Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Kingsport, TN

Campground sites are a bit close together but it is well maintained and has friendly staff.  Wifi works well.  Nice dog park.

This campground was pristine - from the moment we turned the corner, until the moment we left!  

We met Kimberly within seconds of pulling on the property.  She was incredibly kind and made us feel at home immediately.  As tent campers, she told us our best choices were a 30 amp site on the river ($50) or a 30-amp site off the river ($44).  These prices are steep for tent camping, but include 2 adults, kids and pets.  Additional adults come with a fee, but we were happy the kids were included.  Not only were the pets included, but they have a dog park area that they can run free and stretch their legs!  

We came into the cute little office where Kimberly gave us a campground map (which was painted by a resident camper glass blower) and told us about her property. Several items were on sale inside the store, including many shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc. They also sell kids fishing poles, stickers and even a fresh coffee cup machine.  They have recently renovated the bathhouse (wait until you see it!) they have a library with books and games, an outdoor sink to wash dishes etc. and even a laundry room that operates on the honor system.  How great is that!  I thought it was wonderful that we could wash a wet sleeping bag or a quick load of stinky hiking clothes if necessary!  Kimberly explained that they have a pretty good mix of short and long term campers (primarily RV's) and even a cute little cabin that can be rented.  

Kimberly said that they choose not to allow on-line bookings to maintain the atmosphere that they desire.  You can call, or submit a request, but they want to have a conversation with you before booking.  The campground was calm, friendly and so so clean.  Campers were friendly, the campground host was as kind as could be, and so proud about her new bathrooms.  (See below).  This is the kind of campground we would feel good about our kids biking around in the evening as they chase fire flies and meet new friends!  

The campground was located on the river, but the slope was challenging from several sites.  With kiddos, I may prefer a site closer to the road because it was nearly a flat walk out to the river.  We will surely be back!

I’m not even sure you can call this a campground! A majority of those staying here were in top of the line campers. It truly felt like a community. There are two bath houses, a dog park, an activity center, and a river flowing behind the sites. It was beautiful and had a cheery atmosphere. They even had WiFi! I was definitely spoiled here.

This was my third visit to the NTSP - I really enjoy the camping, and the pool and Natural Tunnel are great fun.  Each time I've camped in Lover's Leap, and all the sites are well spaced.  Have stayed in #3 and #5, and #12 which is even more private.  The restrooms and showers are always clean, and there is a nice laundry area as well.  This trip we took a car ride to Big Stone Gap, a thriving little town about 30 minutes north of the park - it's a nice quiet but interesting town, with a nice dog park.  Took a car ride to Gate City, south of the park - wouldn't recommend it.  It's a city on it's way down.  The short ride to the Blockhouse in the park is interesting, with nice views of the mountains.  The ride and hike up and down to the tunnel is always fun.  In the summers they light the tunnel one Saturday night each month, so it's worth trying to plan for that.

Mostly level gravel spots. Sites are close together. Block bathhouse that the spiders enjoy. Beautiful river. Lots of open space pets. This is very country setting. Friendly host.

There are 2 main campgrounds here for rvs and tents. Is it a nice safe place for families. Pets welcome. 30 and up a night with a good security faculty.

The views are spectacular, Camping with electric, water and showers was just a bonus to all the beauty around us and pet friendly. Great people all around and we felt so welcomed.

This was a heart site! Very well kept and clean! The owners were very friendly. Has a Dollar general for any last minute needs less than 1 mile away. Pet friendly!

We have been staying at Mtn River for about 3 years now and it’s become ‘home away from home’. You have your choice of river or mountainside sites. We prefer the river sites personally for the views & fishing. 

The campground owners are fantastic people who’ve become friends. They live on site and take great pride in the property. The property is always impeccable. They are always working. Such a gorgeous place!! The pond is in the center of the property- yes you can fish(catch& release). 

Areas setup with hammocks, corn hole, seating, etc. The new playground has been a big hit! Oh, and there’s also a dog park area. 

The bathhouses are super clean and have air conditioning. The laundry room is brand new with great units and also A/C. 

They incorporated additional activities this year over at the pavilion which our family has loved! Bingo, tie-dye t-shirts, food trucks, live music, and more! Our grandson loves to join us. Lots of kids and a great area for them to all play. 

Tubing the river is always a fun treat! You can bring your own tubes or rent from the campground. 

The camp store has expanded and features a mix of items- t-shirts, hats, hoodies, koozies, and more. As well as local jams, rubs, and other treats. They’re in the process of building a new office/camp store so we’re excited to see this complete. 

We have a 40’ fifth wheel. No problems every getting in. They accommodate all size rigs. All sites have a concrete pad, fire pit and very nice large picnic table. Sites are spacious and do not feel cramped like we've experienced at other campgrounds. 

Wi-Fi is generally pretty good. We’ve been able to work remote on some of our trips. We even had phone service our last trip(AT&T)! 

Lots to do in the area! Hiking, Linville Winery(yum!), Linville Caverns, Grandfather Mtn and so many other great places. The office staff can certainly provide plenty of recommendations, too. 

There are 2 grocery stores in town about 15min away. There’s also a local dollar store about 5min away. 

We cannot say enough good things about MRFC. We’ve met some great campers there who we now call friends. We truly love this place and already have bookings for next year!

This beautiful 970 acre Tennessee State Park is located on the shores of the 900 acre Patrick Henry Reservoir on the Holston River in Sullivan County. Hiking, golf, fishing and more makes this a 5 star camping property.

I visited for one chilly night but plan to return again as soon as possible. A true treasure.

Park Office

490 Hemlock Road 

Kingsport, TN 37663 

423-239-8531

Campground

423-239-7141

36.4986, -82.4869

CLOSED Christmas Day

We had a change of plans and made reservations at Warrior Path State Park on a whim - and are VERY glad we did. The campground is basically on top of a ridge surrounded by Fort Patrick Henry Lake which is more like a big river. The ridge sites are positioned to maximize space for RV’s and each site includes water and electric hookups. Carefully choose your site to accommodate your RV/trailer and the tow vehicle as some sites are just big enough for the RV if it’s too long. The area is beautiful and quite close to Kingsport and all the amenities like Food City (several locations), Walmart, Kroger and lots of restaurants. IMPORTANT! When you make reservations you’ll receive a welcome email with driving instructions indicating to NOT follow Google or Apple Maps as you’ll be taken through a resident area that isn’t RV friendly.

We decided to test out our new camper locally so took it about an hour away to Warriors Path. It rained the whole weekend, but we got out and walked the park as much as we could during the breaks. We’re here during the off season, so much of the campground is closed, but walked around to see if there was a better site for us when we come back. Decided most sites are too small for our 36’ camper, but site #61 worked fine so that’s probably what we would book again. If it were warmer and drier, there’d be a lot to do here—hiking trails, golf course, mountain biking (you do have to drive a couple miles to the trail head), frisbee golf, paddle boats, playgrounds, and the lake to swim-boat-or fish. There’s a Walmart super center just about 5 miles away if you need anything and a grocery store even closer. Kingsport is just a few minutes away with lots of restaurants and places to shop. Lots of wildlife. We saw 30 deer and 15 turkeys on our ride to the mtn bike trailhead alone. We will definitely return.

Just FYI, there is no sewer hookup, which isn’t a problem, but just in case you need to prepare. There is a dump station. No WiFi or cable. We played lots of board games since it rained the whole weekend.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog

The sites are small, the gravel is thin, and they are muddy. This campground  is a hodgepodge of half executed thoughts and rework, on a shoestring budget. Wifi is horrible, and cell service is worse. The "lake" is a pond. There is a pig roaming around getting into garbage, and rubbing mud all over your stuff. There is pig crap everywhere. Owner seems not to care, but if your dog leaves a pile, they will threaten to charge you to clean it up... Apparent sewer issues, as the alarms were constantly sounding off during our stay. The cops were there multiple times for domestic violence issues. Dogs bark all night. The owner appeared to be intoxicated most all the time.

Have waited six months into our RV life to start reviews for fair comparisons. Spent 2 nights. Sites were very close together and it was very crowded, but friendly and courteous folks. Hiking very good from the site. Great place for dog walks. Tunnel very cool.

This is an enjoyable State Park with a lot to offer. The rangers and staff may be the nicest we’ve encountered. They have a full docket of activities, ranger-led hikes, games, crafts and wildlife lectures offered throughout the day. In addition to camping they have a full marina with canoe, kayak and paddle board rentals. It houses an acclaimed mountain bike trail area. Nearby you can golf and ride horses. Cell coverage varies from LTE to 5G all over the park.

 The main camping section was laid out long ago, with older style short sites and water/electric only. Many of the sites are narrow and some have challenging access. Be sure to read site descriptions and check the suggested trailer size- they seriously mean the max size!! Each site has a fire ring, and small grate grill and a picnic table. The sites up on the ridge are probably sized only for tents and Class B units; many are sloped. The newly updated section, Moody Bluff, has FHU and a number of pull-through sites. It only has trees around the edge of one side giving it an open field feeling. 

The main campground has its own boat ramp for access to the reservoir. The camp store has a small offering of RV accessories and ice for$2.00. The main campground shower units are individual and separate from the bathrooms. There are ADA shower stalls, bathrooms, and ramps. While the bath house is older and could use fresh paint it was meticulously clean all week. 

We spent a long weekend with several other RV couples. Nearby Bays Mountain Park and Planetarium provides engaging planetarium shows, a herpetarium, wildlife sections with bobcats, foxes, gray wolves, and raptors, as well as hiking trails. Restaurants, grocery stores and big box retail stores are 10 minutes away in Kingsport. 

Our site(62) was narrow and a little short for our 23’ trailer. We had to park the truck sideways at the entrance. Our stairs opened right on the concrete pad for the table and we had very little room for our chairs. Our group host had enough room on their site(58) that they could erect two shelters for our meals. The forest was right up to our sides and we had lovely birdsong to awaken us every morning. I would definitely return, especially if the larger sites were available.

Tent camped for a weekend to hike Devil’s bathtub. Campgrounds were well kept. We had water and electric at our site. Fire ring and table. Level gravel tent pad. Bathhouse very clean. We hiked down to the tunnel. Beautiful. The chair lift was running and the kids loved that. (We rode just for fun) park rangers were friendly. Dogs were welcome leashed.