Best Tent Camping near Etowah, TN

Adventures Unlimited is located in Ocoee, TN, just outside of Chattanooga, and is one of the coolest river towns I’ve been to. The Ocoee River was the site for the 1996 Olympics whitewater events. There are numerous outfitters for everything you can do on the river, and this place is the best we’ve visited. We did the Classic Middle Ocoee Rafting Adventure, with Leon as our guide. He was awesome! He wore a Viking helmet (which looks really cool in our pics!) and had vast knowledge of the river and area, and said he’s been guiding for 20 years, so yeah, the best! I would highly recommend Leon if you take a trip!

The campground is HUGE for tent camping. There are hundreds of great tent sites, and the whole place has a great vibe. I wouldn’t really recommend it for children, it feels more like a grown up place, as the area is filled with kayakers, guides, college kids, etc., and these people have FUN! And there’s the Bus Bar, which I’ll cover in a bit. We stayed in site 13 on the rv sites, and it was nice. All the sites are spacious, most have plenty of shade, except for 6,7,8, they are in the middle and not much shade there. The rv sites have water and electric, and they have a dump station. The bath house is at the front entrance, it was very clean, with 4 restrooms and showers. They also have bungalows, and they looked awesome.

This place has two restaurants, The Cafe was closed, I’m assuming due to covid, I believe they serve breakfast and lunch there. And The Bus Bar- this place is a must! They have literally converted two yellow school busses into a bar! The restrooms are in one of the busses and the other is where the actual bar is. They have live music on weekends, and there is a very eclectic vibe. Great people watching! You will hear music from your campsite until around midnight. We didn’t try the food, but they have pizza and wings on their menu, so what else do you need?!

The office is where you check in for rafting, they also sell ice, water shoes, t-shirts, etc. and the people in there were super friendly. This is one of my favorite “fun” places we’ve stayed, it truly was an adventure! We will definitely be returning!

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

Staff was very helpful in finding the right spot. Campsites are clean and hot showers are abundant. We tent camped, but the park is more suited for RVs or TTs

We love camping at Fort Mountain. Its usually a good bit cooler due to the elevation, and the private wooded campsites make tent camping in Georgia’s summer heat much more enjoyable. Good hiking and things to do nearby.

Tent camping and we had s beautiful spot. But big problem, the aggregate for the tent pad was so compressed we could not set a stake. Had to move tent off pad! Bathrooms very clean in tent loop. Shame on government for not putting funds into pool maintenance. It was shut down. Deer wandering all around!!!

Clean showers and toilets (including running water), easily accessible tent sites for large groups, litter-free, friendly staff, short hiking trails, less than an hour from Nantahala rafting

So, while I believe whole heartedly in the title, I must also disclose that I am the owner of Mountain Creek Rest, and that I rented my own tent site to be sure that The Dyrt's rental platform would perform properly for future guests!

With that said It is true that the Heartstone tent site at Mountain Creek Rest is secluded, romantic, and stunningly beautiful! My exclusive parking was right next to the tent platform, picnic table, and charcoal grille! 

The bathroom was just off to the side, and was clean and fresh.

 The campsite also had a firepit area with benches overlooking the tumbling Squally Creek!

I hope that you, as a prospective guest, will come and see for yourself what a wonderful spot this is.  Truly Yours, Brian

Loudest noise is the dam above grounds. The hum is soothing and constant. Water flows downriver at different depths before you eyes. The lights on dam at night, mesmerizing. Simple and low key campground. Mostly made of tent camping. Bathhouse is small but clean.

This is a great park with a lot to offer and more in the near vicinity. 

Cell reception (T-Mobile) was non-existent in the site. However, there was reception at the trading post and possibly elsewhere. 

They're installing Bear Boxes in tent sites back and front country (as I understood it) and are clearly paying attention to what people want and how to improve visitors experiences. 

A lot of the sites are RV orientated. But the walk in tent sites are really close to the parking area. Also, nearby backcountry platforms and sites can be easily accessed. 

If you want walking access to the trails, it's probably best to choose a site near the lake as that's where most trails are accessed from.

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!

Conasauga Lake campground is heaven on earth for this country boy. On top of Grassy mountain in North Georgia it is a great small camper / tent camp. Lots of large hemlocks and rotadendren on the trail aroundthe lake. The gravel road up the mountain is not for the faint of heart but worth the effort.

Kind of close but nice and clean with cabins on the river and primitive tent sites as well. Extended stay with some permanent sites. Also have plenty of room for RV storage. Verizon service shotty with poor WIFI. Suppose to be installing Wi-Fi extenders shortly.

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!

Nice big (150+sites) campground. Flush toilets and water, no showers. There's a nice little camp store where you can rent bikes. I would not come here in the summer, way too busy, but since it is an open year round campground, come in the off season. Great jumping off spot for hiking! The standard picnic tables and fire rings, level tent sites.

The wife and I have made several trips to this park tent camping and using our camper. The roadways are paved and wrap around the lake so you have nice views from just about anywhere in the park. The hosts are always helpful and they didn’t mind our late check-ins. Bathroom facility is newer and very well maintained. Sites are relatively level for tents and camper trailers alike. Beautiful and quiet nestled in the mountains. Very convenient to the city of Blue Ridge, GA for some fun shopping and dining.

We tent camped on Spot 27. Nice back in RV spot with water and electric. Bathhouse is close by. Gray water dump is across the road. Originally we booked Spot 60. That’s a pull through with little room for a tent. No cell service but that’s okay as we disconnected for a while. You can get service at the top of the park. Clean bathrooms with hot showers. Trails are nicely blazed with colors that match trail map. Georgia apple farms are a short, 20-30 minutes away.