Rock Creek Recreation Area, near Greeneville, Tennessee, is a charming spot for those looking to immerse themselves in nature. With spacious, mostly level sites and a serene atmosphere, it’s a great place to unwind and enjoy the great outdoors.

The campground boasts a natural swimming pool fed by Rock Creek, perfect for a refreshing dip after a day of hiking. Visitors often highlight the clean facilities, especially the bathhouses, which, while a bit dated, are generally well-maintained. As one camper noted, “Sites were level, gravel, nice bathrooms—beautiful area.”

For adventure seekers, the surrounding Cherokee National Forest offers a variety of hiking trails, including the popular Rock Creek Falls Trail, which provides stunning views and a chance to connect with nature. The area is also known for its old-growth forests and opportunities for rock climbing and bouldering.

While the campground is a peaceful retreat, it’s just a short drive from Greeneville, where you can find local dining options and attractions. Whether you’re camping in a tent or an RV, Rock Creek Recreation Area is a solid choice for a weekend getaway or a longer stay, offering a blend of relaxation and adventure.

## Overview

 Rock Creek Recreation Area is named for the small creek that runs alongside this recreation site. The facilities, creek-fed concrete pond and bathhouse were originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the early 1930s. It is located just outside the town of Erwin, TN at an elevation of 2,300 feet - a welcome respite from the summer heat. Be Bear Wise: Food storage compliance is strictly enforced. Store all food and trash in hard-sided containers and vehicles while not in use. Never have attractants in your tent. Violations of the food storage order are ticketable offenses and subject to fines. Food and trash left unattended will be impounded by campground staff. 
## Recreation

 Hike on one (or all) of the trails adjacent to Rock Creek Recreation Area. Visitors can enjoy cooling off in the creek-fed concrete pond. Younger children can enjoy the playground located in the day use area of the recreation area. Campground programs are offered every Friday night in July at the amphitheater.
## Natural Features

 Campsites are nestled in a cove hardwood forest. Adjacent to the campground is Unaka Mountain Wilderness area, a rugged and undeveloped area. 
## Nearby Attractions

 The Appalachian Trail crosses TN 395 at Indian Grave Gap, 3.1 miles east of Rock Creek. Mountain Balds, Beauty Spot and Unaka Mountain Overlook are located nearby along Forest Service Road #230. Whitewater rafting on the Nolichucky River is provided by private companies located in Erwin, TN.

Rock Creek Recreation Area

Join the fun near Erwin. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Camping, hiking, biking: however you want to spend your days near Erwin, you'll find great campgrounds with The Dyrt. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.

Erwin

The Best Camping Near Erwin, Tennessee

Nice and simple site that feels like it’s really in nature, but isn’t overly rustic. Pros: water, showers, flushing toilets, RV hookups, campsite, swimming, hiking, wooded & shady sites, clean. There isn’t too much of any one activity in/near the campground but lots more in the greater area. Cons: just plan to drive to another area if you’re staying for a few days (not really a con though). Not far from the Appalachian Trail, the TN/NC border, and highway 26. Asheville is about an hour away and is very charming. 


Simple little campground

**Our friends who are avid whitewater paddlers took us here. It’s a small campground with simple amenities, amazing old growth forest. There are so many great hiking trails here, plus some rock climbing/bouldering. Note that there are some areas with similar names further east near the Appalachian Trail.**

**Yay: Simple and beautiful camping here! Rangers check in periodically and had great recommendations.**

**Nay: no potable water but plenty nearby to treat.**

**Surprise: Make sure to visit Lone Mountain State Forest as well. There are rafting tour companies nearby**

Great access to whitewater and nature 

The rock creek falls trail is great! this is a nice campground overall but the swimming area is a little rough and often crowded with a lot of locals. But the trails are beautiful and the campground is nice. 


great place


The road in is a little narrow, but well maintained and easily navigable. Sites are heavily wooded, fairly well spaced, and most sites have a level area, but you have to back all the way in to get level on some. We were in site B16, which had no satellite coverage until most of the leaves fell. B Loop sites are 30A only. The website says there is shared water, which there is, but in B Loop, you can’t hook a hose to it to fill your tank, as the spigot is not threaded. C Loop had at least some threaded spigots. OTA TV was limited to 4 channels(PBS) with our omni antenna. There is no WiFi. AT&amp;T had 1 bar and 0.8 MB/s w/o a booster, 2 bars and 2.4 MB/s with it. The bathrooms/showers were fairly clean and well maintained, but showing their age. There is a nice, but fairly strenuous 4 mile up and back trail from the campground to Rock Creek Falls. Campground was mostly empty during the week, maybe 8 or 10 out of 31 sites occupied, but completely full on the weekend.

Nice, small, quiet, heavily wooded campground

Tight turns, but manageable with our 40' Fifth Wheel. Relatively level parking. Spacious sites. 20-30-50 amp hookups available. No water on sites but available not far away, with plenty of extra hose, for refilling water tank. Serene Campground with plenty of shade. Bathhouses were clean and in good repair. There is a mountain stream running through the campground that has been dammed up to make a swimming hole that is quite large, not sure on depth as we didn't get in, but water is very chilly even in late July. Nice playground just down from camping area and wonderful hiking trails abound.  

Great Semi-primitive Campground

Sites were level, gravel, nice bathrooms-beautiful area.

Great campground !

Just spent 3 nights at what had been one of my favorite places to camp.  Sites are big and mostly private, and usually quiet.  Bathhouses are a bit dated, but had been maintained and cleaned.  The natural pool is a nice touch and the hiking is varied.  I was very disappointed this time, as the bathroom wasn’t cleaned since I arrived 3 days ago.  Today there was no hot water in #1, and host told me #2 showers were closed.  Not sure about #3 .  I was impressed by a quick response to an electrical issue at my site.

Not 5 stars this time

Happy to get a discounted rate with our national parks pass. Stayed 2 nights here - only reason for not 5 stars is that the first bathroom (near the natural pool) was super gross - tons of bugs, sink didn’t work, wasnt clean. The bathroom near B loop was significantly nicer. Not every spot is level but we found an open one that was.

Photos of Rock Creek Recreation Area

Real photos from real campers