Best RV Parks & Resorts near Cherokee National Forest

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.

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.

We have been staying at Mtn River for about 3 years now and it’s become ‘home away from home’. You have your choice of river or mountainside sites. We prefer the river sites personally for the views & fishing. 

The campground owners are fantastic people who’ve become friends. They live on site and take great pride in the property. The property is always impeccable. They are always working. Such a gorgeous place!! The pond is in the center of the property- yes you can fish(catch& release). 

Areas setup with hammocks, corn hole, seating, etc. The new playground has been a big hit! Oh, and there’s also a dog park area. 

The bathhouses are super clean and have air conditioning. The laundry room is brand new with great units and also A/C. 

They incorporated additional activities this year over at the pavilion which our family has loved! Bingo, tie-dye t-shirts, food trucks, live music, and more! Our grandson loves to join us. Lots of kids and a great area for them to all play. 

Tubing the river is always a fun treat! You can bring your own tubes or rent from the campground. 

The camp store has expanded and features a mix of items- t-shirts, hats, hoodies, koozies, and more. As well as local jams, rubs, and other treats. They’re in the process of building a new office/camp store so we’re excited to see this complete. 

We have a 40’ fifth wheel. No problems every getting in. They accommodate all size rigs. All sites have a concrete pad, fire pit and very nice large picnic table. Sites are spacious and do not feel cramped like we've experienced at other campgrounds. 

Wi-Fi is generally pretty good. We’ve been able to work remote on some of our trips. We even had phone service our last trip(AT&T)! 

Lots to do in the area! Hiking, Linville Winery(yum!), Linville Caverns, Grandfather Mtn and so many other great places. The office staff can certainly provide plenty of recommendations, too. 

There are 2 grocery stores in town about 15min away. There’s also a local dollar store about 5min away. 

We cannot say enough good things about MRFC. We’ve met some great campers there who we now call friends. We truly love this place and already have bookings for next year!

This campground was one of the cleanest campgrounds we've been to. It had the cleanest laundry room I've even seen at a campground and we are full timers so have been to many places. Washers seem new and large enough for a full load-$2 and dryer$1. The grounds are clean. There is a dog run area. 

The customer service was very friendly and professional and a nice gentleman escorted us on a golf cart to our site. The roads are uphill and a little narrow, but nothing too difficult if you go slow. Our site was level so easy to pull up and set up smoothly. They have a fitness center, shower rooms, picnic tables and fire pit at every site.

WIFI/ AT&T: Campground wifi was excellent and quick. We work remote and usually have to hotspot our phone for video calls, but didn't have to here because it worked so well. AT&T was 1 to 2 bars at our site, but it worked just fine for calls and never had an issue, including video calls and streaming.

The pine trees help with a little privacy because you are tucked in pretty tight to one another. This is the only reason I'm not giving a 5 star.

Good sam partners. Accessible to Asheville, Blue Ridge Parkway, and many other mountain towns for exploring.

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.