Best Dog-Friendly Camping in Tennessee
Elkmont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park features spacious pet-friendly sites where campers can keep up to two leashed pets per site. Fall Creek Falls State Park Campground, Cades Cove Campground, and Greenbrier Campground also welcome pets throughout their facilities, with most requiring a 6-foot leash maximum and waste disposal in designated receptacles. The bathhouses are cleaned daily on weekends and every other day during weekdays at many Tennessee state parks. Camping options range from primitive tent sites to full hookup RV spaces and pet-friendly cabins with amenities like picnic tables, fire pits, and lantern hooks. Restrictions typically include keeping pets out of public buildings and swimming areas, and most parks enforce quiet hours to prevent excessive barking.
Numerous hiking trails throughout Tennessee's state and national parks accommodate leashed dogs, though Great Smoky Mountains National Park limits pets to two specific campground trails. Indian Mountain State Park offers five pet-accessible trails with several ponds, though visitors should be prepared for biting flies and mosquitoes in hot weather. Many campgrounds provide dog-specific amenities such as mutt mitt stations along trails and designated pet waste disposal areas. Several campgrounds remain open year-round, including Fall Creek Falls and Harrison Bay State Parks, while others like Elkmont and Cades Cove operate seasonally from spring through fall. Wildlife encounters are common in Tennessee campgrounds, with rabbits, birds, squirrels, geese and ducks frequently seen near lakes and ponds, requiring pets to remain secured at all times.
