Best RV Parks & Resorts near Lookout Mountain, TN

Desoto State Park is on top of Lookout Mountain about 8 miles northeast of Fort Payne, In Northeast Alabama. DeSoto Falls - also part of DeSoto State Park - is located about 7 miles north of the park near Mentone, Alabama. The Campground has 94 full-hookup tent and RV sites. Most are Back-In Sites, with a few Pull-Thru. All sites have water, & electric, and sewer. They are about 16 feet by 60 feet deep with 50/30 Amp Service, Cable TV.
There are picnic tables and Grills on each site. There are two large bathroom/shower buildings with coin-operated laundry. There is a Wi-fi hotspots at each bathhouse (wifi does not reach to every campsite) There are also Primitive Camping sites for tents as well as two back country campsites with shelters. Along with camping, Kayaking, fishing, hiking, biking, cycling, rappelling, bouldering and picnicking are popular.

Mountain Glen is a hidden gem! If you are traveling through eastern TN or just looking for a place to park your RV for a few weeks or longer of peaceful quiet then you have to stay here. I've stayed in RV parks across 38 states and never found cleaner bathrooms, friendlier customer service, or faster WiFi (and that's important since I work remotely!) than what Mountain Glen RV Park offers. They've also got great water pressure, easy pull-throughs, after-hour check-in options, and a convenient store in case you forgot some essentials. In addition to the great amenities, you'll be greeted by rolling scenic vistas of beautiful countryside, having fishing opportunities, pavilion or indoor meeting room to hang out with friends, playground for the kids, and pet friendly areas for your dogs to enjoy.

Mountain Glen is definitely a must-stay and the best of the best of all the RV parks and campgrounds I've ever stayed at!

Desoto State Park is one of our favorite Alabama places to visit, located in Northeastern Alabama and the southern end of Lookout Mountain. We try to camp here in the spring and fall each year when available, the closest towns are Fort Payne and Mentone. There are ample shopping areas and restaurants in Fort Payne which is about 10 miles from the campground if you need to make the trip down. The park has so much to offer and the staff there goes the extra effort to ensure your stays are pleasant and enjoyable. The hiking trails are abundant throughout the park, the Scout Trail is our favorite as it winds next to the river banks and over numerous rocks and scenic water features. This trail can be physically challenging and be sure to verify the river levels beforehand.

The campground is well maintained and the sites are level for the most part, our favorite site is 25 but we’ve stayed in several others end enjoyed those as well. The sites in the upper and lower loops are mostly back in sites with a couple of pull through and buddy sites also. The middle section is all pull through sites for the large coaches and 5th wheel RV’s. All sites at Desoto are equipped with water, electric, sewer, cable TV, table, fire ring and grills. The bath houses are some of the cleanest we’ve seen, relatively new with excellent amenities including laundry. There is also WIFI broadcast at each of the bath houses.

There is a great lodge restaurant, cabins old and new, swimming pool, tennis courts, Zip Line and a CCC museum. Put this one on your list as it’s never disappointed our family. The Little River Canyon Preserve is nearby with additional hiking and fantastic Canyon vistas you will have to go see.

Battlefield Campground is an extremely convenient RV park located right of I-75 about 20 minutes south of Chattanooga. It is very easy to get to, but part of that convenience comes with an absence of quiet; the interstate runs directly beside the campground, and is visible from the storage sites across from sites 11-24.

This is an excellent place for long-term campers, and it includes a nice playground, a pool, and a camp store/clubhouse. We could not get close to the pool or playground as they were closed due to COVID-19, which was comforting that they are taking public safety seriously. Sites include 50 and 30 amp full service, and seven tent sites in the middle of the campground that also include electric. There are seven camping cabins spaced throughout the campground that have outside picnic tables and grills, and beds inside as well as electricity.

Most of the sites here are nicely wooded, and as the area is slightly hilly there are elevation changes between several rows of sites which allows for a little more privacy than many RV parks offer. 

Downsides to this park are the highway noise, and the campground roads are paved but in need of maintenance; the road is eroded in a lot of places. 

Upsides are the sites are shady and well landscaped, and there are great amenities for families looking to stay here for extended periods of time, as well as the proximity to Chattanooga, Chickamauga Battlefield, and Ringold/Ft. Oglethorpe.

PROS 

Reserved 148 days prior to arriving 

Valet escort to site after check in 

Quiet except for distant train whistles 

Clean, small toilet/shower facility with climate controlled 

Gravel parking pad surrounded by grass 

Small concrete patio with wooden top picnic table 

Metal fire ring with cooking grate that was clear of ash and debris upon arrival 

Coin operated laundromat in toilet/shower facility. 4 washers and 4 dryers.$2.75 washer;$2 dryer 

Campground sells fire wood and delivers to site.$5 for 5 large pieces 

Campground staff immediately addressed cable connection problem that we identified upon arrival 

Good roadside signage to the park, but deceiving when you turn into a residential neighborhood 

Publix and Super Walmart 5 miles away along with Murphy fuel and Dollar Tree 

Close to Chickamauga Battlefield and Lookout Mountain Battlefield

Great functioning WIFI (This was the best part of this campground!) 

3 bars Verizon 

CONS 

No senior, veteran or Good Sam discount 

Check-in clerk insisted we take pool ID bracelets, review and sign pool rules when we refused to use pool during our 2 night stay and would not permit us to check-in without agreeing to pool rules.  We never used the tiny pool!

Campground is basically a field/parking lot with campsites 15 feet from the next site so no privacy from neighbors. Our campsite fire ring was next to the neighbor's sewer connection. 

Site 212 sold to us as a deluxe site, at $62/night, which we found no evidence of anything deluxe at our site or in the campground

Site 212 pull-thru was not long enough to keep our tow vehicle connected to our 27ft trailer 

Gravel roadways in the campground, which were very dusty 

Site 212 unlevel 

No shade whatsoever for site 212 

Wooden picnic table top warped and not useable 

3 toilets, 3 sinks and 3 showers for women. Only facility in campground! 

Tiny pool 

Pets were not leashed and running throughout campground 

Unsupervised kids throwing rocks at vehicles/campers