Best Tent Camping near Wartburg, TN

Review from the perspective of a motorcycle traveler tent camping. Tent sites are along a stream on Racoon side. Got surprised by a bear while gathering firewood nearby. Clean and well maintained although it was a  sleepless night because of a group of drunk locals.

The primitive tent sites are amazing, I didn’t give it 5 stars only because you can hear a little bit of road noise, as the campground is near the interstate. If you visit in spring, the lake water may not have risen yet, so summer would be better if you want to enjoy lake front camping! We took our rooftop tent and had a perfect corner spot next to the creek. Plenty of room on each site for tent camping. The bath house is pretty far away too. Overall, we love this campground, and the tent sites are the best, can’t wait to camp here this summer!

The location of the sprawling campground is beautiful on the popular Dale Hollow Lake. The kids enjoyed the beach. However, the tent sites were limited to the inner circle areas, as opposed to the right on the water with great views for the concrete-heavy RV sites. However, the worst part was the size and placement of the tent sites. they are tiny and I have no idea how anyone would find the space, much less a level spot, for a normal family tent. We didn't actually stay within our site with 2 small 2-person backpacking tents. We considered using an RV site but didn't see one with level grassy areas.

Edited: We were camped illegally on the grass. Tents are supposed to be on the uneven gravel pads. So 3 tent sites and their parking have a maybe 40 x 50 gravel/asphalt area.

There has to be better places to tent camp in this beautiful area

Halfmoon Campground is located near Windrock Off-Road Park and has RV sites, tent sites, and cabins. RV sites have power (up to 50amp) and water, and have decent separation between sites. The RV sites are in a grassy field so minimal shade. The majority of the Tent sites are dry camping (no power or water), however, there are 3 tent sites near the bathhouse that do have power and water. The tents site are in the woods so plenty of shade. The cabins have parking that can accommodate multiple vehicles. Clean and functional bathhouse. Dump station near the bathhouse. Fire wood and ice is available near the bathhouse and has a self pay setup. The campground also includes a vehicle wash station and trailer parking area if you trailered in your off-road vehicles. The nearest grocery store is about 15 minutes away. Beautiful views of the mountains from the RV area.

Link to my YouTube review: Campground Review: https://youtu.be/ZOEj0QoXqfM

Nice place with clean camping spots and clean bath house. Have 3 bars signal with Verizon and good speed. Site 26 is good for rooftop tent camping. Shade in afternoon and plenty of room for additional vehicles. Fire ring has a movable grate that is good to cook on.

We were either planning on staying in a motel or the bean pot and we were so glad we stayed in the bean pot. The owners were incredibly nice and helpful, and the showers, bathrooms, and laundry room were super clean and well kept. No other tent campers were there during our stay, since it’s mainly an rv camp, so this is a great place to try if you’re looking for a last minute place to tent camp. Overall, I would stay here again and I would recommend the bean pot to anyone looking for a place to camp in the area.

Ample space, gorgeous views of the lake, and super friendly staff. We stayed in space 19. It is sized for a smaller rig which was perfect for us. We got to watch fish jump and a crane fishing in the morning. Only caught small fish, but the kids had a blast swimming. The lake is shallow with a slow grade which was perfect for our young children. Everyone was friendly and respectful. The bathrooms were clean and it was a nice bonus to have a no-charge shower available for tent camping.

We arrived late and found my name on door with a tent site. We went to find the site and there was no water or ele as all were primitive sites. I had specifically requested/inquired if the river tent sites had water/ele and she said they did, so not knowing what else to do, we moved to what we thought were the other tent sites and set up camp. The next day I promptly went to the office to officially check in and pay when I was informed the site I was on was a RV site and the price doubled for having a 120V ele cord to charge the laptop and cell phones. I told her that’s ridiculous and I would give her a couple bucks for the juice when she got rude and wanted to argue with me regarding our original phone conversation about what was said. She actually wanted me to break camp and move everything off the “hook up” site where I told her that wasn’t going to happen for night 2 at all and I would move. She actually acted as if it was an easy thing to do!! I left the office and went exploring the NP which brings me to my second and third weirdness. I was also told on the phone the entrance to smoky mtn national park was 7 miles away. It’s actually 12 miles away. She also told me to turn left out of the campground, when I could have turned right and cut off a mile or so. In all cases the park entrance is NOT 7 miles. We packed up and left. My experience there was like entering the twilight zone, crazy!! I pride myself on my ability to communicate. I simply can’t believe how many times she was wrong. On a positive note the bathrooms were clean and the WiFi worked well enough to stream a movie. I will add that I hit the shower early and saw no sign that anyone else had showered as there are 4 different private units. Unfortunately the water temp never got anywhere close to warm much less hot. Crazy! Our argument ended with her telling me there would be no charge. I offered to pay what she had quoted me on the phone (44.00 for 2 nights) but she wouldn’t take it. If she thinks that move would guilt trip me it didn’t work. On the contrary, it fueled this review.

About the only good thing was the view. We had a tent site next to the lake. It was close to the pool so was very noisy. The bathroom near the pool is a unisex two stall very revealing so I often walked to the main bathroom up near the restaurant. Used the shower in the hot tun room was nice but very busy. The first night there was a bunch of girls in the pool and screaming at 4:30am which woke us up. The second morning at 7am the neighboring property was being weedeated. Most likely will not be back even though t is close to our home.

Really frustrating experience with this campground. We booked our stay for the tent sites and were excited to stay here. When we arrived, we found out it was Walk-In ONLY which was not noted anywhere. Another family had the same issue that night. We had to stay somewhere else. I spoke to their office on site who directed me to customer service. It took 4 separate calls to customer to get an answer who refused to give me a refund even though we physically could not stay there and didn’t. Will not attempt to stay at Spacious Skies again based on this experience.

Charit Creek Lodge in Big South Fork is AMAZING! There is a price tag on any unique experience but you do have a choice as to how unique it want it to be.

The Lodge offers group cabins, single beds, tent sites and Tentsile sites WITH a beach ;) What makes it so cool is these are original wood cottages with wood bunk beds and stoves for in the winter. They offer meal packages with your reservations too.

The guy that runs the place looks like a settler from the ole days with a red beard and “earth” attitude.

To get here you have to hike, ride a horse or bike. There is a road in but not for visitors. There are stalls for your horses to as well as a tie out area if your just passing through.

A place to visit even if you don’t want to over night just for the history. The lodge is located at the “intersection” of several trails. My favorite trail down is from the Twin Arches and back through Jakes Place.

There is a large lodge that is split into sleeping areas and a dining area with a nice covered porch with rocking chairs to pass the afternoon away in. Adjacent is the small kitchen that is used to prepare meals and there are snacks that you can purchase(bring cash) There is a restroom above a storage locker which is surrounded by a small kitchen garden. The cabins are behind the lodge as well as an old barn.

We walked back to the Tentsile area that had just been set up with brand new Tentsile 3 person tents. The creek that runs past has a little sand beach and there is an area that is almost waist deep to relax in. You pass a small mowed trail that leads back to two rope hammocks to relax in . On the way back to the cabins you can see the trail that leads in to one of the tent sites that also sits next to the river.

Dogs are permitted in the cabins and tent areas , not in the Tentsile area. Horses are allowed in the stable and tie out areas.

Just an awesome place to visit, it really makes you think about how people used to live in the old days and how remote they actually were.