Best Tent Camping near Crab Orchard, TN

Tent camp here with the family. I would recommend the walk in tent sites if you can get them. Campground is spread out well in places and not so much in others. Horseback riding, hiking trails, fishing, and much more. Last time we spent 3 days and could have easily spent another day or two. Plan on returning for some back country camping on the overnight loops.

Beautiful state park! Unbelievable waterfalls with many of hiking trails! There is a lot of history in the park! Tent campground was nice and level! Each tent site had a tent pad, lantern pole, fire ring and sturdy table! The bathhouses was clean and warm water! Wood is sold in the near by town or at the park visitor center!

Had a nice week camping in a tent right on the side of the lake. The bathroom facilities were good, plenty of hot water for showers and the place was kept clean. When we stayed it was nice and quiet during the first week of the season.

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I am occasionally compensated for staying at and reviewing campgrounds. I was given the opportunity to stay at Mountain Glen RV Park and Campground in order to test the new reservation system through The Dyrt. The reservation system works extremely well--it is fast and efficient, and save the trouble of using a third party reservation system after finding a campground you like on The Dyrt. I look forward to more campgrounds joining TD's network!

Mountain Glen is a new campground, located about an hour northwest of Chattanooga, and it is absolutely beautiful. There are a total of 8 tent sites and 41 RV sites, set next to a lake and a gorgeous view of a farm. Amenities include picnic tables, a playground, fishing, horseshoes, corn hole, a game room, a camp store, and laundry facilities, showers, and flush toilets with electricity (and heat!). It is also a short drive to Fall Creek Falls State Park, for anyone looking to enjoy the hiking near the falls without the overnight crowds the state park brings in. 

The RV sites occupy most of the campground, and accommodate trailers ranging from 60' to 90'. All sites have electric and water hookups, picnic tables, fire rings, and most have small grassy areas for dogs, kids, or even grown ups to stretch out and rest. RVs are also available to rent.

Tent sites 1-3 are listed as “primitive” sites and have no electricity or water, however it is a short walk to the office where water is available. The road is visible from these sites, however there is a grassy meadow both between the sites and the road, and the sites and the lake, with woods bordering site 3. 

Sites 4 and 5 are located closest to the picnic shelter, with a clear view of the lake. Sites 6-8 are next to the office/bathrooms. Site 6 is the smallest and 8 is the largest. All tent sites are fairly hilly, and accommodate small tents better than large based on limited flat space—though hammocks would work well!

There is a trail that winds around the lake, and passes a beautiful spillway on the end opposite the office which is great for getting some shade, and a chance for kids to splash in some water. This end also has a picnic table for day use. I would love to see this area eventually become a walk-in campsite as it is definitely the most beautiful area of the entire campground!

The owners here are extremely nice. We were greeted warmly on our arrival, and spent some time talking with them our second day. It is obvious they care about the campground and want campers to enjoy themselves and feel comfortable. We are tent campers and I was wary of staying somewhere more geared towards RVs, but what tent camping here lacks in privacy and wilderness, it more than makes up for in beauty, peace, and a feeling of home-away-from-home.

The tent sites are park and walk. The furthest tent site is about a 1/4 mile from where you park. Just an FYI.

Nice pull in paved spots for every tent site. Playgrounds and bath houses were kept nice and clean. The loops where the tent sites are can’t be quite busy so keep an eye on the kiddos

Went on a stag tent camping trip. Decent facility for state park. Sites are small wouldn’t recommend large rigs.

Nice wooded sites with decent bathhouses. Play sets, mostly paved roads perfect for riding bikes. My family really enjoyed tent camping at Fall Creek Falls.

Jake from the Dyrt here!  I had the pleasure of working with Black Willow Farm, and they have an amazing property with an off grid cabin and tent sites to come!  Check them out show them some love!

Backpack in , totally primitive sites. Take your own water or filtration system. Hobbs Cabin is available by reservation, close to the tent sites. Bring an air mattress for the wood bunks. Otherwise love, love, loved the adventure, hike, backpack in:)

A couple of the tent sites are waterfront and ideal for a tenter like me. The rest seem a little packed together, though some offer a little bit of seclusion. Decent facilities and easy access to Devil’s Backbone section of Cumberland trail.

We stayed at the main area but not much space or privacy so we put up a tent out side our door, but then moved to the tent camping site area the second night which was more secluded and private, but still close to the showers/bath house. So much hiking and a cool view of the dam is all within walking distance. Nice bath rooms and showers too.

There is so, so much to do at this park. Unfortunately, we only got to hike around the falls since the weather was so bad. 

Tent camping review:

• Lots of flat space for your tent, a canopy and for parking
• Easy to put down stakes
• A ton of beautiful trees
• Mostly RVs - as tent campers, we were in the minority
• Bathrooms were a bit old school; I did not want to shower there
• A lot of trashcans closeby
• So many daddy longlegs

Just a short distance from Windrock. RV sites have power and water, but are very close together, in my opinion. There are also a few tent sites and cabins. Parking for off-road vehicle trailers. Firewood and ice available at the office. Nearest grocery is about 15-20 minutes away.

We definitely enjoyed our visit. Sites in Campground c were very tight and in a field. Many of the tent sites were on a huge hill. We would stay in a different area if we returned. It was very busy on the trails but we were able to find some less traveled sites.

Tent-camped midweek on E210. Lots of open spaces in camp. Tent spot was on level gravel RV pad. Air mattress helped with gravel. Site had water and electricity. Showers were clean with hot water. Be sure to lock up food. We were visited by five raccoons nightly. They were able to get into secured plastic bin we left out. Great hiking around falls. Friendly staff at Visitor Center and Nature Center. Well stocked general store. We will be back.

This is a great campground that offers a lot of amenities, including a bath house, fire rings, picnic tables and offers both RV and tent camping. The people in the campground were respectful and there were trailheads leading directly from the campground to the wilderness. Pickett is a great place to visit because it’s an international dark sky, there are beautiful natural bridges and lots of recreation opportunities.

Very nice campground with large tent sites with fairly level ground capable of sitting 2 or 3 tents. Most have mature trees to hang hammocks. Very quiet during weekdays. Bath house is relatively nice for a state park campground. 1 mile walking path surrounding the grounds is nice. Safe area for bicycle riding. Great proximity to many outdoor activities. Friendly staff at the park office. Nice place!

This this campsite offers everything you need for a great camping experience. Out tent camping was complete with electricity and a short walk to the bathhouse. It also offered a fire pit and picnic table and lots of shade. You can rent a small Jon Boat for $50 a day and they also offer small bundles of firewood for $5. We fished on Kelly Lake and caught about six fish that were keepers.

We reserved a site with full- hookups and our friends reserved a tent site. Our site was fine, but there wasn’t what I would describe as a tent site. Our friends ended up just camping behind our camper in the flattest area they could find. All of the sites are pretty close and out in the open.

When we stayed some of the activities/amenities weren’t available (there had been a fire or something at the kitchen). We had a pretty decent time, though. We rented kayaks and paddle boards and explored the lake and they had a huge inflatable slide that our kids spent hours on. The ramp to the swim beach was ridiculously slimy but kids all enjoyed swimming in the lake and jumping off the dive platform. The camp had a movie in the evening (Jaws) and gave out popcorn. There were basketball courts and beanbag toss. Lots of people were out on their fishing boats.

So potentially plenty of activities for the kids, but the campground sites could be a bit nicer for the price. Any staff we interacted with were super pleasant.

I enjoyed this little campground, but it could definitely use some updates.  The bathrooms were clean and the showers were nice but a few hooks would be helpful.  Also, I originally reserved site C157 but found it difficult to see how or where I could camp in the spot.  I tent camp and the site is not very level and backs into a very steep hill.  I think spots like this could definitely use some kind of tent pad or decking.  Looking around the campground I think that these kinds of updates could be beneficial.  Especially on tent only sites.  All in all I enjoyed this campground and park.