Best Tent Camping near La Vergne, TN

Tent campers can choose from several campgrounds within a short drive of La Vergne, Tennessee. Long Hunter State Park Campground offers primitive tent sites along Percy Priest Lake, with both drive-in and walk-in options. Bells Bend Park provides year-round primitive tent camping with 10 total sites that require hikers to pack in their gear. Other options include Smith Springs in Antioch and Cook - J. Percy Priest Reservoir, both offering tent-specific camping areas within 20 miles of La Vergne.

Most tent campgrounds in the area require campers to be self-sufficient with limited amenities. Long Hunter State Park's primitive sites feature fire rings and tent pads, but campers must pack in their own water or filter from the lake. At Bells Bend Park, firewood is provided, but all sites require walking in, with no drive-up access available. A review on The Dyrt noted, "Pack it in, pack it out. Firewood provided. Call the outdoor center for availability." Portable toilets are typically available in parking areas, with some parks offering access to flush toilets at nearby facilities. Many sites operate on a reservation system, particularly during peak summer months.

The tent camping experience near La Vergne offers opportunities for wildlife viewing and water activities. Areas around Percy Priest Lake provide waterfront tent sites with swimming and fishing access. One camper described Long Hunter State Park as having "beautiful campsite right on the water," though they warned to "bring DEET" due to ticks, especially around fire pits. Tent sites at Bells Bend Park offer more seclusion with "beautiful views of the park" according to reviews. The primitive backcountry tent sites typically provide more isolation from crowds and noise than developed campgrounds, making them popular with hikers seeking a more authentic outdoor experience. Most tent-only areas feature natural surroundings with moderate tree cover for shade during summer months.

Best Tent Sites Near La Vergne, Tennessee (20)

    1. Long Hunter State Park Campground

    8 Reviews
    J Percy Priest Lake, TN
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (615) 885-2422

    "Primitive campsite 1 has 3 long log benches and a grill. It is located directly by the water, so you have a water filtration source at your finger tips."

    "Long Hunter State Park Primitive Campsites are my kinda camping."

    2. Smith Springs

    2 Reviews
    La Vergne, TN
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (615) 889-1975

    $45 / night

    3. Cook - J. Percy Priest Reservoir

    3 Reviews
    J Percy Priest Lake, TN
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (615) 889-1975

    "Easy to get to, ample room between campers, close to local shopping."

    4. Stones River Getaway

    1 Review
    Murfreesboro, TN
    9 miles
    +1 (312) 925-2385

    $112 - $160 / night

    5. Laguardo

    2 Reviews
    Mount Juliet, TN
    20 miles
    Website
    +1 (615) 449-6544

    $85 - $120 / night

    6. Bells Bend Park

    3 Reviews
    Pegram, TN
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (615) 862-4187

    $10 - $11 / night

    "No drive up. Pack it in, pack it out. Firewood provided. Call the outdoor center for availability. Campground is open year round."

    "Bells Bend Park is close to the city but nature all around. Farmland with spots of woodland. 

    Primitive camping , in the trees on a hill. Group only. There are some tables and some fire rings."

    7. Old Hickory Beach

    1 Review
    Hendersonville, TN
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (615) 847-8091

    $75 / night

    "Old Hickory Beach Day Use Area is not what I would consider a hidden gem..that being said if you like swimming in lake water this is a nice enough area."

    8. Lone Branch

    1 Review
    Mount Juliet, TN
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (615) 822-4846

    $50 / night

    9. Whooping Crane Farm

    2 Reviews
    Ashland City, TN
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (888) 798-9093

    $100 / night

    "Whooping Crane Farm is located In such a great spot, just outside Nashville, it is easy to get to, but convenient to everything. The camp spot is fantastic!"

    "The property is 12 minutes from downtown Nashville, making it a perfect Glamping location. Being close to great restaurants is definitely a plus."

    10. Turnhole Backcountry Campsite — Mammoth Cave National Park

    2 Reviews
    Mammoth Cave National Park, KY
    25 miles
    Website
    +1 (270) 758-2180

    "Another backside primitive campsite at Mammoth Cave National Forest, Ky.

    A lot of people don’t realize the extensive trail system of Mammoth Cave."

    "Despite this campsite being surrounded by the Green River on 3 sides, water is hard to come by here, and hiking it in may be your best bet."

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Tent Camping Reviews near La Vergne, TN

719 Reviews of 20 La Vergne Campgrounds


  • Greg S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 2, 2025

    Anderson Road Campground

    4.5 stars

    Stopped for one afternoon and night on our way through. Driving in through da hood you get a questionable feeling but, once through the gate and checked in this is a fantastic little campground! We picked an awesome site- number 8 is a huge pull through with water and electric, a grill, prep table, picnic table, and fire ring with grill. The site has its own path and private lake access. The lake is rocky here but we had no trouble walking in and swimming with our Crocs on. All sites in this small loop campground are great and very large. There is some erosion and there was some trash near the lake that we gladly cleaned up. Overall a fantastic place to camp.

  • Myron C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 25, 2019

    Edgar Evins State Park Campground

    A Campground with Lots to Do but with Interesting Tent Pads

    Edgar Evins State Park is a large park with lots of activities for young and old. However, if you want to stay in the campground, make sure to take a freestanding tent unless you have creative ways to keep your tent up. Most of the sites have wooden platforms, and the fire pits are beside the road. Perhaps most people like that sense of permanence, but I personally prefer solid ground or even gravel pads. Fortunately, the one I used was a free-standing tent. There is another option, and that is to stay in the primitive camping area. Of course, they are walk-in sites, but they are not far from where you park. I would normally choose the primitive camping area for a couple of reasons. There is a little more privacy, and you have soft ground on which to pitch your tent. Obviously, if you are an RV camper, staying in the primitive area does not apply. Unfortunately, it was better this time to choose a site that you don’t have to walk to. Out of all the state park campgrounds I have visited, the bath rooms in this state park are the best. They are modern with tiled floors, and the showers resemble ones you would find at privately owned campgrounds. There are several different activity options—volleyball, horseshoes, playgrounds, hiking trails, etc. There is also an aviary, a marina, a restaurant, and a couple of boat ramps. For the children, there is the“Storybook Trail.” For other overnight options, there are also cabins that you can rent. In retrospect, the primitive area would have been a better choice. It definitely would have been more quiet. No matter whether you stay in the primitive area or the regular camping area, you will encounter hilly terrain. The camp store is fully stocked with most of your camping needs, and there is also a laundry. Overall, Edgar Evins State Park was a good place to spend time, but again, I have my doubts about the wooden platforms.

  • Shelly S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 24, 2019

    Edgar Evins State Park Campground

    Sorta like a treehouse

    Edgar Evins SP is unique in that the campground sites are decks, which is actually pretty cool. Now the one down side is that certain sites can be a challenge to back into. If you are a talented backer upper shouldn’t be an issue. However if your backing up could use some practice, and/or causes fights with your spouse you may want to call and ask the easier sites to set up in...just saying, less stress. The bottom sites are along the lake and you are across from the marina. Another thing is your cooking area is off the side of your deck with your picnic table. The primitive sites are walk in and have some pretty sweet views of the lake. Downside your walking up and down a slope with your gear. Speaking of slopes, the whole campground is on a slope so your pretty much either going up or down. Cool stairways to use and strategically placed facilities. The store and trash are located wheee you park for the primitive sites at the entrance. There’s a trail in the campground that gives you a quick route to the beach area.

  • D
    Oct. 18, 2022

    Lock A

    Great place to camp for $

    While the facilities are limited, we enjoyed being here. We were in site 25 with the river right behind us. 50A power and water, dump on the way out. Concrete pad, level, picnic table, fire ring and a trash can at every site. The road in is small and winding, nighttime driving is difficult. Senior pass got us in for just $12 a night. Boat ramp close by. Would certainly stay here again.

  • CC C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 8, 2021

    Nashville I-24 Campground

    Lovely stay

    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.

  • Benjamin C.
    Oct. 10, 2021

    Cedar Point Campground

    Group Tent Camp!

    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.

  • Dan R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 7, 2020

    Poole Knobs

    Great place for Labor Day weekend

    Spent two nights here for Labor Day 2020. We stayed on the center strip in the primitive area. The facilities were well maintained and clean. Each site has a concrete picnic table, fire ring, and a moveable lantern hook. The primitive area has several water spigots to use (near each restroom and a few in between).

    The outer loop sites all have electric and water hookups, but the restrooms are all on the upper level where the primitive sites are. If you don’t have your own bathroom, it’s a bit of a hill to climb and there’s only a couple spots to do it.

    Overall, we loved it and we’ll be back for sure.

  • Shelly S.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 28, 2020

    Turnhole Backcountry Campsite — Mammoth Cave National Park

    Easy or Hard

    Another backside primitive campsite at Mammoth Cave National Forest, Ky.

    A lot of people don’t realize the extensive trail system of Mammoth Cave. They come for the Cave and never take the time to enjoy the natural beauty of the area.

    Before using this campsite you are supposed to check in at the visitors center. Unfortunately the ferry is closed so it’s a long drive around to the backside.

    Turnhole Campsite is a short or long hike from the Maple Springs parking area. Sal Hollow Trail would be the long trail, twisty , turny and moderately challenging. Buffalo Trail is a straight hike in , take a left at the intersection and straight on to the campsite. Difference of about 3 miles-ish.

    The trails are used by hikers and horseback riders, are well marked and lotsa fauna to see. No major vistas here, just woods.

    The campsite has poles to tie your horses, a fire ring, tent pad and lantern hooks. Pretty easy to find seasoned wood to burn. DARK at night, lots of animal noises ;) not much of a night sky except in the winter months.

    The cool thing about this campsite is your sorta on a peninsula of the river. Very private and it’s not on a loop trail so no foot traffic passing by.

  • Grant B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 2, 2021

    Ragland Bottom

    Beautiful Scenery and Friendly Staff

    We really enjoyed our text stay at Ragland Bottom campground. Even with it being a holiday weekend, the bathrooms were incredibly clean and the site did not feel crowded. We stayed at tent only site 22 and it had power and water. The gravel was on the coarser side and the pad was a bit rocky, but I was able to stale our tent out with a 2lb mini sledge. I did not like that the fire rings were located outside the tent pads, but they did have rock surrounds and a grill. The site also had a charcoal grill and wood railing along one side which came in handy for hanging towels and such to dry. Plenty of shade and the views were very nice.


Guide to La Vergne

Tent camping near La Vergne, Tennessee offers access to both Percy Priest Lake and the Cumberland River watershed within a 20-mile radius. The region's moderate climate allows for year-round camping with summer highs averaging in the 90s and winter lows rarely falling below 30°F. Most primitive campsites in this area sit at elevations between 400-600 feet above sea level, creating moderate hiking conditions for backpackers.

What to do

Fishing at dawn: Turnhole Backcountry Campsite provides access to water for fishing enthusiasts. "The Green River Ferry seems to be non-operational a lot. Call the hotline the day of your drive in to see which route you should take: 270-758-2166," advises camper Mandy C.

Wildlife observation: Lone Branch offers abundant wildlife viewing opportunities within the campground itself. According to one camper, "One great thing about this campground is that there is wildlife everywhere. We saw so many Whitetail Deer, it was amazing. They would just come into the campground, feed and walk around."

Kayaking: Laguardo provides water access for paddle sports. "I've only been here kayaking but it's nice and clean," notes reviewer Tya T. The site offers boat-in camping options for those exploring the waterways by kayak.

Farm exploration: Whooping Crane Farm combines tent camping with farm experiences just outside Nashville. "The property is 12 minutes from downtown Nashville, making it a perfect Glamping location. Being close to great restaurants is definitely a plus," writes Nate H., highlighting its convenient location.

What campers like

Waterfront proximity: Smith Springs provides direct lake access that campers appreciate. As reviewer DrDavid P. notes, "The water area here is slightly different than some of the other areas I visited on the lake. Looks like it'd be great for just jumping in and lots of shallows for kids."

Privacy: Turnhole Backcountry Campsite offers a secluded setting that many tent campers seek. "This is a nice, secluded spot. You are on the end of a ridge. Clear nights with a bright moon were magical here," writes Mandy C., highlighting the private location.

Family-friendly activities: Long Hunter State Park Campground combines water access with hiking trails. One camper shared, "My fave thing here was the trails. There are some really great wooded trails you can take. I saw so many deer and turkeys I finally quit taking pics of them."

Beginner-friendly backpacking: Long Hunter State Park provides an entry point for new backpackers. Reviewer Shelly S. explains this is "excellent practice run on your primitive skills. Pack distribution and what you need, no major climbs. This is a good trail to try out your skills before attempting a more challenging trip."

What you should know

Water access challenges: At some sites, river access can be difficult despite proximity. At Turnhole, "water is hard to come by here, and hiking it in may be your best bet. The river is at least 1/2 mile away, through extremely dense brush, and the banks are not easy to access."

Reservation requirements: Bells Bend Park requires advance planning. "10 total sites. No drive up. Pack it in, pack it out. Firewood provided. Call the outdoor center for availability. Campground is open year round," explains Krista A.

Weather preparedness: Tent camping La Vergne requires preparation for occasional heavy rain. At Whooping Crane Farm, one camper noted, "We had some heavy rains overnight, and did have some dripping water from the center seam of the tent and had to scoot the bed over."

Trail conditions: Some trails may be less maintained than others. On the Sal Hollow Trail near Mammoth Cave, "a lot of the trail seems pretty unused/not kept up," according to one reviewer, suggesting hikers should prepare for potentially challenging conditions.

Tips for camping with families

Kid-friendly swimming: Smith Springs offers good options for children. One reviewer notes the area has "lots of shallows for kids," making it safer for younger swimmers compared to other lake access points.

Wildlife education: Lone Branch provides natural learning opportunities. "We saw so many Whitetail Deer, it was amazing. They would just come into the campground, feed and walk around. They didn't see too worried or scared of us or others around," making it ideal for wildlife observation with children.

Shorter hiking options: Cook - J. Percy Priest Reservoir offers alternatives to longer backpacking trips. The area provides camping options with "ample room between campers, close to local shopping," which can be important for families needing supplies.

Island camping adventures: At J. Percy Priest Lake, families can try boat-in camping for a special experience. One camper shared they "Boated in and camped on an island," though they caution about potential noise from other campers.

Tips from RVers

Limited hookup options: Most tent camping areas near La Vergne have few or no RV hookups. While Old Hickory Beach has some electric hookups, most primitive camping areas like Bells Bend Park explicitly note "No drive up" access.

Access road considerations: The industrial areas around some campgrounds can surprise first-time visitors. At Old Hickory Beach, one camper noted it was "Sorta out of the way and past an industrial area, not exactly picturesque, but gets the job done."

Day use facilities: RVers camping elsewhere can utilize the day-use areas for recreation. A reviewer mentioned Old Hickory Beach Day Use Area has a "Boat ramp, fishing, picnic and beach areas," with a "$5 for beach access" fee.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near La Vergne, TN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near La Vergne, TN is Long Hunter State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 8 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near La Vergne, TN?

TheDyrt.com has all 20 tent camping locations near La Vergne, TN, with real photos and reviews from campers.