Cove Lake State Park Campground

This was a great little camp spot for the night. We pulled off the highway right before nightfall & this was just moments away. Online it says the campgrounds closed but we figured we'd drive by and check it out anyway... maybe we'd want to come back. We arrived just after normal hours so the ranger wasn't at his post but there were clear instructions letting us know who to call afterhours. We called and within a couple minutes a friendly ranger was at our side answering all our dumb questions about the Area. Etc. He gave us spot # 27. It's a nice level spot, shaded by towering pines and directly on the lake. As an added Bonus- it was also within 50 feet of a surprisingly clean bath house) Our dogs loved roaming around the park with us and the roads themselves were well maintained, though maybe a little narrow at times) Aside from the occasional (beautiful!) bird songs- it was blissfully QUIET. (Not sure if it's because we camped here in the dead of winter, right after Christmas? But either way- it was much appreciated! )

Nice campground. Pretty easy in and out. Ranger was nice and helpful. Everything seemed pretty well maintained. Site was level and easy in and out. Wish I could have stayed longer but was there on a quick trip. Would definitely visit again.

Great location, close to 75. Quiet, clean well maintained and patrolled campground. Bath houses could use an upgrade, but overall great experience.

Roomy sites, quiet, good place for families to gather. Easy to find.

My wife and I decided to stay local because we just got a new camper and wanted to be near home.on case anything went wrong. It was like seeing Cove Lake all over again. The camp ground is great and the bath houses are super clean. Will definitely be back!

A couple of the tent sites are waterfront and ideal for a tenter like me. The rest seem a little packed together, though some offer a little bit of seclusion. Decent facilities and easy access to Devil’s Backbone section of Cumberland trail.

Site/Surface: 

• Site 63 was an excellent site with great views and within feet of the water. Surface was nice/flat and plenty of grass for a tent

• Site 65 was an excellent site with great views and within feet of the water. Surface was nice/flat and plenty of grass for a tent

Cell Service: Verizon was a bit spotty

Shade: Not a ton of shade  during the day, but was overcast when we went

Firerings: Both sites had firerings, with grill grates. 

Onsite Grill: None 

Bathhouse: Bathhouse was close. It was cleaned early in the day and become very gross by the end of the day. 

Playground: Playground was close by, in great shape with a big field to run in.

Campstore: There was a campstore at the front of the park with ice/firewood/etc

Local Activites: Plenty to do at the main park, not a ton of great hiking, but lots of water. The Devil's Racetrack is within 5 minutes and has a beautiful view if you are looking to hike, also a few waterfalls along the way. Small town close by with plenty of supplies.

Overall: Decent ranger prescense during the day. Camground was fairly quiet at night, everyone we met were super friendly and the kids played together. Spot is right on the water and would be great to bring kayaks to or fish from. The worst thing about the campsite is that they didn't take advantage of some of the ridge views available elsewhere in the park.

We love this camp ground. We have made many memories here.

We stayed at campsite 81 and it had plenty of room for our family of 3 human and 2 K-9's. Very pretty area and the playground close to us was a great benefit. Highly recommend the campground but some spaces are tight and blindside back. Added: The lady running the Rangers station was the absolute nicest person so far at all the State Parks we've been to.

Wasn’t horrible. A bit crowded. Hard to park longer campers and trucks (especially at night) . Survived nasty rain storm. We were on higher ground. Flood warnings. Felt safe with all the rangers driving around.

Overall: A+

All around excellent experience from the check in with the Park Ranger, choice of lake view spots, nice bath house, and quiet location. Even with the short trip off the Interstate the side was quiet and scenic.

There are a number of sites either right on or with lake views. The bath house was clean and warm and very accessible to most RV stalls. The water at the stall was off, as expected, as we were there in Late December.

I plan on stay at this site again, so should you.

Great campground with very friendly and helpful rangers. Was pretty empty the night we were there. Very cool tent camping spots right on the small lake and RV spots all pretty much have a lake view. Full hookups and dump when you exit the campground. They do not have water at the sites in the winter. Bathrooms were clean enough and the showers were hot. Would definitely come back. Many trailheads near the campsite but the weather was bad when we were there. Drone photos courtesy of SweetDroneChicago on Instagram

We stayed in the A loop, site 26, for one night in early December. The ranger was very friendly when we checked in. The site was a great site for winter camping, since the loop beside it was closed for the season (so there was only one neighbor). In other seasons, there would lots of neighbors around this site and as the site says, the view is on the drivers side. The restroom/showers were just up a little hill from this site and were very clean, heated and with plenty of hot water. We were just there for an overnight stay, so we didn’t see much of the area, but felt it was a great spot for an overnight not far from I-75.

Tight quarters, flat site, water and 30a electric but a delightful setting on the lake. Note a few late night train whistles and nearby highway traffic noise. JIC in case it matters to students or remote workers, there is ~no campground internet connectivity; you’ll need to walk up toward park ranger office.

Inside the state park lies this small campground. The views of the mountains are beautiful. Paved paths to walk through the park.. also we found a small hike nearby, triple falls. A beautiful little hike to check out. All the spots are gravel but it’s very clean and well kept. Very family and pet friendly place! Didn’t have them with me this time, but looked like a great spot to put in your small boat or kayak and fish!!

The park staff is so friendly and to took us back to our site. Our site is nice and right on the lake but it’s a little odd the way the sites are. Our neighbors site is next to us but there table and fire pit are behind our rig. Other than that it’s a great place. Lots of paved trails, canoe rentals and a boat dock. Several playgrounds for kids and a pool. I would definitely stay here again if we were ever in the area. Also cell signal with Verizon was great.

Nice State Park Campground. Easy access, one mile off I-75. Sites were fairly close but still a nice experience. Along the lake. Clean bathrooms, showers, elec hook ups, water hook ups and dump station available and all working well. We enjoyed it as a quick stop. Wish we had time to do some of the hiking nearby.

$25 what a deal! Lots of amenities and lake water camping available. Will def be back

Excellent little park about 45mins north of Knoxville. Campsites are well maintained as is the rest of the park. Rangers are super cool and helpful. Only downside is not being able to swim in Cove lake. I mean you can, but I certainly wouldn't. If you want to swim just drive 15mins to Norris lake. I would camp here again happily.

Great location just off I75, close to easy shopping (Walmart), Urgent Care facility just minutes away, nice BBQ place right in the park, local eatery’s just up the way (less than 2 miles). Hospital less than 5 miles away. A few locals do daily walks thru the campground and are very friendly people. Bathrooms are clean, campground has lots of shaded areas, lake for fishing, boats and canoe rental (may be seasonal). Playgrounds for kids, large swimming pool (also seasonal) Very nice rangers. Hiking also near by, just ask the rangers. Kenneth

this campground is nice and wooded which I love. Our site did not have shade trees but most did. Sites are gravel and ours was pretty level. There were trees behind site that we were able to put our hammocks in that wasn’t nice. The sites were pretty big too which a fantastic amount of room to throw ball and play! Bath houses were clean but typical state park bath houses. We were right across from one that the playground was near which wasn’t nice. We were told there were some great trails to hike but we didn’t venture towards them because hiking with a 6 month old is not our idea of fun! Lol there’s is a massive pool but we had to pay to get into it and had to drive to it. That was a bummer. The campground was beautiful and nice to simply walk around. We would go back.

We absolutely love this place! It is our children’s favorite campground!

The history of the name of this rock is really strange...who knew bee keepers could be so violent?? The hike up the Bee is worth it and good for the little ones, lots of little rock formations to explore and only about a mile or two long. There were a few other trails too. The campsites are all along or close to the water among the trees, so very lovely and rather private. Toilets are only pit style but there’s water spigots. Overall it’s a simple site that feels quaint, natural, and part of Appalachia history that makes a good overnight as you explore the area.

This is right of freeway 75 north of Knoxville and beats staying in a motel on a road trip. This is a nice green campground but only a very few sites are close to the water. The campsites are a little small, close, and open with a playground within earshot of many of the sites. People were boating and swimming, but we just took a walk along the lovely (easy) trail along the lake. Lovely rolling hills.

The campground hosts are good. The campground is in a good location. Would have veen better if bathrooms were cleaned and stocked better.