Best Equestrian Camping near Townsend, TN

The Townsend KOA is located close to the entrance of Cades Cove. It has many rv, tent, and cabin sites. The sites on the river seem to be the best. They are out of the way and a little more spaced out. We had the pull thru patio site #61. The site itself is really nice. It has a big patio and fire pit. The major downside is it’s next the main in/out and basketball court. So cars are driving by and the basketball court was slightly annoying. Lots of screaming kids and bouncing balls all day until midnight the first night. Not very peaceful. It’s weird that they put one of the nicer sites next to the court. Other than the site location everything was nice. The playground is large and nice. There’s a great store on site. The people were really helpful. Cellphone and WiFi was very hit and miss. I would definitely stay again but not in that site.

Stayed here July 2020 for a couple of days. We were in site C-16 which was towards the back of the campground and only 2 sites away from the bathrooms and a bear proof dumpster. The bathrooms do not have showers but the restrooms were kept very clean. And the dumpsters don’t smell so that’s always nice :)

There’s a camp store by the check in office that sells firewood, etc. they close at 5pm.

We stayed a Thursday-Saturday and friday was much louder compared to Thursday night. People kept locking cars and shining bright lights/playing music until midnight. I definitely preferred the weekday over the weekend.

Our campsite was nice and big enough for our 2 tents and a hammock. We built a fire every night and it was nice! Not as secluded as other campsites in the campground but still lovely!

Townsend was only 20 minutes away so we went there for coffee and WiFi at the coffee shop and the IGA to grab firewood since we missed the camp store the first night. We didn’t have cell service at Cades Cove Campground (Verizon and spring) so it was nice to check messages in Townsend as well.

One of my best friends invited me to go camping with him here, although I knew it was a horse camp and we didn’t have horses. There are lots of trails for horses, and there are places to tie up the horses. Knowing it was a horse camp, I expected there to be horse manure, but manure was everywhere—even on the tent pads. Other than that, which as I said I expected, it was a good place to camp. The sites are spacious and fairly private with woods between each site. You have to reserve in advance to get a code to get through the gate, so you don’t have curiosity seekers coming in. There was supposed to be access to water, but the only pump in the campground was not working. Fortunately, I brought water with me. There was a pit toilet, but when I first went to it, it smelled terrible and was in need of a big time cleaning. The next morning, when I went, it had been“cleaned”(if you want to call it that). My buddy and I decided to go to Max Patch, a mountain bald, a few miles up the road. Max Patch is a beautiful grassy bald with 360° views, and the Appalachian Trail runs across it. Unfortunately, it is popular. By that I mean TOO POPULAR. When we made it there, the parking lot was full, and there were cars lined up for about a half mile down the road. Having been on Max Patch before, I knew it was not going to be a pleasant experience. Overall, the campground is probably okay for horse campers except that there was no water. The pit toilet needed more attention than it was given, but it was a toilet. There’s a good chance I will not go back to this campground. It’s not that I do not recommend it in general. I just don’t recommend it if you are just camping in a tent without horses. However, I do recommend one of the dispersed camping areas not too far down the road, especially if you want to be close to Max Patch. Just don’t go in the more popular seasons.

I visited Bristol Fields for a planned primitive camping event with a group. I’m glad I arrived in daylight because my first drive in on the approximately 4 mile stretch of dirt and gravel road was a little nerve racking. Mostly because I wasn’t 100% sure I was going the correct way and second because there are some nice drop offs from the road. It is a wide road (about 1 1/2 lane)but passing in some areas would be interesting. Stay right and you will find the sign. The campground is primarily for horse oriented camping. It is split into three areas. The first section to the right as you pull in is the area we set up in. Then there is a long field that is obviously for horse trailer parking and camping with tie out poles included. There is a small tree break prior to the last area which has the pit style latrine and a large field for camping use. This whole area is bordered by a nice cold stream that is excellent for soaking your sore muscles in after a horse ride or hike. There is direct access to horse and hiking trails that are not extremely scenic (as in no long views until you get to the top) but will give you a good vertical workout. You can run or bike ride on the road too. There are several large fire pit areas throughout and a fire circle with wood chairs in the main area. There were five of us, three tent campers and two in vans and we had plenty of room to set up. The gravel center with picnic table worked well as our “kitchen” and dining area. Once parked my vehicle didn’t move again until it was time to leave. Total black at night meant excellent star gazing and the creek was the loudest thing out there. It did seem to be a young adult destination in the evenings, but they left when they saw that the site was occupied. A nice feature someone created was a “dam” of rocks with a round pool to sit in. Excellent get away with no electronics to speak of.

Stayed here with some friends.  

This is a gorgeous spot to camp! The river is right next to the campground and you can always hear it.  The sites are close together, just as a lot of KOA's are set up.  The bathrooms are in great shape, nice and updated.   This is an area where you want to make sure your trash and food are kept put away due to the bear population.

The staff is friendly, the grounds are well kept.  There's a little store up on the hill where you can get necessities and ice cream, along with other things! It is a very touristy area, so keep that in mind when booking a site here. 

Camping at this spot gives you plenty of things to do.  Tubing/swimming/hiking/biking.  There are tons of hiking trails.  If you like to ride a bicycle, there's a trail that goes along the main road by the campground.   It's not complicated, but lots of hills.  The welcome center is a neat place to go take a look around.  They also have bluegrass festivals here throughout the year.  Easy access to Cade's Cove Loop and the state park.  

Townsend is a very pretty and nice area with lots to offer!

If you're going to go to Smokie Mountain National Park, the is the side to stay on. Gatlinburg is absolutely nuts while Townsend is about 1000% calmer. The KOA is exactly what you'd expect. Knowledgeable staff and clean facilities. 

Pros: 

-Fantastic bathrooms and showers. Laundry was on point as well.

-The river is beautiful 

-Immediate access to the national park

Cons:

-Like most KOAs, it's packed.

-Children run the night like Westside Story.

-The playground was the center hub of a swarm of bees. 

Long story short, stay here. It's great.

Ranger Review: Eclipse Sun Sleeves at Harmon Den Area(Pisgah National Forest) https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=70836

There are a few dispersed camping sites at Harmon’s Den, and they are spacious sanctuaries beside Cold Springs Creek. Harmon Den is in Pisgah National Forest, and dispersed camping is allowed but only where there is a camping symbol posted along Cold Springs Creek Road. To get to the campsite, you have to get off on Exit 7 along Interstate 40 in North Carolina and travel a gravel road for several miles. You will not want to drive too fast since there are several potholes, washboards, and protruding rocks in the road. At the campsite, there is a fire ring, but there are no other facilities such as bathrooms, showers, electricity, running water, trash cans, camp store, firewood for sale, campground hosts, etc. It is pretty much just a space for camping. With that said, it offers all the exciting activities that national forests offer, such as fishing, biking, hiking, etc. Harmon Den is mostly known as a horse camp, although car camping without horses is a common occurrence. When I was there, I passed by a couple of car campers that did not have horses. I did see a few vehicles with horse trailers pass by on the road. Because it is a popular horse camping area, you have to watch where you step. At our campsite, there was horse poop in several places, and I had to watch my grandson closely so he didn’t step in a pile of horse manure. Expect to encounter horse flies as well. There was also lots of poison ivy, so that was another concern I had about my grandson running freely. Since there are no bathrooms, practicing LNT(Leave No Trace) is important. Unfortunately, there was lots of trash, but that was a teachable moment for my grandson, and we definitely left the campsite better than what we found it. Before it gets dark, make sure you know where you are going to take care of business when you have to get up in the middle of the night. That way, you can avoid stepping in the wrong place. There were also quite a few people fishing in the creek on the way to the campsite since the creek is a popular place for trout fishing. As a matter of fact, a wildlife officer came through our camp with a fishnet full of trout to stock the creek. She asked us if we brought our fishing poles. Unfortunately, that’s one thing I didn’t take camping with me. What was I thinking? Even with the horse poop and the poison ivy, it’s a great area for camping if you like solitude and the sounds of the creek throughout the night. Another reason to camp at Harmon Den is to visit Max Patch while you are there. I would suggest staying at least two nights so you can spend one day just enjoying Max Patch. It is a large mountain bald over which the Appalachian Trail crosses. I have been there in the past when people are having picnics, flying kites, or just lying on a blanket enjoying the magnificent scenery. If you go at the right time of year, one of the trails up to Max Patch will take you by wild blueberries and blackberries. As I stated earlier, the campsites are spacious, and it felt very peaceful just being there. 

Product Review: 

As a Dyrt Ranger I get to occasionally try out outdoor products while camping and this trip I brought Eclipse Sun Sleeves(https://eclipseglove.com/)..) As a stem cell transplant survivor from stage 4 Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, I can never be in the sun without adequate protection for the rest of my life. That’s why Eclipse clothing is perfect for me. Even in the middle of the summer, I have had to wear long sleeves and a broad-brimmed hat. I had earlier written a review for the Eclipse shawl, but with the Eclipse Sun Sleeves, I can finally wear my short sleeve shirts again. Since I love the outdoors and have some cool t-shirts, all I have to do is put on my sun sleeves and I am protected. The only thing I could see that might need improving would be to figure out how to keep the upper part to stay up. It wasn’t that much of a problem, and I don’t how the company could solve it, but overall, the sun sleeves are great. I would further like to say that because of sun sleeves, those who are allergic to the sun have one less excuse not to go outdoors in the sun..