Best Tent Camping near Fosterville, TN
Searching for a tent campsite near Fosterville? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Fosterville. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
Searching for a tent campsite near Fosterville? The Dyrt helps you find campsites with tent camping near Fosterville. Search nearby tent campgrounds or find top-rated spots from other campers.
FOSTER FALLS CAMPGROUND - Open to Vehicles - Reservations Required The Foster Falls campground has 26 rustic campsites ideal for tents or small trailers. The Foster Falls Campground is the only camping area in the park where guests may park a car and/or pop-ups next to the campsite. The campground is open year-round. All sites have a fire ring and a picnic table. Most sites are wooded, offering some shade and have a level, gravel surface. A few are on a slight incline. There are no water or electric hook-ups but a restroom and heated showers are available. No gas generators are allowed at the Foster Falls Campground. BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING - Reservations Required South Cumberland boasts over 90 miles of backpacking trails with 93 campsites, eight group sites and one rustic lodge, the Hobbs Cabin. These campsites are located within 12 designated back country campgrounds across the Fiery Gizzard and Savage Gulf trail systems. South Cumberland encourages visitors to reserve your campsite early to ensure you have a site upon arrival. Remember, follow all park rules and be prepared to have a rewarding backcountry experience. All campsites are limited to four adults and two children. Children are defined as ages 13 and younger. Site capacity information can be found under site features on the campsite reservation page. Please look closely at your campsite's capacity when reserving. Each site has a designated fire ring. Hiking is required to reach the sites, although a few sites are available at only 120 yards from the parking lot. Water must be filtered from natural sources or carried in, be sure to check with the ranger stations about water availability. A pit toilet is also available at each campground. South Cumberland has primitive group campsites at most Savage Gulf campgrounds. These sites can accommodate from 30-60 campers, depending on the site and location.
$18 - $21 / night
Backcountry Camping- Reservation Required
Long Hunter has 2 primitive campsites for tent camping only, each site has a designated fire ring. Both sites are wooded, offering shade, they are located on the shoreline of J.Percy Priest Lake.
A 6-mile hike is required to reach the sites, beginning at the parking lot, using the Day Loop/Volunteer Trailhead. Backpacking equipment is strongly suggested. There is no running water, electricity, restrooms or heated showers available. Water must be filtered from natural sources or carried in. The campsites are open year-round. Campsite capacity ranges from 8-10 persons. What to Know Before You Go
Reservations are required for ALL backcountry camping.
Your reservation receipt is your permit.
A copy of the camping receipt MUST on your person, during your overnight stay.
A copy of the camping receipt or a piece of paper with the name associated with the reservation MUST be placed in the dash of each vehicle that is to be parked overnight at the trail head.
No hiking on trails after dark. Please allow enough time to reach your destination in daylight.
The last permit issued will be 2-3 hours before sunset
Pet Policy
Leashed pets are allowed on this site.
Our beautiful setting overlooks the West Fork of the Stones River. With walk-in access to the water, the camp is perfect for exploring a thriving river system (2, 6, and 8 mile floats are easy since take-out points are just up the road a piece or just paddle up and down the river, depending on the rains). The river is wadable most of the year. Smallmouth and seasonal trout make for easy fishing. The river is home to an abundance of birds, turtles, and fur-bearing friends.
The tent is equipped with a queen bed, sheets and blankets, a heater for the colder nights and fans for the warmer ones. We have an additional pop up tent that can accommodate 2 people, however you will need to bring a sleeping bag. We also have space for more pop-up tents, so if you have a bigger group there will be plenty of space to spread out. The tent is off-grid but we provide battery operated lights, a charging power bank and the ability to use electric plugs outside our house if there is a real need.
Two rock beaches on our property are across from a river island! Beyond that is a small creek and 190 acres of vacant land.
In case you run out of Lunchables, we have several methods for camp cooking with fire or our dual-fuel Coleman stove. Keep your refreshments fresh all weekend with our big Coleman cooler.
If you don't feel like cooking, Downtown Nashville (40 minutes) and Murfreesboro (15 minutes) are close for campers needing an escape from nature. Last minute supplies are just minutes away.
We provide board games, outdoor games, kayaks for rent, tubes for rent, fishing gear for rent and other seasonal amenities!
Because the location is very convenient, it also comes with passing cars and the hum of I-840 in the distance mingling harmoniously with the babbling brook. The groundhogs and kingfishers don't seem to mind it too much.
Please let us know if you need an earlier check in or later check out. We will always try to accommodate if we can.
$112 - $160 / night
Horseshoe Bend Marina is a secluded get away situated on the scenic head waters of Center Hill Lake. Our marina is only (by water) a mile from Rock Island State Park's Sand Bar and boat ramp. It is the perfect place to spend time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Whether you are wanting to go boating, fishing, or camping, we have quite a bit to offer. As one of the few marinas on Center Hill Lake that stays open year 'round, we rent boats, boat slips, and camp sites. Fall scenic tours and year 'round guided fishing tours are available also. We have a boat ramp that is easily accessible even when the lake water level is low. Our store offers a variety of drinks, snacks, camping supplies, boating supplies, and fishing supplies. We are also operating under new ownership and new management. With this said, we invite you to come by, meet the new managers, and see the improvements that have been made. Please, take the time to look through our web site for all the services we offer!
$75 / night
South Cumberland State Park is a state park in the middle and southeast portions of Tennessee on the Cumberland Plateau. The park is one of Tennessee's newer state parks. It is a collection of 10 areas in four counties.
$8 - $12 / night
Smith Springs Recreation Area is a lakeside oasis in the hills of middle Tennessee, providing visitors with countless recreational activities on the lake and in the surrounding woods and grasslands.
The lake provides a variety of outdoor recreational opportunities for millions of visitors each year. Because of the temperate climate and relatively long recreation season, visitors have numerous activities to choose from, including fishing, hunting, picnicking, boating, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding and wildlife viewing. Fishing opportunities abound at J. Percy Priest Lake, with a wide variety of species available, including largemouth and smallmouth bass, crappie, striped bass, Cherokee bass, and white bass. Other species such as catfish, bluegill, bream and trout provide excellent opportunities for younger anglers. Nearby Anderson Road Fitness Trail is a paved trail winding a little over a mile through the cedar glade area beside the lake.
Smith Springs Recreation Area offers a large group shelter for day use and can accommodate up to 50 guests. There is limited parking suitable only for 12 vehicles.
J. Percy Priest Dam and Lake was one of the first Corps of Engineers lakes to have recreation as part of its justification. The dam, completed in 1968, impounds 42 miles, with 14,200 surface acres of water. In soothing contrast to the sparkling waters of the lake are the adjacent 19,087 acres of grasslands and woodlands. A highlight of the region, the Cedar Glades Natural Area, is home to countless wildlife and plant species, including the Tennessee coneflower.
J. Percy Priest Lake is conveniently located about 10 miles east of downtown Nashville, offering visitors countless cultural activities and the conveniences of a metro area.
$45 / night
South Cumberland State Park is located within four different Tennessee counties: Grundy, Franklin, Marion and Sequatchie. The park is composed of approximately 30,845 acres in nine separate areas and boasts some of the best hiking and backcountry camping in the region.
$8 - $35 / night
A decent campground a short drive outside of Nashville. Most of the space was taking up by RV's but there was a small area for tent camping as well. The tent campsites did have grills which was nice a touch to make dinner. There was a sandlot playground as well which I did not use but would be nice for families camping with children.
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!
We are RTT campers and chose this place on a whim as the rest of the local tent camping spots closed on October 1st. We were lucky to find they had space available. However, it should be noted that this is more of an RV campground, the traditional tent sites are right by the gate and not very private. The RV slot we were given backed up to a green space that has grazing deer from time to time. The site did not have a fire ring or a picnic table and was a little far from the bathrooms, but it did have power and water available. That being said the bathrooms were extremely tidy, well heated, and the water pressure in the showers was amazing! The other RV’ers were super friendly and the staff was very helpful in our stay and responsive to our request for availability.
Nice sand beach. Ample parking. Grassy tent camping areas and RV paved area pull through. Lots of wildlife. Quiet area. Good fishing, kayaking, canoeing area. Boat dock nearby. Bathroom facilities on property.
This is a wonderful spot if you really want to be in nature. Not many people around quite, secluded and very peaceful. Tent camping only with reservations. Lots of hiking near by and great places to explore.
This area has around 100 sites, both RV and tent sites both with and without electricity, so you can camp any way you'd like. All of the tent sites here are facing the lake so it feels a little more private. The RV sites are more grouped together (but I don't have an RV so I can't speak for these as much) There is some great hiking in the area and you can find some quiet and restful spots. There is the Lost Springs Trail that is right near the campground if you like hiking and hikes above the nearby Marina and this campground.
Pretty campground on water. Even though it's a mostly RV type place there are some good tent sites and it's a pretty remote quiet place. Very good bathrooms and showers.
Nice quiet campground where I highly recommend getting a spot by the water. A bit un-level in most spots for tent camping. Bathroom and showers are a bit old, but it’s cleaned often and the shower water is hot. Not wowed by this place but it’s close and affordable.
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:)
Almost all of their sites have a view of the lake. Tent sites give just enough space for seclusion and everyone sites are on elevated platforms. Plenty of bathhouse access and if you like to paddle the candy is close by too.
We loved this primitive tent camping spot. All sites were nestled in the woods along the edge of the lake. Each site had a fire ring & tent landing. It was near parking, but all gear had to be carried into the woods. These were not pull in campsites. Shower house was a decent walk. Maybe at 1/4 mile? Water spigots were dotted throughout the woods, but not at every site.
We tent camped for two consecutive weekends at Cedars of Lebanon. We are local novice campers. The campsites were well maintained with electric and water hookups. The bathhouse at Campground 2 is quite clean and is newer than Campground 1. Both of our stays were in Campground 2 near the bath house. Our first visit was with our dog, second was without. The fire ring in our second stay was weirdly located. Firewood is for sale inside the park and late afternoons the campground host drives thru on a gator like vehicle and offers bundles for sale at $6 each. The place is busy and active but very chill.
We hiked a little on Saturday midday. When I say “hike” I mean we strolled on a trail. Very nice time.
Any critiques by us would be unwarranted. Folks who work there were quite nice. We are very early on the learning curve. That we were able to go and tent camp and have a good time at our age proves that COL is a great place for newer campers to enjoy. We plan to go back a lot.
We went to camp here with our AHG group. We tent camped to complete one of their badges. We camp often and we enjoy it. The place is clean and organized well. The tent sights are elevated slightly which allows a nice “overlook” of the camp ground. Some tent spots were kind of sloped so be mindful of finding a good flat spot. Bath houses were clean and functioning. Good water front locations. We had a great time and recommend for a short stay.
The tent sites were really nice. I love how close you are to the water. It also includes two swim areas which is nice. Bathrooms are good in campground standards! The hiking trail is ok. Canoe the Caney is a few minute drive from the campground which is great if you like canoeing. We really enjoyed it!
Poole knobs was not a terrible place to camp but it appeared to have better sites for RV’s then tents. The tent sites had minimal space to pitch a tent unless you have a single person tent or you pitched the tent on a slope. We only stayed one night because a bad storm came through And a tree fell on our tent ending our trip early. The campground lost power but without expecting or asking for it(because they can not control the weather) they refunded the $$ we spent to stay there.
We used two cars and parked one at our campsite here, and brought one to the beginning of the Fiery Gizzard Trail. It was nice to camp the night before in order to get an early start on the trail -- although it did not really help us avoid the incredible heat and humidity of June in Tennessee.
The waterfall and swimming hole were an EXTREMELY WELCOME sight after that long day hike! The water was very cool and felt great in the summer. Tent sites are leveled gravel and we were able to buy some firewood when we arrived. The falls were just trickling -- if you want to see them roaring come in the spring!
I hate leaving bad reviews, but I have to this time. This campground advertised tent camping and that is clearly not true. Spent 3 nights (mostly because we couldn't go anywhere else) with our tent in a literal runoff ditch. Other sites had tents squished in the trees and there was absolutely no flat spot to even pretend is a tent pad. Also, there was broken glass all over the site and only 1 drinkable water pump (which was right next to the rv dump station pump. Gross). The camp attendants were super nice though and it's close to Nashville. So if you have an rv, great! If you have a tent, I strongly recommend somewhere else.
We have stopped here several times in the past when it was a KOA. The new owners have fixed it up. The roads are still gravel but in better shape, the pads are nicer, and there is more room between sites. 30/50 amp electric, water & sewer. Lots of trees, there is a big dog park. The pool was closed when we were there. Bathrooms and showers were nice, but dated. Tent sites, cabins. Lots of road noise!
This is a pretty decent sized campground with plenty of electric hookups and also has a few tent sites. However there are no primitive, backcountry sites, so skip this one if you are wanting a backcountry experience. But, it is a very nice area with so many old, old hardwood cedars. It smells wonderful. There are also a few trials that take you through most of the park and is relatively easy so they are great for kids too.
Lovely park with somewhat unique cedar glades and tons of rare plant life. If you can snag a serious gardener or botanist to visit with you you’re in for a treat. Trails are easy, lots of wildlife, lots of cedars. Lots of horses on site too. And weddings in the lodge all summer. Modern state park setup, clean and well cared for with some extra activities. Tent sites were more private and woody. Cabins seemed popular given what neighbors said. Very nice state park, would return.
Awesome sites right on the water, we brought our kayaks and were able to launch directly from the campsite. Nice firepits with grill grates attached. Site had pretty good shade. If tent camping,the electric pole is a bit far, so be sure to bring extra long extension cords. Lake is extermely quiet and calm. Campground was nice and quiet. There is a decent swimming beach with sand. Bathhouses with shower are close and pretty clean. Campstore with friendly staff and was well stocked including ice cream. We went over the 4th of July and were able to view fireworks from another campground across the lake.
We had a great time at this campground. It was me and my 2 year old son in our pop up camper. The site we had had a nice square picnic table and fire ring. We also had some friends tent camp on our site and there was plenty of space. Our friends that camped in the tent section wished they had picked the RV section since there was no playground by them. We were very close to the playground and bathhouse which was great. There was also a volleyball court full of sand. The site and bathhouse were great the only bad thing IMO is that you have to drive to get almost anywhere. If you are in a motor home and don't tow a car this could be annoying. Also the roads to the hiking are very narrow.
This is a beautiful campground!
Bathrooms/showers were very clean & nicely decorated.
Campground was laid out very well. We had site 6, which is a short pullthrough. Almost too short for us, since we didn't unhitch. There were tent sites in the back by the pond, which looked nice.
We had to pull in late & leave early, so I couldn't explore the hiking trail.
The worst thing you can say about this campground is the traffic noise from I-24. The campground is easy on- easy off the interstate, but it's only a few hundred yards from it. The noise never lets up.
We camped at The Broken Banjo RV Park in a Travel Trailer.
Ragland Bottoms is such a fun place to camp! The campground is right on Center Hill lake, and the lake is really nice and clean! We stayed on site 10, and had the perfect lake front spot! I know that sites 1-15 are all lakefront sites with electricity and water, and they book up fast, so if you want one of those you need to plan to book well in advance. They have walk in tent sites, as well as lake view electric sites.
There is a playground and sand volleyball court, boat ramp, and a hiking trail. Fishing is allowed in the lake, as well as swimming, kayaking, boating. Really great spot to spend a few days!
Despite the fact that we were tent camping, we booked in a premium site, on the water with power and water. The sites are on platforms over the lake bank. We loved this campground! It is very clean. The bathrooms and showers were immaculate as well, despite the fact that the campground is at capacity. Good WiFi signal. Camp store is on site. Marina is a one mile hike, or accessible by car. Sites on the lake have water, electric, fire ring and second water spigot. One downfall is that there is poison oak EVERYWHERE. The boardwalk to the bath house is lined with it. Choose which walkway you use, because the one from the cove can’t be walked without poison oak brushing your feet and legs. Checkout is noon. We had a great stay.
The campsites are wooden platforms, which is kind of unique. Great if you like camping but aren’t a fan of setting up in dirt/mud with bugs. It’s a pretty steep turn up and into the tent sites, so I wouldn’t advise a lower sitting vehicle. The grill and campfire area was set up kind of awkwardly at our site. It’s sitting far away from everything. That isn’t probably because it’s not a good idea to make a fire on top of a wooden platform, but it still makes things weird if you have a group that wants to sit around the fire together. Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves. It’s an absolutely beautiful park, right on the water. There’s a great restaurant on the marina and and trails for hikers of all levels.
Ragland Bottom Campground is a nice place hid-away between Sparta and Smithville, Tn. Luckily The Dyrt has added a “directions” button that gets you there or you might miss it because there is no sign that I saw.
As with all US Army Corps of Engineers areas it has some rules that a little more strict than most state parks.(one is only 2 dogs allowed in day use/campground) The day use area has a fee which is included in you campground fee if your staying for a few days. There is also an annual fee for the day use area that applies to all the Corps sites. (In TN at least)
The retirees at the front gate are friendly and very informative. The couple I spoke to know the area pretty well too because they let me know where several attractions are. This campground is pretty cool in the way the sites are set up. RV’s are at lake edge, there are several walk in tent sites near the lake too. If you have your watercraft along direct put in is possible but it’s rocky. I didn’t walk the shore so I’m not sure how easy the out in would be. There are RV sites up the hill and then a long loop along the hill top where you can park next to your tent site and have a nice view if the area and excellent shade.
Site 48 and 51 would be the least private they are right on the road near the front gate. Site 55 is very private but the farthest from the showerhouse.
Things to do in the area aside from watersports, Burgess Falls State Park. A little busy but worth the visit. If you don’t mind a technical hike Windows Falls Natural Area is part of Burgess excellent hike with some awesome natural features. No dogs in the natural area.
Tent camping near Fosterville, Tennessee offers a blend of natural beauty and unique experiences, perfect for outdoor enthusiasts looking to escape into nature.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Fosterville, TN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Fosterville, TN is Foster Falls Campground — South Cumberland State Park with a 4.4-star rating from 31 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 36 tent camping locations near Fosterville, TN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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