Are you an equestrian lover who prefers a more rustic experience when you visit Sale Creek? Camping with your horse in Sale Creek just got easier. The Dyrt can help you find the perfect equestrian sites that are scenic and easy to access.
Fall Creek Falls State Park is one of Tennessee’s largest and most visited state parks. The park encompasses more than 29,800 acres sprawled across the eastern top of the rugged Cumberland Plateau. Laced with cascades, gorges, waterfalls, streams and lush stands of virgin hardwood timber, the park beckons those who enjoy nature at her finest. Fall Creek Falls, at 256 feet, is one of the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States. Other waterfalls within the park include Piney Falls, Cane Creek Falls, and Cane Creek Cascades. The park is located in Bledsoe and Van Buren counties, 11 miles east of Spencer and 18 miles west of Pikeville. It may be entered from Highway 111 or Highway 30.
In 1937, the federal government began purchasing the badly eroded land around Fall Creek Falls. The following year, the Works Progress Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) began restoring the forest and constructing park facilities. A few years later in 1944, the National Park Service transferred ownership of the park to the State of Tennessee.
Fall Creek Falls features 30 cabins, 222 campsites, and the 85-room Lodge Fall Creek Falls. Backcountry camping is also available with a permit.
The park is home to a variety of activities suitable for visitors of all ages and abilities. Hikers can opt for short or long walks around the lake and to the base of Fall Creek Falls. There are two long-distance overnight trails for adventure-seeking visitors while the day-use trails are designed to accommodate recreational and educational activities for all ages. More than 56 miles of trails can be explored.
$8 - $32 / night
$35 - $85 / night
$2 - $38 / night
This location is available on a first-come, first-served basis only. Visitors are required to physically arrive at the campground to purchase and claim a site. Once on-site, you may be able to pay for your campsite(s) by scanning a QR code using the Recreation.gov mobile app, and the Scan and Pay feature. If this option is available, you will need to first download the free Recreation.gov mobile app https://www.recreation.gov/mobile-app prior to your arrival as some remote areas have limited or no cellular service.
Cottonwood Patch Campground is a multi-use campground focused primarily on equestrian camping, but welcomes traditional "car" camping. The campground is located within the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest in the Alaculsy Valley of the Cohutta Mountains in north Georgia. Cottonwood Patch Campground is a quaint campground found along the Conasauga River, just above its junction with the Jacks River. Mixed hardwood forest surrounds the campground. The campground is partially shaded most of the summer with planted cottonwoods and sawtooth oaks. Average daytime summer temperatures are in the mid-80s with average daytime winter temperatures in the 50s.__ In the late 1800s into the 1930s, Alaculsy Valley was a thriving community. The valley contained homes, farms, a church, a post office, a grist mill, a school, cemeteries, and possibly a furnace for smelting iron. Across the Jacks River, in Tennessee, were other similar communities, a Civilian Conservation Corps work camp, and the location of the original U.S. Forest Service facility that managed the area. Some of the most development in the area was during the logging boom of the early 1900s. This area was the main hub for logging operations in the Cohutta Mountains. Train tracks followed the Conasauga and Jacks Rivers deep into the mountains. Lumbermen in logging camps far back in the mountains would cut timber and have it loaded onto flat cars. These loaded railroad cars would be pulled by the powerful Shay locomotives owned by the Conasauga River Lumber Company to its mill in Conasauga, Tennessee. Once an area was logged, the camp buildings would be loaded up onto the flat cars by small steam cranes and unloaded at the next area prepared for a camp. The Conasauga Trail in Tennessee follows the old railroad bed downstream and the Jacks River Trail in Georgia follows the old railroad bed upstream into the Cohutta Wilderness.__ Looking at the area today, one would never know such development once existed. The U.S. Forest Service, along with partnerships with other agencies and organizations, work together to manage the National Forest lands.__ Recreation activities around the Cottonwood Patch Campground include camping, picnicking, hiking, hunting, fishing, and horseback riding (visitors must provide their own horses). Hunting and fishing regulations are set by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources.
The Cottonwood Patch Campground not only serves as a place to rest and relax by the campfire, but it serves as a base camp for activities located throughout the National Forest, such as hiking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, and birdwatching.__ Cottonwood Patch Campground is a popular area for equestrian users. The start of the Iron Mountain trail is located in the campground. The trail can be used by both horse riders and hikers. Horses are permitted on numbered Forest Service Roads that are both open to traffic and gated. Please be aware and mindful of vehicular traffic on Forest Service Roads.__ Hunting is also a popular activity near the Cottonwood Patch Campground area. The 96,583 acre Cohutta Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a cooperatively managed area within the boundaries of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service and Georgia Department of Natural Resources work together to provide hunters opportunities to harvest bear, deer, wild hog, and various species of small game. The Georgia DNR maintains the majority of wildlife openings/food plots, conduct wildlife surveys, and set the hunting regulations. The U.S. Forest Service manages the receation facilities, roads, vegetation, fire, vegetation, and general forest. When hiking or riding horses during hunting seasons, wear blaze orange and be aware that hunters are out legally participating in their version of recreational activities.__ Amateur naturalists can have a great time seeking out non-game species, such as birds, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, along with hundreds of species of plants to check off their life lists.
The Cottonwood Patch Campground not only serves as a place to rest and relax by the campfire, but it serves as a base camp for activities located throughout the National Forest, such as hiking, horseback riding, hunting, fishing, and birdwatching.__ Cottonwood Patch Campground is a popular area for equestrian users. The start of the Iron Mountain trail is located in the campground. The trail can be used by both horse riders and hikers. Horses are permitted on numbered Forest Service Roads that are both open to traffic and gated. Please be aware and mindful of vehicular traffic on Forest Service Roads.__ Hunting is also a popular activity near the Cottonwood Patch Campground area. The 96,583 acre Cohutta Wildlife Management Area (WMA) is a cooperatively managed area within the boundaries of the Chattahoochee National Forest. The U.S. Forest Service and Georgia Department of Natural Resources work together to provide hunters opportunities to harvest bear, deer, wild hog, and various species of small game. The Georgia DNR maintains the majority of wildlife openings/food plots, conduct wildlife surveys, and set the hunting regulations. The U.S. Forest Service manages the receation facilities, roads, vegetation, fire, vegetation, and general forest. When hiking or riding horses during hunting seasons, wear blaze orange and be aware that hunters are out legally participating in their version of recreational activities.__ Amateur naturalists can have a great time seeking out non-game species, such as birds, small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles, along with hundreds of species of plants to check off their life lists.
Cottonwood Patch Campground is located in the Georgia mountains near the Tennessee/Georgia state line. It is surrounded by thousands of acres of national forest, free flowing mountain rivers, and babbling streams. It is located along the Conasauga River and near the border of the the Cohutta Wilderness.__ The Conasauga River watershed is one of the most ecologically diverse watersheds in the United States. This watershed contains 76 species of fish, more than the entire Columbia and Colorado Watersheds combined. Rare crayfish, mollusks, and even the Federally Endangered Blue Shiner are found in the Conasauga River. The U.S. Forest Service along with conservation partners annually place spawning logs in the river to provide habitat for Blue Shiners.__ Adjacent to Cottonwood Patch Campground is the 45,000 acre Cohutta/Big Frog Wilderness (the largest Federally Designated Wilderness Area east of the Mississippi River). The Cohutta Wilderness contains 91 miles of arduous backpacking trails. The 1964 Wilderness Act requires Federally established Wilderness Areas to maintain a wild character about them. Wilderness trails are maintained by volunteers, Forestry Technicians, and partner organizations. Directed by the Wilderness Act, trails are cleared using traditional hand tools, such as crosscut saws and sling blades. The use of gas powered and mechanized equipment is prohibited, even for forest managers in the Cohutta Wilderness. These trails are minimally managed and minimally marked, keeping with Wilderness character. These trails are not meant for simple strolls through the forest. Trails are frequently blocked by trees and undergrowth, making them difficult to follow at times. Orienteering skills using terrain features, map, and compass are extremely important and essential in the Cohutta Wilderness, as GPS is unreliable and not recommended.__ An array of colorful wildflowers can be found throughout spring and summer months. In spring, the beautiful purple/blue flowers of Virginia Bluebells can be found in large colonies along the Conasauga River. Numerous trilliums carpet the forest floor. Wild Geraniums, Blood Root, Mayapple and many other wildflowers provide flashes of color to the the new spring forest. Summer gives way to asters, rhododendron, and other flowers, providing a splash of color until the changing leaves provide the color in fall. Please only look at wildflowers, do not pick them.
Conasauga River Blue Hole: The Conasauga River has an array of colorful and unique fish species. The best way to see them is to get in the water with them. The Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee maintains a small picnic area and snorkeling area located 1.5 miles north of Cottonwood Patch Campground in Tennessee. Visitors can either snorkel on their own (provide your own equipment) or take a guided tour with the Cherokee National Forest. For guided tours and more infomation visit the Cherokee National Forest at the following link. Conasauga River Blue Hole__ Directions: Turn left out of the campground onto Forest Service Road 16. Follow FSR 16 for 3/4 mile. Cross the metal Jacks River Bridge and turn left onto Sheeds Creek Road. Follow Sheeds Creek road 3/4 mile until reaching the entrance to the Conasauga River Blue Hole parking lot on the left.__ Sumac Creek Shooting Range (Digital Fee Area, see Recreation.gov page): A U.S. Forest Service shooting range provided to hone your shooting skills. You must provide your own firearm, ammunition, and targets. For more information visit: Sumac Creek Shooting Range__ Directions: Leaving the campground, turn right onto Forest Road 16. Follow this road for approximately 7 miles. The entrance to the shooting range is on the left where gravel road turns back into pavement.
$8 / night
51 Sites With 4 Tent Sites – Wooded & Lakefront
Electric and Water Dumpstation Bath Houses Convenient Boat Docks Easy Access Boat Ramp Beach with Designated Swimming Area On-Site Mini-convenience Store Security Gate Entrance Resident Manager / Office hours 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
$24 - $40 / night
TravelerGreat sites with fire pits.
Ranger
We arrived and we got to pick out our own campsite. Thanks to the friendly and helpful staff. Bathrooms were clean and the showers were warm water beautiful tall trees provided shade. Scenic Drive was stunning.
Guide
Very nice CG with picnic tables, pit toilet and trash can. I saw 3 copper heads at the creek.
Guide
Level spots with picnic tables. Not directly on the river but is accessible. A lot of equestrians stay here but anyone can. It does have a pit toilet that was maintained.
GuideOur spot was near bathroom and the area was clean. Good hikes nearby. I had good cell reception as well with Verizon so was able to watch a little college football on Saturday.m
GuideWonderful place, hot water, clean sites. They have a daily trash service and several stores to visit
GuideBeautiful park with lots of activities for kids. The hiking trails were well maintained but vary in difficulty (easy to moderate; side trails to overlooks steep and rocky). Over 200 rv sites, most are close to each other; plan ahead to get a good site. We reserved a year in advanced and at that time no full hook ups were available. The park is a top visited park in TN - it’s crowded.
RangerAbsolutely loved this park! Our site was an ADA and it was excellent. Lots of trails, waterfalls, and a great nature center.
TravelerThere are a lot of very different camp sites. It’s good to do your research to see for the site is laid out. Some are drive through and others are back in. It is very close to excellent hiking. Bring your bikes to discover more of the park.
TravelerThis was a beautiful little spot next to a creek. There are 5 sites in all. It was a Monday in August, and there were two spots available.
There was a pit toilet with plenty of toilet paper and it was quite clean.
There's also a bear box and signs clearly indicating there are bears around and that you should keep all food in your vehicle or use the box.
Lastly, the road up there is all rock/dirt with a several hundred foot drop-off on the right side and no guardrail. There were a few hairpin turns. And then the driveway to and from the camp area is quite steep. Our 2WD (front wheel drive) Honda Passport struggled to get back up it on our way out, and we had to hit the steepest part with some speed to make it out.
We saw a van/bus dweller there, but just know what you're getting into.
GuideThere is so much to do as soon as you get there. Plenty of hikes and water activities. The falls are beautiful with so many risky lookout points. Will definitely be back!
LegendLoved our site that backed up to a large field with playground!!! Perfect for families with kids that want to play while still having access to your rig. AMAZING hiking and views of the falls! Well worth the hike to the floor of the falls.
GuideThis area is easily accessible but can be packed during prime camping season! There is a beautiful waterfall about a mile down trail from camp and tons of great swimming areas!
TravelerWe stayed here for a week at the beginning of May and loved it. Quiet spot with easy to access trails around the campgrounds for our two dogs. The roads into the park are fun with some winding roads. Our smaller class C (24ft) handled it just fine but I could see some larger trucks having a slow time if they followed our path which was Hwy30 from Spencer.
The amenities are great, cute camp stores, shops & restaurants. Showers were clean with excellent water pressure. Some sits have sewer hookup but outs was just water & electric. Dump stations are scattered throughout and easy to access however.
Quickly made our list of parks we’d like to revisit in the future.
Guide
Overall it was nice, but not my favorite place I’ve been to. I thought I chose a campsite right on the water, but we couldn’t actually see the water. However, we did walk around the site to where we could get in the water and it was really pretty there. There was a playground, the bathrooms were in pretty good shape, they had a dump site, and water. So yeah, my husband and I both liked it, but we would just visit some other campsites before coming right back to this one.
GuideFalls Creek Falls park is excellent for natural beauty. Wonderful sites, trails, activities for all ages. Campground is good. Few full hook up sites. Gas is a bit of a drive, so fill up before entering the park.
GuideHad a good time. Falls were beautiful but since you can drive and park by the overlook, be ready for a lot of people and dogs. If you like hiking, the trails were very low trafficked, and well maintained.
We stayed in the D campground (which is the closest walking distance to the Falls), however, campsites D180-210 are already close enough together (like your normal campgrounds), BUT when you add the elevation factor, some sites feel right in top of each other.
We have a truck camper and booked the last site available, which was a pull through in between other pull through sites (D192), but I wouldn’t book any of the pull through sites in D, unless you are booking adjacent ones for guests.
Also, 192 may be the smallest site with the worst layout, so take my review with a grain of salt. For instance, the hookups are on the opposite side as other, so I have to face my camper the opposite way, seemingly sharing our firepit and grill areas with our neighbors. This may be great if you know your neighbors, but not ideal for introverts like us (see photo).
Don’t get me wrong; we still had a good time, but the noise levels from other sites having a good time will encroach on your good time as well, making it feel less like camping, and more like a tailgate.
If I could do it over, I’d book more in advance and book a back-in site; one that isn’t right next to the road, or without too many other sites nearby. Sites along the same line as D204+ (same side as the bathrooms) seem to be the best sites.
Lastly, the facilities were but excellent: Campground D had small, but clean bathrooms and showers, and the main Guest Center is super close, with firewood, camping supplies, souvenirs, etc.
4.5/5 with 0.5 removed for layout of Campground D
GuideSo the campsite is very open, flat and the spaces are pretty small. You can pretty much hear conversations from other campsites at yours. Honestly this is not my kind of camping, Walmart parking lot offers similar ambiance.
Traveler
A little biased as I know the owner but its great place to stay tons of activities to do right on site!!!
ScoutGreat spot close to some of our favorite kayaking rivers.
GuideI was able to squeeze in a last minute campsite for the end of September. We were at A4. The site was labeled as slight incline. This site might be ok for smaller campers, but we had a little trouble with our 35ft camper. Also, this site is at the beginning of the campsite and slopes down a hill… so a lot of the vehicles and bikes go faster at that spot. Lots of wildlife and we walked to the falls.
ScoutStayed one night and will be back for a longer stay. The kids loved the playground, and the fairytale story walk. We also did a night hike with the ranger. Definitely one of our favorite camps this year. Bathrooms were clean, hiking close to the campground, we really recommend.
ScoutThe trails are well cared for and though it's a very popular place, the waterfalls and sites are amazing.
GuideWe stayed here in May while enroute to Memphis. We pulled a small trailer through the campgrounds and stayed at site A3. Site A3 is a pull thru site, that's labeled at the exit of the site, but you have to drive thru the entire campground to enter and there's no label at the entrance of the site; when you exit the site, you have to drive thru the campground unless you want to drive reverse to the one way sign. We also had a tent on the site and we were able to find a semi flat area. All of the sites were full and some large families were having gatherings along the field. The facilities were a short walk away and were well maintained.
TravelerTent-camped midweek on E210. Lots of open spaces in camp. Tent spot was on level gravel RV pad. Air mattress helped with gravel. Site had water and electricity. Showers were clean with hot water. Be sure to lock up food. We were visited by five raccoons nightly. They were able to get into secured plastic bin we left out. Great hiking around falls. Friendly staff at Visitor Center and Nature Center. Well stocked general store. We will be back.
GuideWe went during the Folk Festival. The campground was full. We enjoyed our stay. The campsite we stayed at says moderate. If you stay on the paved part, it would be hard to level. But, it had a gravel area you could back into and it wasn’t so bad. Only complaint was our fire pit ended up being on the wrong side of the way we parked the camper.
TravelerWe stayed Memorial Weekend of 2021 for a total of 4 nights. Tons to do at one of Tennessee’s top state parks. We hiked Fall Creek Falls trail, visited the nature center, walked the suspension bridge, went to the Cane Creek Falls overlook, swam in the Cascades, ate pizza at the snack bar, watched people catch stocked trout at George Hole, and played on the playground. The weather was a little damp, but we didn’t let that stop us!
Tennessee offers a fantastic experience for horse camping enthusiasts, with a variety of campgrounds that cater to both riders and their equine companions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Sale Creek, TN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Sale Creek, TN is Fall Creek Falls State Park Campground with a 4.6-star rating from 144 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Sale Creek, TN?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Sale Creek, TN, with real photos and reviews from campers.
