Best Tent Camping near Dunlap, TN

Tent Camping Reviews near Dunlap, TN

1190 Reviews of 48 Dunlap Campgrounds

• 

  Shana D.

  Legend

  Feb. 14, 2022

  Greeter Falls Campground

  New campground

  We only checked out the primitive sites while passing through the area. The sites had picnic tables and fire rings, but they were pretty overgrown. It doesn’t look like this section of the campground is getting much use yet. They have a couple of portable toilets on site with garbage cans next to the toilets. There is a water spigot at the exit that can be used for filling tanks/containers. Also, there is a community fire pit area near the exit and a small camp store building near the entrance. Closed when we drove thru. To be honest, other than sites being marked with a site number, I couldn’t tell where the sites were actually at or where tents were supposed to be set up at.

  We did not drive they the yurts or RV sites, so I cannot speak for those, but the pictures on the website look nice.

  Rating this a 3 based on location to Greeter Falls Waterfall and also because it is new and still an ongoing work in progress, I didn’t want to rate too low.

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• 

  Melissa K.

  Legend

  Jul. 3, 2017

  Cloudland Canyon State Park Campground

  Beautiful

  This park was really nice. We stopped while passing through. The only sites available were walk in tent sites. This isn't a huge big deal but it wasn't ideal for us at that particular time. We had a hard time identifying our site number as they really weren't marked but it wasn't far from the parking lot. There was a tent pad and fire ring but no picnic table. Not the end of the world as we arrived late and were really just sleeping there for the night. The sounds were amazing, owls for a good part of the night. We did have an issue with noise, there was a large group somewhere that was very loud well in to quiet hours and without a camp hose or attendant in the walk in sites, nothing was done about it and the noise started back up first thing in the morning as well. The park did acknowledge other complaints but without knowing which site they were in, it was hard to correct the situation. We did decide to explore the park before driving on and hiked to two waterfalls. Both hikes contained many stairs which is a good workout. The falls were really pretty and well worth the walk with a toddler.

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• 

  Katrin M.

  Legend

  Mar. 7, 2021

  Foster Falls Campground — South Cumberland State Park

  Nice rustic getaway

  We camped here over the weekend with our dogs. The campground has 26 rustic campsites that need to be reserved in advance. Each site has a firepit and a picnic table. It is probably better for tent camping since there are no electrical hook ups. There are also no generators allowed. Some of the sites are very close together like mostly the ones on the entrance. We camped at #19 and it was very private and spacious. The bathrooms were ok. Unfortunately they were never cleaned over the weekend. It was pretty noisy on Friday night and there is nobody to enforce a quiet time. Be aware... roosters are nearby and they start crowing at 4am. Some of the sites are very well shaded. There is no firewood sale in the campground or the visitor center (which is about 17 min away) but locals have it available near by. The landscape is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. Foster Falls is just a short walking distance away and so beautiful. In the summertime it's a popular swimming hole. It is also a paradise for rock climbers. South Cumberland has many spread out entrances. We visited Stone Door and Denny Cove. It was so beautiful. We would camp here again but probably not in the summertime because it can get very crowded.

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• 

  Stephanie J.

  Legend

  Apr. 27, 2019

  Mountain Glen RV Park & Campground

  Ranger Review: The Dyrt Reservations at Mountain Glen RV Park & Campground

  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.

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• A

  Abby M.

  Guide

  Sep. 5, 2016

  Cloudland Canyon State Park Campground

  Walk-in sites

  Love the tent-only serenity of the walk-in sites. There is a separate parking lot at the back of the park for the walk-in sites, which are a short distance away (easy to haul your gear). The sites have a tent pad, picnic table and fire ring, and lots of privacy as the sites are very far from each other. The bath house has showers and running hot water. the long hike around the canyon and down into it provided amazing views! I'm always thrilled to find camping areas where I can have the convenience of my car-but can avoid the noise of RVs - and you definitely get that here!

• 

  Heather W.

  Traveler

  Jul. 3, 2019

  Chilhowee Recreation Area

  Great place during lightning bug season!

  This campground is great! It has clean bathrooms with showers, fire rings with grill grates, lots of hiking, hike to a beautiful waterfall, huge lake to swim or float on a raft, and the lightning bugs were breath taking!!

  We stayed at site #39. Next to the trail that leads to the lake. Next to rest room, trash bin, and water spout. This specific site has the driveway and then stairs to the fire/table/tent pad. We set our large tent on the tent pad and a smaller tent on the driveway next to the stairs.

  Pros: No reservation needed. Warmish showers. Hiking. Lake to swim in. Beautiful waterfall. Perfect to see millions of lightning bugs. Easy payment (put money in slip and put in bin, and yes they do check). Pets allowed.

  Cons: we had the WORST neighbors I’ve ever experienced while camping! The staff warned them about quiet hours but never came back to in force it. Fire ring grill topper was broke off.

  DON’T drive up the dirt path, we made that mistake. Take the regular rode. GPS sends you automatically to the dirt road.

  Over all I’m defiantly going to camp there again. Well kept and overall has a lot to offer

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• 

  Christy E.

  Guide

  Jun. 14, 2018

  Rock Island State Park Campground

  Beautiful area with many activities

  I stayed in the tent-only loop - a small group of 10 sites. It was quiet and had many trees for hammocks. Thus site offers level tent pads, a grill, fire ring, and picnic table. Clean bathrooms and hot showers available. The nearby swimming beach was great for the kids. Many short hiking options available. Make sure to visit the ranger station for a map and safety rules during water releases.

• 

  Stephanie J.

  Legend

  Aug. 28, 2018

  Foster Falls Campground — South Cumberland State Park

  Loud and dirty but spacious with great hiking

  Foster Falls Campground has 26 sites, most of which are very large and spacious. As is common in loop campgrounds, the sites in the center of the loop--especially sites 1-13--are very open, with little privacy between sites, although they are still shady due to the extremely tall trees. The outer loop sites have more underbrush between them providing a buffer. Sites 17-26 all have relative privacy from each other, but are smaller sites in general, although many of them have specified tent pads. The sites closest to the bathrooms all had more bugs while we were there in August, and site 16, while very large, has power lines that run into the site itself.

  This is a very beautiful campground. The towering trees give most sites ample shade, and there is a lot of firewood that is easy to collect from felled trees, particularly on the back half of the loop. The front half of the loop is closest to the trail to the falls, and site 8 has a trail running directly behind it that takes you to the falls overlook, and to the trailhead to walk down to the falls themselves. Our 2 and 5 year old walked from our campsite down to the falls and back up easily, and enjoyed having a trail that led to the falls overlook for nightly post-dinner walks, and it would make a great camping base for anyone looking to hike the Fiery Gizzard Trail. The picnic tables are also very large and made it easy to prepare food and for 5 people to sit comfortably, even with our stove at one end, and the tables are on concrete slabs, which helps keep bugs crawling around your feet down a little, and makes it easier to clean up any food that falls while eating. The bathrooms were also cleaned each morning, with the trash taken out and the floor swept clean of bugs and detritus.

  My biggest complaints about this site are the noise, and how much trash we saw. There is a farm nearby with a rooster that spent the better part of the day crowing, which can be distracting when you have a toddler you are trying to get to sleep, and got very repetitive for the adults as well. We could also hear 18 wheelers both nights we were there during the night. We were there on weeknights so there were very few other campers, but there was a lot of trash still evident from the weekend littered across most of the campsites, and a group that stayed our first night there left their fire ring full of paper towels and banana peels. After reporting it to a ranger, he cleaned up the paper but left the banana peels which made me wonder how strictly the campground enforces proper food storage, and the ranger said that the campers had not paid or registered--despite the fact that park vehicles drove past at least twice since that group set up camp. If kept clean, I would easily give this a 4 or 5 star rating despite the noise, but I was very disappointed in the visibility of human impact--a shame, because it is otherwise a great place, and great for families with small children.

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• 

  Stefan A.

  Traveler

  May. 21, 2018

  Foster Falls Campground — South Cumberland State Park

  Above average campsites, exceptional proximity to natural beauty

  There are very average campsites for RV’s, car camping, backcountry and your average camping spots. HOWEVER, the beautiful hike down to the waterfall is 100 meters from most of the campsites. The views made it an amazing trip.

  Things to know: $5 reservation fee, $8-45 per site

  Amenities: picnic table, fire ring, restrooms, heated shower

  Drawbacks: no electric or water hook-ups. No gas generators allowed