avoid stepping in the wrong place. There were also quite a few people fishing in the creek on the way to the campsite since the creek is a popular place for trout fishing. As a matter of fact, a wildlife officer came through our camp with a fishnet full of trout to stock the creek. She asked us if we brought our fishing poles. Unfortunately, that’s one thing I didn’t take camping with me. What was I thinking? Even with the horse poop and the poison ivy, it’s a great area for camping if you like solitude and the sounds of the creek throughout the night. Another reason to camp at Harmon Den is to visit Max Patch while you are there. I would suggest staying at least two nights so you can spend one day just enjoying Max Patch. It is a large mountain bald over which the Appalachian Trail crosses. I have been there in the past when people are having picnics, flying kites, or just lying on a blanket enjoying the magnificent scenery. If you go at the right time of year, one of the trails up to Max Patch will take you by wild blueberries and blackberries. As I stated earlier, the campsites are spacious, and it felt very peaceful just being there. 

  Product Review: 

  As a Dyrt Ranger I get to occasionally try out outdoor products while camping and this trip I brought Eclipse Sun Sleeves(https://eclipseglove.com/)..) As a stem cell transplant survivor from stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I can never be in the sun without adequate protection for the rest of my life. That’s why Eclipse clothing is perfect for me. Even in the middle of the summer, I have had to wear long sleeves and a broad-brimmed hat. I had earlier written a review for the Eclipse shawl, but with the Eclipse Sun Sleeves, I can finally wear my short sleeve shirts again. Since I love the outdoors and have some cool t-shirts, all I have to do is put on my sun sleeves and I am protected. The only thing I could see that might need improving would be to figure out how to keep the upper part to stay up. It wasn’t that much of a problem, and I don’t how the company could solve it, but overall, the sun sleeves are great. I would further like to say that because of sun sleeves, those who are allergic to the sun have one less excuse not to go outdoors in the sun..

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• 

  Bryan W.

  Guide

  Jun. 1, 2022

  Smokemont Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  Great --Great Smoky Mountain Campground

  My son and I went to this camp ground over memorial day.  It's a very big campground with a horse stables area separate from the camping area.  The horse stable offers horse rides starting at $40 bucks for an hour through the forest.  I asked if experience was needed and the worker said, no experience necessary.  I thought it sounded great, but my traveling partner did not (9 year old son).  haha

  The campground is big, with a lot of  sites, but they seem closer together than some campgrounds, some are further out than others, our site was really close to our neigbhors and the creek was just across the road so we really drowned the majority of there noise.  I feel like the NPS campground are typcially close together so this was what I expected.

  No running water at campsite, but plenty of water spouts around.  

  No showers in bathrooms.

  Most of the sites are really shaded, but some do have full sun.  There was one near us that had no trees and I am thinking they wished they had some.    It seemed "dark" early as you are in a valley, which was a unique experience for my son.  

  temperatures were cool in the evenings, so we didn't need any A/C which was nice sicne there is no power hook ups.  We didn't notice many generators running during the day.  I did imagine the people will only running to top off the batteries, but who knows.

  We woke up and went to clingmans dome one morning and it really cold and really windy.  If you plan for sunrise, pack a warm jacket.  I wore a fleece vest and fleece jacket and was cold till we walked to the observation tower.  It's a short paved walk, but it is straight uphill, so be aware of it.   the experience is one that should be had if you are in the area.  When we arrived around 530 am the parking lot was about 1/3 full. but I've heard stories that this parking lot is always very full, which is why we went sunrise instead of sunset.  

  There was a lot of people fishing the nearby bradley fork and lots of reports of trout caught.  I did fish one pool for about 30 minutes, and did not have any fish to hand, but I saw quite a few fish in the pool over the weekend.  the water temperture was 54 degress, but my son and some other boys swam in the creek everyday.  It was not hot, but kids have a different threshold for cold I guess, and the excitement of the moving water in teh creek is hard to resist.  I got in to my knees.   I would like to return without my son and do some adequate walking away from the campground upstream to get into some less pressured water.  It's on my list.

  We went to cherokee but not the casino area.  It was the section right outside the park.  Which is a mixure of old stuff, new stuff, and things that are closed or being revamped, or who knows.  We ate lunch one day at a pizza resturant right there called wize guys and it was good pizza.   

  My 9 year old son rated this campground as 10 out of 10.

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• 

  Tara F.

  Guide

  Apr. 28, 2017

  Smokemont Campground — Great Smoky Mountains National Park

  Just gorgeous

  Beautiful site next to river, a lot of hiking options. Ice available a short bike ride or hike away at horse stable. No internet available so check weather forecast before leaving the visitor center