Best Tent Camping near Pegram, TN

Tent campgrounds near Pegram, Tennessee include several primitive and established options within a 30-minute drive. Bells Bend Park offers ten primitive tent sites that require campers to pack in their gear, while Long Hunter State Park Campground provides tent-specific sites with varying levels of amenities along the water. Both locations maintain hiking trails connecting to the camping areas, making them popular with outdoor enthusiasts seeking backcountry tent camping experiences close to Nashville.

Sites at these tent camping areas typically include fire rings and primitive facilities. Bells Bend Park provides firewood for campers but requires all visitors to pack out their trash, with only a portable toilet available in the parking area. Long Hunter State Park offers slightly more amenities for tent campers, including drinking water, but still maintains a primitive camping experience. According to one visitor, "Long Hunter State Park Primitive Campsites are my kinda camping. If you enjoy carrying all your essentials on your back and sucking your water through a filtered straw then this is the camping/backpacking park for you." Most sites are reservable, with some parks charging different rates for county residents versus non-residents.

Tree cover varies significantly between tent campgrounds near Pegram. Sites at Bells Bend provide wooded shelter and natural screening between campsites, while locations like Long Hunter place tent campers directly alongside the water with more exposure. Wildlife sightings are common throughout the area's backcountry tent camping locations. A review mentioned that at Long Hunter State Park, "We saw so many Whitetail Deer, it was amazing. They would just come into the campground, feed and walk around." Tent campers should be prepared for ticks and other insects, particularly during summer months. Most tent-only sites require at least a short walk from parking areas, which helps maintain the natural setting but necessitates proper packing and preparation for an authentic tent camping experience.

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Best Tent Sites Near Pegram, Tennessee (15)

    1. Bells Bend Park

    3 Reviews
    Pegram, TN
    8 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."

    2. Whooping Crane Farm

    2 Reviews
    Ashland City, TN
    8 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."

    3. Long Hunter State Park Campground

    8 Reviews
    J Percy Priest Lake, TN
    28 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."

    4. Cook - J. Percy Priest Reservoir

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

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

    5. Smith Springs

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

    $45 / night

    6. Old Hickory Beach

    1 Review
    Hendersonville, TN
    25 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."

    7. Camp Nashville Highland Rim

    1 Review
    Goodlettsville, TN
    29 miles
    Website

    $32 - $45 / night

    "I had a chance to talk with the owner at Camp Nashville and learned that due to city regulations, it can be difficult to find camping this close to the city. "

    8. Resurrection Ridge Retreat

    Be the first to review!
    Dickson, TN
    20 miles
    +1 (615) 479-4091

    $60 - $75 / night

    9. Laguardo

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

    $85 - $120 / night

    10. Stones River Getaway

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

    $112 - $160 / night

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Pegram, TN

18 Photos of 15 Pegram Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Pegram, TN

525 Reviews of 15 Pegram 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.

  • 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.

  • Crystal C.The Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 5, 2018

    Meriwether Lewis Campground

    When you think FREE you probably don't think of sites THIS NICE!

    For My FULL VIDEO Of My Experience At This Campground CLICK HERE

    Following the winding a scenic Natchez Trace you begin to climb higher and higher into the beauty of the mountains. When I was making this trip in late August, I could already see the shifting of the leave in its most early stages and I could only imagine what it would be like only a month later.

    As I entered the park and followed the signs toward the campground I was very eager to see what this FREE site had to offer. I had discovered this site when searching youtube for things to do and someone suggested camping here because of the historic landmark in the park. After further research I discovered it was a pretty decently sized campground with semi primitive camping.

    I arrived at the camping loops and discovered two loops of camping each with differing sizes of spaces, some designed for pull through style RV parking and some for back in car parking. Spaces were large and while there were several people staying here it did not seem overly crowded.

    The first loop was much further from the restroom than the second, which also housed the campground host in his RV just as you entered the loop. He was welcoming with a smile and wave and I just felt like this was going to be a nice place to stay for the night.

    You can stay for up to 14 days at this location and I could easily see this being one of those stops you wouldn’t necessarily want to leave in a hurry because it was so peaceful. There were numerous hiking trails and a well landscaped creek area which made for a great place to come for day use as well.

    My site was pretty typical in that it had a fire ring and picnic table. The ground was semi level and very rough so camping in a tent I was happy to have brought a little padding. The restrooms were very nice and had both flush toilets and drinking water. They were well lit and for a minute when I walked in I wondered how on earth this was a free site because they were so nice.

    All was great until about 8 p.m. when some people pulled in after dark and weren’t quite sure how to set up their tent and were pretty loudly disagreeing with one another in debate of how to do so. But after they finally figured that out about an hour later the night was again left to the sounds of the cicadas and frogs.

    TIPS

    • If you are tent camping bring some kind of cushion on pad for your floor otherwise it will be a rough evening on the ground.
    • Bug spray is a must, the mosquitoes are thick here because of all the moisture of the forest and ticks can also be a problem during certain months.
    • Don’t tell all your friends, they will take over your secret little camping spot after they find out just how amazing this site really is!! (lol)
  • LThe Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 10, 2025

    Meriwether Lewis Campground

    The best in free camping!

    This place is a gem! You can stay for 14 days each year because, let's face it, it's too nice for them to let people hog it. Free water in various places, garbage cans by your site, numbered sites, paved driveways and parking spaces, manicured and litter-controlled park, and a bathroom building with multiple flush toilets for each sex and sinks with running water! These are in at least two places. Picnic tables and fire rings with lift-off on a hinge grates.

  • 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.

  • Devin R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 18, 2024

    Meriwether Lewis Campground

    Hey, It’s Free

    I was really looking forward to this place on my way to Arkansas. However, as soon as I turned into the camping area I was “greeted” by not one but TWO off leash dogs barking and running toward my van (they were not together). Fortunately, I took vinegar spray with me when I took my dog for a walk. It was a useful deterrent when one of the loose dogs ran at us. I yelled to put the dog on leash but of course nobody emerged from the van. On the return trip I made sure to have my spray and body pointed straight toward the dog who was just waiting for me to turn around so he could attack again. If you want a flat spot, a pull through spot, or one that you can’t smell the toilets, get there early! I got there around noon and maybe 15 people were there. By sundown most spots were taken…on a Tuesday. Restrooms toward the entrance were nice with running water and flush toilets.

  • 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.

  • saddie R.
    Mar. 31, 2025

    Meriwether Lewis Campground, Milepost 385.9 — Natchez Trace Parkway

    Loved our stay!

    We took our three kids tent camping overnight and we had a great time! All roads and campsites are paved so the kids all road bikes easily! No electric at sites but there are water spigots periodically placed through the campground. Bathrooms were very clean. No showers. Overall we were very happy!

  • Jimmy C.
    Oct. 2, 2021

    Tanbark Campground

    Awesome Spot!!

    I pulled in really late to tent camp. Richard, the owner came down and checked me in. Such a chill spot to set up for the night. I’d highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a spot to rest for the night. Not real sure how many tent sites he has but the one I am at right now is super close to the showers and the main office which is cool for a couple reasons. Convenience and safety! Check this place out for sure!


Guide to Pegram

Tent camping near Pegram, Tennessee offers a blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, making it an ideal escape for nature enthusiasts.

Local Attractions and Scenic Views

  • Experience the stunning landscapes at Bells Bend Park, where you can enjoy beautiful views while camping in a serene environment.
  • Just a short drive from Nashville, Whooping Crane Farm provides a unique glamping experience right on the river, perfect for those looking to combine comfort with nature.
  • Explore the trails and wildlife at Long Hunter State Park Campground, where you can hike through picturesque woodlands and enjoy lakeside views.

Tent Camping Prices

  • Tent camping at Bells Bend Park is budget-friendly, with rates starting at $10 per night for Davidson County residents.
  • At Whooping Crane Farm, you can enjoy a glamping experience with prices that reflect the added amenities, making it a great value for a unique stay.
  • Camping at Long Hunter State Park Campground offers affordable options, ensuring you can enjoy the great outdoors without breaking the bank.

Nearby Activities for Tent Campers

  • Enjoy hiking and wildlife watching at Long Hunter State Park Campground, where trails wind through beautiful landscapes.
  • Kayaking and fishing are popular at Whooping Crane Farm, providing a perfect way to relax by the water.
  • Experience primitive camping at Bells Bend Park, where you can set up your tent and enjoy a campfire under the stars.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Pegram, TN?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Pegram, TN is Bells Bend Park with a 4.7-star rating from 3 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Pegram, TN, with real photos and reviews from campers.