Best Dispersed Camping near Spencer, TN
Want to go dispersed camping near Spencer? The Dyrt can help you find the best dispersed campsites for your next trip. You're sure to find the perfect dispersed campsite for your Tennessee camping adventure.
Best Dispersed Sites Near Spencer, TN (6)
1. Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Signal Mountain, Tennessee11 Reviews•39 Photos•259 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- ADA Access
- Dispersed
- Picnic Table
2. Jackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Spring City, Tennessee8 Reviews•21 Photos•91 Saves- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Reservable
- ADA Access
- Dispersed
3. Prentice Cooper State Forest Camp
Signal Mountain, Tennessee1 Review•3 Photos•32 SavesCamping is permitted at the Hunter's Check Station Camping area and the Davis Pond Camping area on a first-come, first-served basis. These primitive campsites have no sanitation facilities. Campers at the Davis Pond Camping area are required to be in the campsite by sunset and must remain in the campsite until sunrise. No in-or-out privileges with the exception of emergency purposes.
- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- ADA Access
- RVs
- Tents
4. Bi-Color Campground (Catoosa WMA)
Lancing, Tennessee4 Reviews•23 Photos•33 Saves82,000 acres of wild land on the upper Cumberland Plateau in both Morgan and Cumberland counties. This area offers some of the best hunting in East Tennessee! This area is home to deer, wild turkey, wild boar, fox squirrels, gray squirrels, ruffed grouse, raccoons, quail, rabbits, and mourning doves. For your fishermen, the game include smallmouth bass, rock bass, bluegill, and muskellunge. Although the area is funded by hunters and fishermen, it is popular with all outdoor enthusiasts! Backpacking is very popular in the area, as well as whitewater rafting! The area has many deep cut canyons created by the rivers and streams, and offers access to beautiful scenery unlike anywhere else. The many trails allow access to the back country, but perhaps the best known path is the Cumberland Trail which passes through the area.
Overnight camping is allowed on designated areas. The area is closed to entry between sunset and sunrise.
Bicolor Entrance N 35.993 W -84.678
- Pets
- Fires
- Phone Service
- Dispersed
- Alcohol
5. Tennessee Wall Camp
Lookout Mountain, Tennessee1 Review•23 Saves- Fires
- Electric Hookups
- Phone Service
- ADA Access
- RVs
- Tents
Recent Dispersed Reviews in Spencer
25 Reviews of 6 Spencer Campgrounds
Lakisha D.
TravelerTennessee Wall Camp
Awesome escape
Great sites with fire pits.
- TTam E.
Guide
Jackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Beautiful, but stuff stolen
Beautiful spot, early - mid April plenty of room & privacy.
Left to go on a hike & came back to our chairs & wood being stolen. Disappointing, but also the chance you take when leaving your personal items unattended.
They took 2 bundles of wood, but left us some. Plenty of wood on the ground to use. Felt safe overall.
- Robert W.Traveler
Bi-Color Campground (Catoosa WMA)
Nice Little Getaway
The GPS coordinates will get you directly to where you want to go there's probably about 10 to 15 campsites there was trash on a few of them. Overall it was a nice place to just go and get away. It is a hunter's Camp first and foremost so there were quite a few people setting up for this week's opening day but the ones I did talk to were all friendly even went and had a couple beers with one of them.
My dog snd I stayed for 2 nights and 2 days. Lots of wildlife sounds at night.
Also a random heard of cattle strols through every now and again.
I'd definitely come back around this time of year!
- Angie A.
RangerJackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Excellent find
Dispersed camping with a glorious v view. Please pack out what you pack in. Some trash obvious yet cleaner now than past reviews. Camped right on the bank. Fire pits and concrete pads at most sites. Dumpster on site so please use it. Easy to find and private spacious sites available.
- Michael W.
LegendBi-Color Campground (Catoosa WMA)
Primitive at its best
Didn’t stay. To far out for me. Lots of knats. Dirt rd I , washboard out was north to Rock Creek campground steep downhill grade narrow. My opinion not for 5th wheel. No cell for miles
TNWoodsmanTraveler
Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Moto Camping
Review from the perspective of a motorcycle traveler tent camping. Tent sites are near a frog pond. Access was a bit rough. Easy on a motorcycle but could be difficult for a car. Saw a copperhead while strolling around pond.
Ava R.Guide
Prentice Cooper State Forest Camp
Quiet but muddy
This is a great FREE spot right outside the hunters entrance of prentice cooper state forest. There are about 12 spots and it wasn’t crowded when we came on a Saturday. It is a bit muddy but it is manageable.
Rachel G.GuideBi-Color Campground (Catoosa WMA)
Jammed packed with hunters
I’d like to say this spot is beautiful, but I’ve seen better. Rifle season starts Nov 20. I’m 10 days early, and was a bit surprised just how many hunters are already here. I feel like I’m the only solo woman here, also seem to be the only Van lifer. Lots of RVs. The camp was pretty easy to find. There are fire pits, mine is full of garbage. The spots are pretty spacious but there’s no privacy. I won’t be staying here long.
- CChelsea H.
ScoutJackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
End of season stay in autumn leaves
We arrived on Oct 30 to find several spaces available, many of which are convenient pull-through spaces. All are right at the waters edge with fire rings. There's trash everywhere; we filled a 10 gal trash bag in a matter of 10 minutes. We've been enjoying our stay but sadly we're informed by a man driving around to be out by Nov 3 as they're closing the site for the season. Luckily this timing is fine for our plans but was a surprise as nothing is mentioned on sites or sign at entrance about this. Beautiful place, peaceful this time of year. Husband caught a bass & dogs enjoyed the shallow edge of the lake at our site. Would stay again!
Brandon B.TravelerJackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Traffic
There is so much traffic at all times day and night. It gets pretty aggregating other than that they clean the Porta John a cpl times a week it's pet friendly and you can hang stuff from trees and lines
John B.GuideBi-Color Campground (Catoosa WMA)
Great Dispersed Primitive camping
This area is beautiful almost all times of the year! Plenty of wildlife and lots of shady areas. Alcohol is allowed in designated camping areas. Only saw one other camper on our trip this weekend so it was very peaceful. There was no accessible water near by so make sure you bring your own provisions. Haven’t got to explore much around the area by hiking. Found a nice creek a few miles on down the road. Other then that, great area and will most definitely be back soon!
Andrew R.TravelerJackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Convenient and pretty
I've read reviews elsewhere of this camping area getting crowded and rowdy. We went during a relatively chilly weekend in early April and had no trouble finding a spot. It was quiet, private, and beautiful. I can see however how that may be very different during warmer months.
The campground is very easily accessible and has no facilities other than garbage bins.
- KKimberly P.Scout
Jackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Good when not overcrowded
We went this past summer and had a nice visit. There wasn't too many people but a few weeks later we drove thru and people were packed in like sardines. Just not our style of camping. Seems the locals really come out in droves and packs the place. Have been told that vehicles have been stolen so may want to watch your surroundings depending on the environment at the time. However police did patrol thru the area at night when we were there.
Jacob T.GuideJackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Closed by TVA
Arrived to find it closed. No one to talk to or call. Just closed. Same with Rhea Springs.
- Tiffany C.Scout
Jackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
Very sketchy
Very sketchy park. Vagrants mostly. You wouldn’t be able to leave your site unattended if you want to keep your stuff. Go across to Rhea springs. Nice,safe, free and beautiful.
Cole T.GuidePrentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Great
Prentice Cooper is an amazing place and offers two campgrounds and several backcountry camping spots. There is a campground not too far after pulling in the gravel road that has some really nice spots. The other campground requires you to drive down a gravel road for approximately 7 miles and then down some trails that require high clearance. This campground is nice and tooked into the woods with a pond nearby. There are several OHV trails in prentice Cooper and the place can get very crowded on the weekends. Definitely recommend going during the week.
- Marguerite S.Traveler
Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Pond Camping - Long drive
This really wasn’t bad! Other than us not being sure where to go. We drove for what felt like 20 miles down a well kept unpaved road from the entrance but I think it reality was only 5.5 miles. There’s a gravel lot next to the pond which is where we set up our rooftop tent on surprisingly 0° incline on all sides so we had a very level set up. There grassy are is fenced off but has multiple fire pits for dispersed camping. Not much for a weekend trip unless you want to hike and the hikes are pretty mediocre. There’s an overlook somewhere but we were just testing our gear so didn’t go searching for it. Would camp again if we had to but won’t go out of our way to stay here.
Benjamin C.GuidePrentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
We loved this place!
My wife and I are getting into Overlanding and we heard this was a good place for OHV trails and dispersed camping. We came down for just the day to check the Forest out. It was really wet and Sulfur Branch/Braddison was very torn up. We got stuck but was lended a hand. Other than that the place was taken care of and there was plenty of folks out that Saturday. The over looks are beautiful!! If your going to hit the trails either have a winch or wait till it’s dry! Have FUN
- Tyler J.Ranger
Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Wonderful tn camping
A secluded spot in a protected forest not far from Chattanooga. You can camp at the ranger station, but your best bet is to drive out to the pond and camp in the middle of the forest
Nate H.LegendPrentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
If you want seclusion, this is your spot!
We stayed at the Davis Pond Campground which is about a 15min drive back into the park. If you want to stay here you have to be there before dark as they close the gates at dark. It's basically like having your own small park in the middle of the mountains on a small bass pond. There was one other couple staying there and it was Memorial Day weekend so I would be surprised if you run into many people out there. There are also tons of places to backpack in and camp. We were on the last leg of 3 campgrounds in 3 days so we had our rooftop tent but want to try packing in to one of the many hike in sites. Caught 4 largemouth bass in about 15 minutes of fishing on the pond, largest being about a 1lb. You will deal with some ATV/Jeep traffic during the weekends which can cause some dust to deal with and the pit bathrooms are about as disgusting as I've ever seen. They really should just bulldoze them down and it would make it even better but outside of that this campground is absolutely amazing if you are looking for seclusion. Expect about an hour and a half drive from Knoxville.
Lori H.LegendPrentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Truly roughing it!
Prentice Cooper WMA is a great place if you’re looking to be in the wilderness. Keep in mind, this is a wildlife management area, so If you are not hunting, might want to avoid it during hunting season, you can find season dates on TWRA website.
There are only two campground areas in PC, but it looks like you can backcountry camp on the map. Davis Pond and Hunters Check Station Campground and the two campground areas. There aren’t any hookups at either site. Hunters Check is a heavily wooded area, near the big game check building. Davis Pond is more of an open field by the pond, and that’s where we stayed. Only one other then there while we were there! There’s plenty of room for multiple tents and great hammock spots. There’s a trailhead that goes to blowing wind falls from the campground too. My husband caught several large mouth bass in the pond too (catch and release). There a lot of ATV, UTV, dirt bikes, jeeps, etc. riding the area, but there’s no riding after dusk, so at Davis Pond it’s very quiet and peaceful with only the sounds of nature! DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT even think of entering the “restroom” at Davis Pond. They really should demolish it. Completely disgusting. And creepy. So be advised, there is no USABLE restroom, you are truly roughing it! Great area for peace and quiet!
Kelly M.RangerPrentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Expansive forest with gorgeous fall colors
We came here to camp among the turning trees one September. It is a huge area and I didn't see any camping other than primitive tent sites. Worked for us! I would like to go back when it's swimming season and jump in the sweet little falls. The fall colors were off the hook but might be even better in October. True to its name it is 'dispersed' with no 'main attraction' site- which is actually awesome if you're looking for seclusion, since people are spread out across the area.
- Arden S.Guide
Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Seclusion
The forest is beautiful but also huge. You can definitely get lost driving around or hiking. If you're looking for a quiet place to camp near Chattanooga this is it.
- Jeff W.Traveler
Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Roughing it
Good hiking, hunting, etc.
- SSarah N.Guide
Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed
Dispersed Camping in Prentice Cooper State Forest
We loved exploring Prentice Cooper State Forest! What a gem! We actually stayed in one of the camping areas, but next time we'd like to backpack instead. We ran a bunch of the trails - enjoyed the views - wonderful spot.
Guide to Spencer
Discover the beauty of dispersed camping near Spencer, Tennessee, where nature lovers can enjoy serene landscapes and a sense of adventure. With various options available, campers can find the perfect spot to unwind and connect with the great outdoors.
Scenic Views for Dispersed Campers
- Experience breathtaking vistas at Jackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), where you can camp right by the water's edge and enjoy the tranquility of nature.
- The Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed offers a picturesque setting with a nearby pond, perfect for those looking to immerse themselves in a peaceful environment.
- For a unique experience, check out Tennessee Wall Camp, where you can enjoy stunning views and a variety of outdoor activities.
Top Activities While Free Camping Near Spencer
- Fishing enthusiasts will appreciate the opportunities at Jackson Island Dispersed Campground — Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), where you can catch fish right from your campsite.
- Hiking is a must at Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed, with several trails that lead you through beautiful wooded areas and offer a chance to spot local wildlife.
- For those interested in off-roading, Prentice Cooper State Forest Camp provides access to OHV trails, making it an ideal spot for adventure seekers.
Unique Experiences for Dispersed Campers
- Enjoy a peaceful retreat at Bi-Color Campground (Catoosa WMA), where you can soak in the sounds of nature and spot wildlife while camping in a secluded area.
- If you're looking for a more social atmosphere, Tennessee Wall Camp is known for its friendly community of campers, making it a great place to meet fellow outdoor enthusiasts.
- For a truly primitive experience, consider Cordell Hull Horseback Trails, where you can enjoy horseback riding and explore the natural beauty of the area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Spencer, TN?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Spencer, TN is Prentice Cooper State Forest Dispersed with a 4.4-star rating from 11 reviews.
What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Spencer, TN?
TheDyrt.com has all 6 dispersed camping locations near Spencer, TN, with real photos and reviews from campers.