2 campgrounds with availability next weekend
Tent campsites near Greenback, Tennessee offer a range of primitive and developed options within the surrounding Cherokee National Forest and nearby wilderness areas. Poland Creek provides tent-specific sites in a quiet setting, while Lost Creek Campground in the Cherokee National Forest offers more remote tent camping approximately 7 miles down a gravel forest road from Benton.
Most tent sites in the area feature concrete picnic tables, lantern posts, and fire rings, though amenities vary considerably between locations. Walk-in tent locations at primitive sites typically lack potable water, requiring campers to either treat water from nearby streams or pack in their own supply. Several tent campgrounds maintain vault toilets that are generally well-maintained but basic. The Lost Creek area provides bear-proof trash receptacles and fire rings but no running water. Access to many backcountry camping spots requires driving on unpaved roads that may become difficult to navigate during wet weather. A recent review noted, "The lost cove campground can be found deep in the wilderness of the Cherokee National Forest. A portion of campground adjoins a small creek. The creek can be used for shallow water wading or fishing."
Primitive tent campsites in the region offer exceptional access to creeks and streams, making them popular with anglers and hikers seeking cool water during summer months. According to one visitor, "This little site was a great get away. We chose a spot next to the creek. Was clear and flowing due to a lot of rain the few days before we arrived." Many walk-in tent sites provide ample shade from the forest canopy, keeping temperatures more comfortable during hot summer days. The surrounding region offers extensive hiking opportunities, with several tent-only sites situated near trailheads for the Benton MacKaye Trail and other regional hiking paths. Most primitive tent areas become extremely dark at night due to minimal light pollution, creating exceptional stargazing opportunities. Winter camping is possible but requires additional preparation as temperatures can drop significantly after sunset.
"This spot is kid and tent friendly with a boat ramp and beautiful small lake with lots of fishing opportunities."
"This is a medium size campground which offers both RV and tent camping. There is a recreational facility which can be used for day use as well. Overall everything is grassy green and beautiful."
"Camp Birdsong is here to provide an excellent spot to setup your tent, with a platform for a level setup, and a mini kitchen so that you can prepare some great meals while listening to the morning birds"
"Luv the fact it tells you about the camping space"
from $40 - $49 / night
"All secluded and away from overpopulated areas. Bring your fishing pole!"
"Plenty of trails, swimming and fishing!!"
"The state park/campground adjoins the Cherokee National Forest and sits on the north bank of the Hiwassee River outside of Benton, TN."
"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."
Available next weekend
"I found this awesome campground close to the beginning of the Cherohala skyway in Tellico Plains."
from $20 / night
"After checking it out and realizing we were unprepared to set up a tent in a gravel mud puddle we checked out frozen head's campground and it was so nice."
"There is a primitive tent area along a creek branch and there are some primitive hike-in areas) Tennessee seems to have a thing for larger rock pieces in their gravel on tent platforms... otherwise no"
Campground full next weekend
Get a text when availablefrom $24 - $40 / night
"I rounded a turn and the trail turned rocky. Then the brush disappeared and the view off the side of the mountain was breathtaking."
"Most of the spots you have to park next to the road and walk down to the campsite, however a few allow you to park next to the fire pit and table."
"I have camped at several different dispersed locations around lake Santeetlah. Superb views of the clear lake water. Some sites are high above the lake so hard for direct water access."
TravelerBeautiful spot in the smoky mountains. State park style amenities, no showers. No hookups. Very busy very open campground. Nice that some trails are walking distance from campground. I would not camp here again as I prefer more separation and privacy. No cell service. STARLINK is usable but obstructed with tree canopy
GuideDrove 5 hrs from our last campground to here for event Campground was very well maintained and liked the site. Wasn’t overly crazy about the event not a lot of vendors mainly jeeps went to a few local shops in town had a great lunch at the cookie dough monster.
ScoutI camped here with a friend last weekend and absolutely loved this place! It's a cute little site with a great host, clean bathrooms, free firewood, and super friendly dogs, goats, and people. I would for sure stay here again and recommend.
GuideParksville Lake RV Campground is an absolute gem! I had a fantastic stay here. The campground is beautifully maintained, and the sites are nice, spacious, and wonderfully shaded by the trees. We loved the layout of the RV loop, especially the outer section where a peaceful creek flows right past the sites—the sound of the water at night was perfect. The restrooms and showers were exceptionally clean and well-kept. I had Starlink connectivity at my site and my WeBoost cell signal booster gave me up to three bars on AT&T. The campground host was incredibly nice, welcoming, and helpful. It's a wonderful, relaxing spot, and I will definitely be back!
TravelerFantastic National Park! Elkmont is really nice but lacking in hookups and there are no showers. Hard to stay too long without power, water, sewer and showers. Still, an amazing site along the river!
GuideThis is one of several USFS campgrounds that are within a few miles of each other. The cost is only $8/night, first come first served. The sites are fairly large with about half of them on a wide, clear creek. There is no running water, but there are bear proof trash cans and vault toilets that were fairly clean, but didn't smell great.
There is free potable water and an RV dump station about a mile away at the North River Game Checking Station on River Road near the Spivey Cove campground..
The campsite was clean with picnic table, fire ring, and a lantern post. The fire ring was almost full of ashes and it appears that campers have to clean them out themselves.
The Green Cove Angler store is a couple miles away and has ice, firewood and other camper things.
Unfortunately, while we were there, it was bear hunting season and another camper had multiple barking and baying dogs that went on and on for hours.
TravelerThis worked well for us while we were visiting Dollywood in our trailer, but we wouldn't stay here if we had been in a different type of site. Cons: Unless you have a site up against the river or on patriot park, you are packed in VERY TIGHT with other people, sometimes with your sliders only a foot or two away from your neighbor's sliders. We were in a site that was "on patriot park", but the few first sites of that type are really just behind the trolley parking lot and pick up with a path behind you (including ours). People are on the other side of the fence walking about two feet behind you all day and pretty late in to the night. Pros: There are lot of trees and campground is very pretty. Super close to Dollywood and other Pigeon Forge points of interest.
ScoutBeautiful Campground, but Absolutely NOT Family-Friendly! I rarely leave negative reviews this strongly, but our experience at Turkey Creek Campground was so disappointing that I feel compelled to warn other families. First, I’ll give credit where it’s due. The campground is beautifully maintained, and the creekside sites are incredibly peaceful and serene. It’s a lovely setting, and during the day, the owner is friendly enough and seemingly hospitable. Unfortunately, the hospitality comes to a screeching halt the moment the clock strikes 10 PM.
We were two families camping together with six well-behaved kids who absolutely love the outdoors. We understand and respect campground quiet hours. We weren’t looking to throw parties, blast music, or disturb anyone. But apparently, at Turkey Creek,“quiet hours” doesn’t mean keeping noise to a respectful minimum. It means absolute silence, complete darkness, and seemingly no normal human activity whatsoever.
I’m not exaggerating.
* We were told to turn off ALL our lights at 10 PM.
* We were confronted for opening our vehicle’s trunk because it made a brief beeping sound.
* Our children were startled by a large spider near the bathhouse, and the owner actually yelled at them to be quiet.
* One evening around 11 PM, we were talking quietly INSIDE OUR OWN TENT, barely above a whisper, when the owner approached our tent door to reprimand us for talking.
* On another occasion, he approached us to complain that our children had left TWO STICKS on the ground near the bathrooms. Two sticks! At a campground surrounded by woods, where the kids had just walked down a wooded trail to reach the bathhouse!
And don’t even think about enjoying a little background music while sitting around your campsite. Music of any kind played through a speaker is prohibited, regardless of volume. Apparently, even a little John Denver played quietly while enjoying the mountains is too much to ask. I fully appreciate that some people camp specifically for peace and quiet. We respect that, too. But there is a massive difference between enforcing reasonable quiet hours and making paying guests feel like they’re constantly being watched, monitored, and reprimanded for simply existing. The owner’s enforcement of these rules felt excessive, confrontational, and completely out of proportion to what was actually happening.
Instead of relaxing and enjoying our family vacation, we found ourselves walking on eggshells, worried that the smallest sound, light, or ordinary childhood behavior would result in another confrontation. What makes this particularly frustrating is that our kids were doing exactly what we’d hope children would do on a camping trip: spending time outside, exploring nature, enjoying each other’s company, and making memories away from screens. Yet somehow, even that seemed unwelcome. If we hadn’t already paid for five nights, we would have packed up and left after the very first night. That’s how uncomfortable the experience became.
If you are someone who wants a meticulously maintained campground where everyone retires to complete silence and darkness by 10 PM, Turkey Creek might be perfect for you. But if you’re a family hoping to enjoy a campfire, share some laughs, quietly socialize in the evening, and let your children experience the simple joys of camping, I cannot recommend this place strongly enough AGAINST it.
There are so many beautiful campgrounds in this area, and I cannot imagine choosing to return somewhere that made our families feel so unwelcome. Beautiful property. Extremely disappointing hospitality. Absolutely terrible experience for families. We will never return.
ScoutCalled the day of to ask if we could camp and set up after hours for that day and the next the lady told me yes i could pay in the morning i got here set up that night woke up around 8 am to go pay and reserve my campsite for the day and she told me they were booked even though she had told me the day before she had plenty of campsites. Then tried to tell me the only one she had was a $75 site for 4 people which is absolutely insane. She made snarky remarks and was overall incompetent in making sure the guests receive the right information the first time. Absolutely zero care that we set up not even 12 hours before to make us take it down and leave.
Tent campsites near Greenback, Tennessee typically receive 50-55 inches of annual rainfall with moderate humidity during summer months. The region sits at elevations ranging from 850 to 1,200 feet above sea level, creating a mixed hardwood forest environment dominated by oak, maple and hickory trees. Forest roads accessing many primitive campsites become difficult to navigate after heavy rainfall, particularly during spring storm season.
Creek fishing opportunities: Double Camp/Citico Creek offers cold-water fishing access with regular trout stocking. "TWRA stocks plenty of trout Feb-early Sept. I have met some of the nicest folks here too. Leave your phone at home, you won't have a signal, broadcast radio barely makes it in," notes reviewer Todd R.
Waterfall hiking: Bald River Falls Primitive #1 provides direct access to one of the region's most photogenic waterfalls. "Nice flat area above the Falls - just past the natural stopping point for tourists. May have day hikers hiking past your setup if you choose to leave it and go hike," explains Megan T.
Motorcycle routes: The area serves as an ideal base camp for motorcycle enthusiasts exploring scenic mountain roads. "I found this awesome campground close to the beginning of the Cherohala skyway in Tellico Plains," writes Bob P. about Smitty's Lodge Motorcycle Campground.
Digital disconnection: Many campsites in the area have minimal or no cellular coverage, creating opportunities for genuine unplugged experiences. A camper at Citico Creek observes, "Clear, clean water abounds here... Leave your phone at home, you won't have a signal, broadcast radio barely makes it in."
Lake access: Poland Creek offers waterfront camping with boat launch facilities. "Poland creek is a quaint little spot with a tremendous friendly staff and laid back campers. This spot is kid and tent friendly with a boat ramp and beautiful small lake with lots of fishing opportunities," reports Corey T.
Level camping platforms: Several sites provide constructed platforms specifically designed for tent camping. "Camp Birdsong is here to provide an excellent spot to setup your tent, with a platform for a level setup, and a mini kitchen so that you can prepare some great meals while listening to the morning birds sing," notes Jake C.
Seasonal closure information: Most developed campgrounds in the Cherokee National Forest operate seasonally, typically closing from late October through April. Winter camping requires contacting forest management for special arrangements.
Bear safety requirements: All food must be stored in approved containers or hung properly throughout the region. At Mollies Ridge Shelter, a reviewer advises: "Don't mind the mice crawling over you as you sleep – they're just looking for some food. This is a good reason to hang your food bag from the bear hangers."
Hunting season awareness: During fall hunting seasons, campgrounds experience increased traffic and noise. One camper at Tellico River Area cautions: "Beware of bear hunting season - hunters driving by with baying hounds at all hours of the night. Didn't help that we got the spot right by the road."
Limited facilities: Most primitive sites lack running water and have minimal amenities. "All camping in Citico Creek area is primitive but absolutely gorgeous. Plenty of trails, swimming and fishing!!" writes Leanne P.
Safety precautions: When camping with children near water features, maintain constant supervision as creek levels can rise quickly after rainfall. "This little site was a great get away. We chose a spot next to the creek. Was clear and flowing due to a lot of rain the few days before we arrived."
Recreational amenities: Young Branch Horse Camp offers more developed facilities while maintaining a rustic feel. "Located in between campsites 7&8, Young Branch is the more 'civilized' part of Citico Creek. There is a toilet, but no hookups. About 6 different sites within the campground," notes Zane P.
Educational opportunities: Many campgrounds provide junior ranger programs during summer months. "Family oriented, clear & cold waters, beautiful views, peaceful thoughts, and convenient campsites. Great to visit with your friends and family," writes Tonya R. about Citico Creek campsites.
Size limitations: Most forest roads have tight turning radii and low-hanging branches, making access difficult for RVs longer than 24 feet. Simple Life Mountain Retreat notes: "This well maintained campground is on a steep incline with leveled out parking spaces."
Terrain challenges: Many campgrounds feature significant elevation changes. "It's a small place with limited space, but everyone has enough room. I'd call ahead at least a few days. They seem to stay busy," advises Tim M.
Seasonal booking recommendations: Reserve RV sites 3-6 months in advance for summer weekends as limited availability exists for larger rigs in the region. "I came here for a car meet weekend and was incredibly happy with my stay. The owner has wonderfully dry sense of humor and he's just about the sweetest person I've ever met."
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular tent campsite near Greenback, TN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Greenback, TN is Poland Creek with a 4.2-star rating from 5 reviews.
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