Established Camping
Cardens Bluff Campground
About
National Forest
Cherokee National Forest
Overview
Cardens Bluff Campground has closed for the 2023 season. At nearly 2,000 feet elevation, Cardens Bluff Campground is located on a peninsula overlooking the 6,430-acre Watauga Lake in Carter County, TN. There are 43 sites, primarily for tent camping. There is a bathhouse with showers and flush toilets. No electrical hookups are provided. Day use areas are located nearby for those wanting to take advantage of swimming, boating, and fishing opportunities. Campground Hosts are on site to answer questions and assist with your visit.____
Recreation
Boating is popular for visitors to Cardens Bluff. Numerous campsites provide easy water access for kayaks, canoes and motorized boats. Swimming and fishing are also very popular activities at Cardens Bluff. Watauga Lake provides notably clean water for recreating.__
Facilities
There are 43 campsites within Cardens Bluff Campground. Each section of the campground has flush toilets. In addition, there is an accessible shower house with eight showers for use by registered campers only. __
Natural Features
Watauga Lake is a 6,430-acre hydroelectric reservoir managed by the Tennessee Valley Authority and surrounded by the Cherokee National Forest. Directly across the lake from the campground is the Big Laurel Branch Wilderness area, a rugged, undeveloped mountain range with only the Appalachian National Scenic Trail within its boundaries.
Nearby Attractions
The nearby Rat Branch Boat Launch is an easy quick drive from the campground for campers with motor boats. Shook Branch Swim Area is also nearby on the shores of Watauga Lake. Big Laurel Branch and Pond Mountain Wilderness areas are located north and south of the campground for more rugged, backcountry hiking.
Access
- Drive-InPark next to your site
- Walk-InPark in a lot, walk to your site.
Stay Connected
- WiFiUnknown
- VerizonGood
- AT&TUnknown
- T-MobileGood
Site Types
- Tent Sites
- RV Sites
- Standard (Tent/RV)
- Group
Features
For Campers
- Trash
- Picnic Table
- Firewood Available
- Phone Service
- Drinking Water
- Toilets
- Pets
- Fires
Nice lake!
Booked site 13 online for the last weekend before the season ended in October 2021, but the hosts caught us at check-in and moved us to site 32, which was right next to the water. It was really nice and the kids could go splash around in the lake, which they loved. Several groups game by to launch kayaks.
No firewood on-site, but found a guy selling wood a little drive down the road. Said "everyone from Cardens Bluff comes here." Logs were pretty green and big, but we chopped them down to a more workable size. Pretty hard to start a fire with (it had been raining a lot recently), but we made do.
Lots of yellow jackets! Thankfully no stings :) Bathrooms were nothing to write home about, but functional. Water pump right next to the site. Hosts were chatty and a little wacky, but kind and present.
A nice trip overall!
Ideal getaway to Watauga lake
This campground was perfect to bring a smaller RV to be right next to the Watauga lake Marina.
Bathrooms + a shower house was available.
Gate to enter closes from 10pm - 7am and parking is limited if you have multiple cars.
Overall great place to go with kids.
- (7) View All
Noisy camp
Campsite was clean and bathrooms were clean. The noise in this campground carries and makes for a restless night. Ok for one night but would not stay again.
Location
Cardens Bluff Campground is located in Tennessee
Directions
From Elizabethton, TN take US 19E/321 south 5 miles to Hampton. Turn left on 321/67 travel approx. 4 miles to the campground entrance on the left.__
Coordinates
36.3097222 N
82.1152778 W