Best Campgrounds near Gatlinburg, TN

This campground is basic at most. The sites are decent as far as cleanliness and space. It's a rather small campground so you are right on top of your neighbor's and the campground hosts, who in my opinion were nosey and invasive. The "lake" they advertise to be a mere walking distance away, is a very very long trail that you become kind of stuck on due to lack of information. You kind of just start on a little trail that ends up being a 10 minute walk uphill through the woods. It would be completely worth it if it led to a lake to cool off in , but instead you are led to a crappy pond that looks like it's in someone's backyard and convinced that this wasn't the right place I frantically began searching in any and every direction for any sign of this lake we came for, only to be filled with disappointment and then immediate dread knowing you had to trek back to camp . My kids whined and complained the entire walk to the pond and then refused to get in it. I can't say I blamed them

First of all, GSMNP is amazing and blew us away. And the river running along the campground was great. We even had elk walk through one morning.

However this campground is way too cramped and too loud. The sites are on top of each other. Two nights our neighbors were starting up their fire with some device that made it roar several feet tall. The first time we actually thought our tent was on fire because their pit is so close to our tent pad and it was so bright lol.

Oh and about the fires, if you’re sensitive to smoke, avoid this one. The loop is in sort of a bowl and without wind all of the smoke from all the fires just sits there. I ended up wearing a mask most of one evening.

There is no enforcement of quiet hours at this campground. Every night people nearby (two separate groups covering all nights at two different sites) were talking loudly for much of the night. I’m a light sleeper and with ear plugs and my phone blasting white noise next to my ears, I still didn’t get any sleep.

I know it sounds like I’m just a whiner and shouldn’t be camping, but we camp a lot… not for the “camping experience” but just because we travel a lot and it’s cheaper and I do enjoy being in nature. I do fine at most campgrounds but this one was just too crowded for me.

I will say, though, that this side of the park was quieter than the other and I liked the Cherokee vibe more than the Las Vegas - style Gatlinburg.

Highlight hike was Alum Cave. Super cool!

This is a great little place right on the Callusaja River. There's some traffic noise during the day as Highlands Road is right on the other side of the river. But at night there's very little traffic and the river sound drowns it out. This is a small private park with about 4 campsites that are meticulously maintained. We were able to get our 33' coach in there after unhitching our jeep, but I doubt anything much bigger would fit. Max length was listed at 45' at the time I posted this review. But 45' is total rig length. A 45' trailer or 5th wheel is not getting in and out of there without tearing the place up.

Andy, the owner, has had the place in his family since the 1980's. So he knows the area really well. Him and his wife are very pleasant people. We really enjoyed the stay.

This place is gorgeous.  All the sites are arranged for phenomenal views of the surrounding mountains.  I love the cuts in the tree lines so you can have a vista view from your picnic table.  

The showers were hot.  The toilets were clean.  The water was pristine and easily accessed.  

I sleep off the ground, so a lot of campgrounds are understandably not equipped for a couple of easily accessed trees to hold up a hammock.  After calling and asking for a good site that would fit, I arrived to find that not only the site I was given (#16) was perfect, but many other tent sites looked easily accommodating for hammocks as well.  

The sunset alone was more than worth it.  I didn't see any elk, but did fall asleep listening to some owls call to each other, and caught sight of three young bears crossing the road as I left camp.  

The only real question left is "When can I go back?"  The visit was simply too short.