Best Campgrounds in Tennessee

Stayed a night out here while traveling, scary narrow rocky trails, but beautiful streams and mountains

Great view, plenty of spots to set up, great fishing and a surprisingly low amount of bugs!

Well managed and kept clean. The host at campground #1 has been there 9 years!

Open May-September, this property is located on Cherokee Lake. There are four glamping tents (two with king beds and two with queen beds) and the newest addition is a Micro A-Frame with a king bed. This used to be a dedicated campsite and can still be used as one as the A-Frame is on wheels and can be moved. We stayed in the A-Frame which has a private fire pit and picnic table. 

The A-Frame is cozy with the bed taking up 95% of the space. There is also a small beanbag-type chair, dorm fridge, coffee maker, and two charging pads. There is electricity and light, but it is not bright enough to read in the evening. One of the nicest features is the window side that faces the lake can be opened, making it an open-air accommodation. However, despite it being on the lake, you will also hear almost constant road noise. 

The glamping tents are located further away from the lake in the woods so I imagine the road noise would be less or non-existent here. 

Ben and Kim, the owners, are still working on this property and they recently completed a very nice bathhouse with two toilets, two sinks, and two outdoor showers. Towels are provided. They are currently working on a boat dock. 

We chose the SUP n Stay package (middle price option); included in our reservation was the rental of either a SUP or kayak. The Stay package includes accommodations plus a floating lake mat. The Stay n Play reservation includes the SUP or kayak rental plus a two-hour lake excursion. Unfortunately, it started to rain after we had been out on the lake for about a half hour. The rain resulted in a very muddy area around the A-Frame and Tennessee mud is no joke. We accumulated about an inch of the thick gooey mud on our shoes. 

Ben and Kim were very welcoming and gracious hosts. Communication was great and they made sure we had no questions. Our stay in the micro A-Frame was a very unique stay. The only reason for four stars and not five was the mud and road noise.

Open May-September, this property is located on Cherokee Lake. There are four glamping tents (two with king beds and two with queen beds) and the newest addition is a Micro A-Frame with a king bed. This used to be a dedicated campsite and can still be used as one as the A-Frame is on wheels and can be moved. We stayed in the A-Frame which has a private fire pit and picnic table.

The A-Frame is cozy with the bed taking up 95% of the space. There is also a small beanbag-type chair, dorm fridge, coffee maker, and two charging pads. There is electricity and light, but it is not bright enough to read in the evening. One of the nicest features is the window side that faces the lake can be opened, making it an open-air accommodation. However, despite it being on the lake, you will also hear almost constant road noise. The glamping tents are located further away from the lake in the woods so I imagine the road noise would be less or non-existent here. 

Ben and Kim, the owners, are still working on this property and they recently completed a very nice bathhouse with two toilets, two sinks, and two outdoor showers. Towels are provided. They are currently working on a boat dock. 

We chose the SUP n Stay package (middle price option); included in our reservation was the rental of either a SUP or kayak. The Stay package includes accommodations plus a floating lake mat. The Stay n Play reservation includes the SUP or kayak rental plus a two-hour lake excursion. Unfortunately, it started to rain after we had been out on the lake for about a half hour. The rain resulted in a very muddy area around the A-Frame and Tennessee mud is no joke. We accumulated about an inch of the thick gooey mud on our shoes. 

Ben and Kim were very welcoming and gracious hosts. Communication was great and they made sure we had no questions. The Micro A-Frame was a unique way to spend the night. The only reason for four stars and not five was the mud and road noise.

What a great State Park. Hiking. Bike Riding. Golfing. Can go on and on. Campground A & B are great for families with kids. C&D are more quiet. Pay attention to grades of sites when booking, you might need extra supports to level out. We are definitely going back in summer to get wet in the falls and creeks. Can’t swim in lake but you can kayak. Arrived in the dark, do not recommend as there are not much lighting to see especially if the sites is tight with others. Upgraded dump station all asphalt with 6 dumps.

General: Three distinctly different areas: tent only section, cabin area, and the main campground. I didn’t see the inside of the cabins, but they looked very luxurious from the outside, so I am sure they are very nice. The tent area also looks nice. This review focuses on the main campground. 

Site Quality: Camper pads are all paved but vary in length from 18 to 51 feet. The width of some can also accommodate two cars side by side. Not all are completely level. Each site has a picnic table, lantern hook, fire ring, and grill. All sites have electricity and water, and eight of the 50 sites are FHU. There are many trees to provide separation and privacy, and sites are spaced a decent amount of space apart. Some sites can accommodate tents, and these are indicated on the post. 

Bath/Shower: Very clean. There was a sign saying the bathrooms are cleaned twice per day. Soap, paper towels, and utility hooks are all appreciated as was instant hot water from the taps. 

Activities/Amenities: Many outdoor activities including tennis, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes, and a playground. There are two hiking trails accessible from the campground. I hiked a short distance on the Bluff Trail until it became narrow and overgrown. There are other hikes that require a drive from the campground. The best hike is in the Twin Falls area but that is a 10-15 minute drive from the campground. There is also a swimming beach with a rentable pavilion and picnic tables. It is possible to walk there but easier to drive. We also saw people kayaking on the lake and fishing is permitted. Each bathhouse also has one washer/dryer for a reasonable price. Free WiFi with a good, strong signal. 

We enjoyed our two-night stay at this campground and for us, it was a five-star stay but I gave it four stars due to some sites not being completely level and the necessity to drive to the best hike.

The Tiny House is one of several rental options on this property. (Others include a huge glamping tent and a farmhouse). This review focuses on the tiny house where we stayed for two nights but I have included a few photos of the glamping tent, which was not open when we were there (opens in April). 

A lot is packed into a small space with so many creative touches. There is a full-size loft bed and a pull-out couch so while you could sleep four people, it would be a bit crowded inside. There is also a screened-in porch with two swing seats, and a table so you could eat outside. 

Lyn (the owner)’s hospitality is second to none. The tiny house is stocked with a microwave, toaster oven, electric kettle, Keurig, and an induction burner plus dishes, flatware, and just about everything else you would expect in a fully stocked kitchen. There is also a table grill that can be set up on the table on the screened porch. There is a great selection of tea and hot chocolate plus pancake mix, and syrup. 

There is a full bath with a flush toilet, sink, and shower with fluffy towels. 

There is a fire pit available to use. 

This would make a wonderful couples retreat, a mother-daughter getaway, or a place for solo reflection. Chattanooga is located just 25 minutes away and there is a fully stocked gourmet grocery store just down the road.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. Go to the website for more information on this and other options at this property.

We really enjoyed our night tent camping here. There is a parking lot right off the road after a fun ~30 minute drive through residential roads right on the water, then sites with fire pits are scattered throughout a small clearing. Plety of firewood to collect on site. There was another group of campers at a spot fairly close to us making some noise, but not too late into the night. With respectful campers nearby, this is a great spot to spend a relaxing night.

I think it was the best weekend my husband and I had in a long time. It was only him and I on the property. (Except the owners, and they kept to themselves but to check In every now and then at the pool to make sure we were enjoying our stay! The pool and the views, I could stay here all day and just float. It's so peaceful. They have nice new outdoor furniture for sunbathing and even tables and even enough umbrellas to keep my husband shaded. The Canvas yurt glamping tents, the beds were so comfy. The had welcome waters, and a few snacks for our arrival. The best was sitting in the hot tub at night looking up at the sky filled with stars. We brought wine- they even had wine glasses, an opener and mini frig and a cooler for our use. After being in the tub we rinsed off in the shower house. Amazing hot water and pressure. The bathroom was very clean and it even had ac/heat unit in each bathroom. My husband and I will definitely definitely will return. If your looking for an escape into nature but still want great comforts and only have to pack and overnight bag, this will definitely check that box.

Did not have reservation or call ahead as website listed campsite availability. We arrived before 4:45 but everything closed at 4:30- offices, visitor center ect. No one answered phone #s nor gave any after-hour access information. From what we could see the campsites appeared flooded and a lot of construction. Why not list on website or at least have on your phone message? Hope to be this way again and will try again but not without talking with someone in the park

Another great Tn State Park! The campground layout is odd. Some sites are pointed the wrong direction on a one way road, so you just have to drive it backwards. Most sites are small, but there are a few longer ones. Seems like many are unlevel. Our picnic table was at a very noticeable slant. The bathhouse was really nice, felt new and was very clean. The staff and park rangers were very nice. Only 1 bar of service with AT&T.

On a road trip with my adult daughter, we had planned to stay at this campsite just one night, but we loved it so much that we ended up staying a second night.

The prices were reasonable, and many of the campsites were generously sized, many of them with lots of trees shade. Ours was right next to the river, which meant we could watch the water go by as we were sitting there at the picnic table enjoying a meal. 

Maybe we got lucky, but all the neighbors were reasonably quiet and some of them were quite friendly. 

We appreciated the fact that there are a few trails right there on the property and that there is also a museum on the property where you can learn lots about the history of this famous Tennessean for which the campsite and park were named.

it's a bbit claustrophobic, each site being quite close to the other. We were tent ccamping, and iit appears that most of the sites are a better desiggned for RV camping. Being as close as it is to great Smoky Mountains National Park, it was predictably absoolutely full the entire week we were there, so  one's enjoyment may have a lot to do with who your next-door neighbors are, especially when you are tent camping and don't have the advantage of your own personal sound dampening and air conditioning. But if you want to be close to the national park, this is a great pick, as you are just a couple miles from the beginning off the Townsend entrance to the park.

When we were there, they had also installed a couple of restored teardrop traailers from what appeared to be the 1960s. On our last night, we decided to switch from tent camping to   renting one of the teardrops, which was quite small but quite fun, quite kitschy, restored to match the era.  

In spite of the fact that the camp is located right along a busy highway, the noise level was not too big of a problem since the campsites are not dirrectly next to the highway but  rather back in further, with some of  the more coveted spots being right next to the river. Even  if your camp spot is not on the river, there are two or three places to access it, making it possible to cool down onn a hot muggy summer day by wading in the very cold stream, or even tubing down to your campsite by having someone drop you upstream. I don't think they rent tubes at the campground but there are several places within walking distance that do.

The restrooms were quite nice for campsite restrooms — three or four private showers in each restroom, sinks with mirrors, etc. They keep out non-guests by having the restrooms accessible with a key code lock.

The pool looks nice and is well maintained, but we did not use it. There is also a big pavilion used by some church group every Sunday morning, offering worship services to vacationers, and dooing Sunday school crafts with the little kids.

This is a beautiful WMA area with tons of offshoots along a service road for camping, but please note, 99% of areas are closed between December and March. Had to turn around and find somewhere else to camp for the night./:

This park has camping, hiking trails, horse back riding and geocaching just to name a few things to do here.

Very nice campground.  Some sites have walkways going to the fishing pond.  Overall clean restrooms and showers.

Sites are close together but very level.  Bathrooms and showers were clean.  Beautiful waterfront sites.

Easy access to Interstate. Very friendly and helpful staff. A winter storm was headed our way and the made sure we were aware and prepared.

I have visited This little Gem in East Tenn. For the Best part of my life. I have seen this place change from the small little campground & Swimming Pool , with the little Cabin starting in the mid 80's. As a Family Reunion was always Scheduled there for the Nickles,Hicks,Dykes, Edwards clan.And the best memories of my Crazy Partying Parts & Aunts .But always respected the other Members 

 This has included some of my best Fishing Memories,catching a Monster of. CatFish in the back honey Hole! Made my Father so proud.

So of course as a Father of 3 sons,who now are having children of their own. I of course made sure they had there fill of this great place.