Whether you're a tent camper, an RVer, or just passing through, Kingston, TN has a lot to offer. Discover secluded campsites where you can reconnect with nature. Or maybe you like to bring your family and friends along. Either way, there are Kingston campgrounds just for you. Ready to plan your adventure? Check out our campgrounds near Kingston and user-submitted reviews.
Over 2 million visitors annually come to enjoy the scenic beauty of Cades Cove and its many historic structures. Popular activities here include hiking, biking, touring the 11-mile Cades Cove loop road and observing wildlife. Whether blanketed in bright wildflowers in the spring or vivid colors in the fall, the scenery at Cades Cove never disappoints.
The Great Smoky Mountains are a hikers paradise and visitors to Cades Cove Campground love the 5-mile roundtrip hike to Abram Falls. From Cades Cove Loop Road, follow the signage at the turnoff for directions to the trailhead. Although Abrams Falls is only 20 feet high, the large volume of water rushing over falls more than makes up for its lack of height. The long, deep pool at its base is very picturesque. The trail to the falls traverses pine-oak forest on the ridges and hemlock and rhododendron forest along the creek. The waterfall and creek are named for Cherokee Chief Abram or Abraham whose village once stood several miles downstream. A nearby horse stable provides one-hour horseback rides as well as hay rides and carriage rides from March through October, offering recreational activities for the entire family. Campers can also enjoy high-quality backcountry fishing in the cool waters of the countless streams and rivers that snake through the mountains, with trout available in abundance.
The Great Smoky Mountains are a hikers paradise and visitors to Cades Cove Campground love the 5-mile roundtrip hike to Abram Falls. From Cades Cove Loop Road, follow the signage at the turnoff for directions to the trailhead. Although Abrams Falls is only 20 feet high, the large volume of water rushing over falls more than makes up for its lack of height. The long, deep pool at its base is very picturesque. The trail to the falls traverses pine-oak forest on the ridges and hemlock and rhododendron forest along the creek. The waterfall and creek are named for Cherokee Chief Abram or Abraham whose village once stood several miles downstream. A nearby horse stable provides one-hour horseback rides as well as hay rides and carriage rides from March through October, offering recreational activities for the entire family. Campers can also enjoy high-quality backcountry fishing in the cool waters of the countless streams and rivers that snake through the mountains, with trout available in abundance.
Cades Cove is a broad, verdant valley surrounded by mountains and is one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smokies. It offers some of the best opportunities for wildlife viewing in the park. Large numbers of white-tailed deer are frequently seen, and sightings of black bear, coyote, ground hog, turkey, raccoon, skunk, and other animals are also possible. For hundreds of years Cherokee Indians hunted in Cades Cove but archeologists have found no evidence of major settlements. The first Europeans settled in the cove sometime between 1818 and 1821. By 1830 the population of the area had already swelled to 271.
This location has limited staffing. Please call (865) 448-4103 for general information.
The park holds one of the best collections of log buildings in the eastern United States. Over 90 historic structures, including houses, barns, outbuildings, churches, schools and grist mills, have been preserved or rehabilitated in the park, a few of which are easily accessible from the Cades Cove loop road. Townsend, located about nine miles away, offers full service grocery stores and fuel.
_________ If you plan to arrive at a date later than your arrival date you MUST contact the campground office 865-448-4103 in order to avoid a cancellation to your reservation. If you wish to cancel your reservation the day of your arrival you MUST contact the campground office 865-448-4103 in order to receive a refund. ___ Rules and reservation policies can be found at https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies __
$30 / night
$18 - $300 / night
Indian Boundary Recreation Area is the crown jewel of the South Zone of the Cherokee National Forest on the Tellico Ranger District. This family-oriented campground offers a swim beach and picnic area with grills and an accessible picnic pavilion, as well as a fantastic, 3.2-mile hiking and biking trail around the lake. Spectacular mountain views, glimpses of wildlife, and a peaceful setting await visitors who come to Indian Boundary.
Opportunities abound for fishing, swimming, boating, wildlife viewing and scenic driving. Other popular activities include hiking and biking the trail around Indian Boundary Lake. The recreation area contains a swim beach, boat ramp, fishing pier, picnic area and volleyball court.
Opportunities abound for fishing, swimming, boating, wildlife viewing and scenic driving. Other popular activities include hiking and biking the trail around Indian Boundary Lake. The recreation area contains a swim beach, boat ramp, fishing pier, picnic area and volleyball court.
Indian Boundary Lake covers 96 acres at an elevation of 1,560 feet, and sits among hardwoods and pines. At the lake, visitors enjoy watching beaver that inhabit an adjacent pond, identifying several species of ducks and other waterfowl and trying their luck at catching bass, sunfish and catfish. The Cherokee National Forest is located in eastern Tennessee and stretches from Chattanooga to Bristol along the North Carolina border. The 650,000-acre swath of land is Tennessee's only national forest. It lies in the heart of the Southern Appalachians and is home to more than 20,000 species of plants and animals, as well as many rivers, creeks and lakes. Elevations range from 750 to 5,500 feet.
The campground is two miles off the Cherohala Skyway, a 43-mile National Scenic Byway that stretches from Tellico Plains, Tennessee, to Robbinsville, North Carolina. Bald River Falls on Tellico River Road 210 is a popular destination. The Pheasant Fields Fish Hatchery also on Tellico River is operated by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency and is the rearing pools for the fish stocking program on Tellico River, Citico Creek, and the Green Cove Pond.
$20 / night
If you're looking for peace and quiet, then this is the place to be. Had numerous sightings of wildlife even in the campground. Note... Do not forget to remove the drip pan on the Blackstone!!!! Doing so just erritates the bears.
I prefer playing cricket for physical exercise rather than virtual games like Nulls Brawl. It's a great way to stay active and enjoy the outdoors, especially in beautiful locations like The Crosseyed Cricket Campground in Tennessee.
I highly DO NOT RECOMMEND this place. They completely do not respect their guests. I booked a half a year in advance and asked the question if they have a separate bed for each and they assured me they do. Unfortunately, my child ended up sleeping on the table. I tried to ask for an additional mattress or a partial/full refund but they didn’t want to hear me. They offered me to go to the store and buy one for myself. A complete disrespect I drove for six hours to be as disappointed as I had never been in life. Please, beware that coming here you’re going to sleep either on the floor or on the table and the staff doesn’t care about you or do not respect you. People, please do not come here.
Nulls Brawl likely offers a way to share game progress or resources with others. You could generate links or codes to give them access, allowing you to play or team up with friends more easily. https://nullsbrawlapk.de/
Nice place good quiet. Just would be better if they had water at each site. And a duping station too
Family oriented, clear & cold waters, beautiful views, peaceful thoughts, and convenient campsites. Great to visit with your friends and family.
The name has changed to Smitty's Lodge & CG. I found this awesome campground close to the beginning of the Cherohala skyway in Tellico Plains. Includes picnic table, fire pit and some chairs (they also sell firewood), clean restrooms and showers, use of refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and super nice hosts. I highly recommend visiting this campground. I stayed in a tent, but they do have cabins for rent also. Campsites are level and spacious.
This place may be seasonal and have limited hours but oh what a treat it is to make this part of your boating experience on Watts Bar Lake. They feature Monkey Towns local brews out of Dayton,TN. The view is worth the climb up the stairs from the lake to the dining area.
I was overly impressed with this camp site! We have a large 8 person tent and need water & electricity so we rent out RV spots instead of the typical tent spots. We were at spot 116, which was on a hill but wasn’t bad enough to bother us sleeping in the tent. We slept in gravel as well since if we went on the grass we’d be on the side of a hill. We had our two dogs with us as well which our spot allowed us plenty of privacy. Bathrooms and showers were amazing for a campsite, picture gym bathrooms and that’s what it is like. Hot shower was amazing in the morning. Everyone was so friendly and had haunted houses set up for the trick or treaters. They also had a bunch of activities, parks, and a restaurant inside the camp site. Will DEFINITELY be back!
We came with friends for Fall Break and shared a buddy site, it was wonderful! Fun activities (we did BINGO & Trivia), hiking, a very nice pool & hot tub with splash pad and walk-in pool entry. The shower houses & restrooms were immaculate! So clean! We were sad to see they were already booked for next fall break - if you’re considering, book well in advance!
We came in late one night the staff is super friendly. Clean bath house too
Easy fishing access. Relatively clean sites. Mostly quiet. No shower house. Mostly boondocks
This is a very clean, gated campground located right on the lake with available boat slips to rent during your stay. This is a very open campground with very few trees. The sites are concrete and gravel.
Great place. Dogs loved it also
Overall: Very quiet wooded campground on Chilhowee Mountain Getting there: Off TN SR 64 East of Cleveland& Ocoee. Very nice lakeside drive along Lake Ocoee. There can be a lot of traffic. Turn on marked road just past Ranger Station turnoff and take Oswald Road 7 miles up a winding mountain road, narrow in spots with multiple scenic overlook views of the Blue Ridge mountains and Lake Ocoee. There is also a marked "Historic Site" that is worth a stop. See pics. Advise not to take back road from/to Benton. There is a sign on the entry to the drive in that says“full up” on electric campsites, but not so. Mostly empty mid week. Most sites are reserved for weekends. If you do not have a reservation and are going up without one this can be totally misleading.
Check in and staff: There is no check in gate. Campground Hosts are present and did make the rounds checking on us in the late afternoon. Very pleasant. Reservations for sites are made on-line, so you follow the signs to your reserved site.
Amenities: Electric is available at some sites, but not others. There is no water available at any of the sites. Some of the loops have a water source nearby with instructions to bring water to your campsite, do your dishes there, strain out any food particles for the trash and dump the grey water at the campsite. Since bears are present and attracted to scents this seemed an odd instruction to us. There are no dishwashing sinks available in the restrooms, and this is discouraged.
There is a very nice small lake with a beach, many hiking trails including one to Benton Falls. The hiking trail around the lake is very nice, level and shaded most of the way.
Bathrooms: The bathroom in loop B was not very clean. See pics. The hot water was hot, but very difficult to use. The shower had a little button to push after turning it to the left for hot water. This stayed on for exactly 4 seconds per push. So in order to get a decent shower you have to hold it in.
Site: Campsites are large, wooded and relatively private. Nice flat gravel covered parking/landing areas with excellent fire pits. See pics. Firewood is available with the Host. We were there mid week and it was very quiet. There was only one other camper in Loop B at the time.
Visited in 2020 and the property was extremely rough. Came back in 2021 after hearing about new ownership...TONS of upgrades have been completed in a short amount of time. Group Chalet & Motel upgraded and remodeled. New bathhouse, docks, new marina store/gas pumps/restaurant with an extensive list of craft beers on tap and hand-dipped ice cream. Great food as well. Cornhole boards on the dock outside of the restaurant area, trivia nights on Thursdays. Campground is being upgraded in stages but is clean and family-friendly. The marina also has a number of rental pontoons available. We have come back every summer and had a great experience.
Cades Cove:
(Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good
(70 yr olds in 17’ trailer)
Overall Rating: 3
Price 2023: $15 w America The Beautiful
Usage during visit: Packed.
Site Privacy: Tightly packed.
Site Spacing: Most sites are close
Site surface: Blacktop
Reservations: Yes
Campground Noise: Low
Road Noise: None. Not near main road
Electric Hookup: No
Sewer Hookup: No
Dump Station: Yes
Potable Water Available: At toilet facilities.
Generators: Allowed
Bathroom: Yes. Flush toilets
Showers: No
Pull Throughs: some
Cell Service (AT&T):
Setting: Open with some woods. Not pretty in my opinion. Nearby driving loop w trails is well worth the stay over.
Weather: 70s and low 80s
Bugs: Not bad
Solar: There are enough trees to interfere w fixed roof panels.
Host: Around. They do no regulate offenses as tightly as I’d expected.
Sites: B+ (door side more private w thick shrubbery & pretty private back: 68, 80, 83, 43, 45,46 47,48,50 , 16. 4, 5, 21
B- (door points to corner but shrubbery is open, and private in back) 70 , 18, 42,1. - still better than most sites .
C. Back of site a bit more private: 72,81, 84, 85, 44, 60,62,
Most others are at least semi private to rear only
Stayed for the weekend on our way to camp in Gatlinburg. Very nice campground! The lawn was cut and well kept and the staff was very friendly and courteous! Camp store had lots of cool stuff and awesome hand scooped ice cream… Pizza and wings are also available. You can text an order in and have it charged to your site and delivered. Wi-Fi and cell service were great! We’ll be making this a regular stop in both directions! A+++
Friendly staff, lots of stuff for kids to do. Excellent organized social gatherings. Camping store has lots of supplies if needed.
This place is awesome place for family fun!! Lots of stuff for kids to do, and fun organized social gatherings! Staff super helpful and friendly.
A Beautiful campsite, a ton of activies for the grandkids, lots of amenities, & I could go on and on. The staff were super to deal with. We had a gravel back in site, it did have a little slope front to back but was zero issue getting level. We had a great view of one of the ponds, and nice lawn on each side and behind us. There was a nice modern picnic table and a heavy duty fire ring, both of which we put to good use. This is the first time Ive ever been to a Koa, this one certainly set the bar pretty high. Loved our visit here, we were here for 3 nights.
Ps, they had a great store that served 8 flavors of hard ice cream!!
Quiet, easy back in, water and electric hook up. TMobile cell service was very spotty. Short walk to Lake with view of lake from campsite.
We have a 40ft 5th wheel and had a spot right by the water and wonderful view, we were able to go tubing and kayaking right by our camper and go hiking in the park not far from the campground (spruce falls is a must if you want to see a waterfall, its about 2 miles long roundtrip) although bears have been seen along the trails, you just have to be cautious. The campground has many trees so it doesn't feel like your in a trailer park and the people that work there are so friendly. I would definitely come back to this campground again.
We have camped here several times with many more visits to come.
The staff are super friendly at the camp store. They helped us stay up to date on the forecast since we were staying in a tent with two young children. Beautiful 3 mile loop around the lake is a great little hike/walk. Our 3y/o walked the whole thing. The campsites are level, spacious, and well maintained. Bathrooms and dumpsters are close to all the sites. The beach area is great with a beautiful Mountain View. Cannot stress how worth it staying here was.
Cades coves was a good campground for our first visit to the smoky mountains. The sites were pretty close to each other but the store was convenient and awesome proximity when we biked the loop. Far drive from all of the other hikes and adventures we did.
My dog and I enjoyed 4 nights here! The sites are well spaced and the tent pad is nice and even. The bathroom could use an update but I’m happy they were flush toilets because that means no smell! There is no cell service with T-Mobile, so have a good book, downloaded shows, crossword book, or what have you. Cades Cove Loop is very close and I saw turkeys and bears every day on the loop- I heard a turkey in the campground but never saw him; also heard coyotes every night.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Kingston, TN is Frozen Head State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 31 reviews.
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