9 Best RV Campgrounds in the Smoky Mountains

Considering an RV trip to the Land of the Blue Smoke? This post rounds up the best RV campgrounds in Smoky Mountains National Park, so you can plan a visit with minimal homework. We’ve included helpful details about each campground, like Google ratings, location, number of sites, open season, standout amenities, and nightly rates.

Before wrapping up, we will share some fun facts about the Smoky Mountains and explore the best things to do in the area. Buckle up, and let’s roll!

Pigeon Forge RV Resort: Best Overall

Google Ratings: 4.4 out of 5 stars from 643 reviews
Location: 1111 Wears Valley Rd, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863.
Distance from Smoky Mountains NP: 11.5 Miles
RV Sites: 200
Open Season: Year Round
Rates: $80 to $150 daily
Standout Features: Creek-front sites, resort-style saltwater pool, 19-foot-tall water slide, poolside lounge, camp store, and organized special events.

Pigeon Forge RV Resort is one of the best RV getaways near the Great Smoky Mountains. It’s just 3 minutes from downtown Pigeon Forge and 22 minutes from the park. The resort offers a wonderful variety of sites, including creek-front, double spaces, extra wide, and pull-through.

The sites have grass on each side, gravel or a concrete pad, and full hookups with 30/50 amp. You also get a picnic table, DirectTV, and WiFi. Other nice highlights include a modern bathhouse, 24-hour laundry, playground, yard games, live concerts, a pavilion, and paved roads.

Crazy Horse Campground & RV: Best for Fun Family Activities

Google Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 stars from 211 reviews
Location: 4609 East Pkwy, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Distance from Smoky Mountains NP: 7 Miles
RV Sites: 119
Open Season: Year Round
Rates: $70 to $100 daily
Standout Features: A water slide, huge pool, fishing, and lots of holiday activities.

For family activities, book a spot at the well-hidden Crazy Horse Campground. You’ll have access to a 500-foot waterslide, an enormous pool, and a fishing pond. During special weekends, guests also enjoy live music, delicious meals, pool volleyball, water fights, arts and crafts, tie & dye, scavenger hunts, costume contests, and wagon rides.

Other activities include hiking, gaga ball, and face painting. All RV sites have water, sewer, electricity (30/50 amp) hookups, cable, fire ring, and picnic table. Some are pull-through with concrete pads. Other amenities include cabin rentals, RV rentals, and tent sites.

Pigeon Forge Landing RV Resort: Best Smokies Campground for Big-Rig Owners

Google Ratings: 4.5 out of 5 stars from 221 reviews
Location: 455 Lonesome Valley Rd, Sevierville, TN 37862
Distance from Smoky Mountains NP: 12.3 Miles
RV Sites: 165
Open Season: Year Round
Rates: $75 to $120 daily
Standout Features: Massive sites, river-front spots, large pool, hot tub, pickle ball, fitness center, and beautiful landscaping.

Pigeon Forge Landing RV Resort offers some of the largest RV sites near Smoky Mountains. The Long and wide spots can easily fit a 45-foot Class A plus a toad without disconnecting. All spots have full utilities with 30/50/100 amp, a level concrete pad, picnic tables, WiFi, cable TV, plus a large grassy area.

Campers can choose between river-front back-in sites and executive pull-through spaces. You’ll also appreciate an illuminated river walk, fly-fishing access, a pavilion, a gift shop, tent sites, a dog park, golf cart rentals, and laundry facilities.

Gatlinburg East / Smoky Mountain KOA Holiday: Best KOA RV Park Near the Smokies

Google Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars from 442 reviews
Location: 4874 Hooper Hwy, Cosby, TN 37722
Distance from Smoky Mountains NP: 3 Miles
RV Sites: 74
Open Season: Year Round
Rates: $70 to $150 daily
Standout Features: Scheduled activities, lawn games, pool, patio sites, EV charging, snack bar, and private bathroom/showers.

If you’re scouting for a KOA RV park near Great Smoky Mountains National Park, set your sights on Gatlinburg East Campground. This paradise is brimming with entertainment, such as gem mining, outdoor movies, disc golf, horseshoes, and volleyball. They also organize summer activities like potlucks, cookouts, and ice cream socials.

More highlights include a community fire pit, a pavilion, and a new playground. RV facilities include full hookups, gravel sites with trees between them, and paved roads. Some spots have concrete patios with nice furniture and fire pits. You’ll also have clean laundry and a stocked camp store. There are many things to do in the area, including ATV riding and hiking trails.

Riveredge RV Park and Log Cabin Rentals: Best Cabin Options

Google Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 stars from 927 reviews
Location: 4220 Huskey St, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863
Distance from Smoky Mountains NP: 7 Miles
RV Sites: 175
Open Season: Year-round
Rates: $70 to $100 daily
Standout Features: Full-hookup sites with 50/30 amps, landscaped spaces, variety of cabins, a heated pool, and hot tub.

If you want a break from your wheeled home, Riveredge RV Park has one—and two-bedroom cabins with different levels of comfort amenities. RVers will be delighted to find well-landscaped sites with concrete pads, wood-burning fire pits, picnic tables, free high-speed WiFi, and two climate-controlled bath houses.

For fun and games, there’s an 8-feet deep heated adult pool, kiddie pool, splash pad, playground and 1800+ sq.ft. arcade with 30+ games. Plus, you can fish in the nearby Little Pigeon River. RV supplies are available at the office and the place is very close to grocery stores, restaurants, shops and attractions.

Smoky Bear Campground and RV Park: Best Management and Staff

Google Ratings: 4.8 out of 5 stars from 461 reviews
Location: 4857 East Pkwy, Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Distance from Smoky Mountains NP: 7 Miles
RV Sites: 46
Open Season: Open Year-Round
Rates: $60 to $75 daily
Standout Features: Full hookups, climate-controlled clubhouse, swimming pool, jacuzzi, bathhouse, community firepits, a camp store, and paved roads.

Smoky Bear Campground is a top-rated, well-run RV park in the Northeast section of Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Guests can’t stop speaking highly of the staff, who are super friendly and helpful. Further, the facilities are clean and immaculately maintained.

Other nice details include cabins, tent sites, picnic tables, laundry facilities, a playground, and a free book-lending library. Sites are a mix of pull-through and back-in spots with full connections, shade, and a mix of concrete and gravel pads.

Look Rock Campground: Only Campground in the Smoky Mountains With Hookups

Google Ratings: 4.4 out of 5 stars from 29 reviews
Location: Inside the Park’s West End
RV Sites: 68
Open Season: April to October
Rates: $30 to $36 daily
Standout Features: 10 sites with power and water hookups, flush toilets, dump station, picnic tables, fire rings, and paved roads.

In total, there are 10 campgrounds in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. However, only Look Rock offers electric and water hookups. The rest only provide dry camping spots. Look Rock is situated along the scenic Foothills Parkway between Walland and Chilhowee Lake on the Tennessee side.

In addition to the standout features, guests will have potable water, trash bins, storage lockers, and on-site staff. Note that there are no shower facilities.

Cataloochee Campground: Quietest RV Campground in Smokey Mountains NP

Google Ratings: 4.8 out of 5 stars from 140 reviews
Location: Inside the Park’s East Side
RV Sites: 27
Open Season: April to October
Rates: $30 daily
Standout Features: Flush toilets, potable water, fire grates, picnic table, wildlife views, fishing opportunities, and historic buildings.

Cataloochee Campground is a fantastic option if you want to escape the crowds and step into a quieter, more peaceful time. It’s slightly off the beaten path, offering romantic seclusion compared to the more popular and larger campgrounds of Cades Cove and Elkmont.

Those who brave the long, twisty, and tight dirt road will be rewarded with incredible rainbow and brook trout fishing, elk sightings, and bird watching, plus biking and hiking trails with little traffic. Make sure you take a self-guided tour of the nearby Palmer House, built in 1869.

Up the Creek RV Camp: Best Private RV Park in a Natural Setting

Google Ratings: 4.7 out of 5 stars from 505 reviews
Location: 1919 Little Valley Rd, Pigeon Forge, TN 37862
Distance from Smoky Mountains NP: 13.7 Miles
RV Sites: 35
Open Season: March to December
Rates: $60 to $80 daily
Standout Features: Quiet setting, mature trees, immaculately kept, river-front spaces, asphalt roads, and huge sites.

Up the Creek RV Camp isn’t your pamper-me-in-the-woods kind of campground, but it excels in many departments. It offers large private sites and spotless grounds, and two crystal-clear flowing creeks border it. While it’s a no-contact, self-check-in place, they go above and beyond to make your stay comfortable.

They provide clear instructions on site locations and tons of local info and maps. The only amenities available are full hookups, gravel parking pads, a fire ring, and a concrete patio with a table and chairs. Your furry friend will also have an off-leash area. There are no bathrooms, showers, or laundry.

Other Top RV Parks Near Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Here are some other best RV campgrounds in Smoky Mountains:

Cove Creek RV Resort – 4.6 out of 5 stars from 681 reviews
Pine Mountain RV Park – 4.5 out of 5 stars from 414 reviews
Gateway To The Smokies RV Park & Campground – 4.4 out of 5 stars from 271 reviews
Honeysuckle Meadows RV Park – 4.7 out of 5 stars from 254 reviews
Creekside RV Park – 4.6 out of 5 stars from 605 reviews

For RV Campgrounds Within Smoky Mountains, check out:

Elkmont Campground – 4.6 out of 5 stars from 364 reviews
Smokemont Campground – 4.6 out of 5 stars from 421 reviews
Cades Cove Campground – 4.7 out of 5 stars from 2.3k reviews

Fun Facts About Great Smoky Mountain National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a majestic mountain range located on the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. It’s renowned for its hazy blue mist, diverse wildlife, lush forests, and scenic beauty. Here are some fascinating details about the park:

The Great Smoky Mountains are estimated to be between 200 and 300 million years old, making them some of the oldest on Earth.
They consist of 16 peaks and Clingmans Dome is the highest point, standing at 6,643 feet.
The park covers 522,427 acres of land.
The Cherokee call this ancient range “Shaconage” (Sha-Kon-O-Hey), meaning the “Land of Blue Smoke.”
The first original settler in the Smokies was a woman known as Martha Jane Huskey Ogle.
The “Smoke” that gives the mountains its iconic name is actually a blue-colored fog created by native plants.
On animal species, it has 65 mammals (including 1500 black bears), 200 birds, 67 native fish, plus over 80 types of reptiles and amphibians. Further, it has over 4,000 plants and 140 species of trees.
There are 800 miles of hiking trails, 2,900 miles of streams, and 100+ stunning waterfalls.
Smoky Mountains is the most visited National Park in the US, with 12 to 14 million annual visitors.
Visiting the park is free of charge; no entrance fee is required.

Best Things to Do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Here are some top activities for the Smokies:

Start at Sugarlands Visitor Center to learn about the park’s past. Peruse its natural history exhibits, gift shop, book store, and maps.
Drive through the scenic 30-mile-long Newfound Gap road to soak in some spectacular mountain views at different overlooks.
Explore The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail, a 6-mile-long loop, offering access to the region’s most popular waterfalls—Rainbow Falls and Grotto Falls.
Climb to Clingmans Dome, the highest peak in the park, and enjoy panoramic views that extend for miles on a clear day.
Trek a portion of the Appalachian Trail. 71 miles of this legendary 2200-mile trail zigzags through the Smokies.
Discover Cades Cove, an isolated, fertile valley once home to early Southern Appalachian settlers. It still has old cabins, churches, barns, and grist mills dating back to the early 1800s.
Take a breather by the cool mists of the 20-foot Abrams Falls, which pumps out a tremendous amount of water.
Rent a kayak, canoe, or SUP in Fontana Village and paddle Fontana Lake, a long, skinny lake with 240 miles of shoreline.
Go leaf-peeping in the fall to soak in sweeping views of the mountains draped in dazzling hues of orange, yellow, and red.

RV Campgrounds in Smoky Mountains FAQs

Here are some frequently asked questions about RV camping in the Smoky Mountains:

Are There Campgrounds With RV Hookups in Smoky Mountains?

There are no campgrounds with full hookups in the Smoky Mountains. Look Rock Campground has 10 sites with both power and water hookups, plus a dump station, flush toilets, and drinking water. Other campgrounds only offer dry camping.

Which Smoky Mountains Campgrounds Can Accommodate Big Rigs?

Smokemont, Cades Cove, and Look Rock Campgrounds can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet long, while Elkmont, Catalooche, and Balsam Mountain can accommodate rigs up to 30 feet.

What’s the Best Time to Visit Smoky Mountains?

The summer months are an awesome time to visit, as the park is vibrant with lush greenery, active wildlife, and roaring waterfalls. Fall months are also great, with fewer crowds, vibrant foliage, and lower accommodation rates.

Fuel Up Your RV and Answer The Call of the Smoky Mountains

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with its enchanting landscapes and rich heritage, offers endless opportunities to interact with nature. An RV trip to the park is definitely the best way to explore and experience the area’s pristine beauty and splendor. Use this guide to find the best places to park your wheeled home when touring the Smokies.

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Cynthia Measom

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Cynthia Measom is the founder and main content creator of RV Top Tips. Not just a writer, she’s a dedicated RV owner and enthusiast, alongside her husband, Joe, who is an experienced RV tech. With their joint knowledge, the two are up on the latest trends and technologies in the RV industry, as well as practical camping and lifestyle tips.

The couple own a 2020 Coachmen Chaparral fifth-wheel that they absolutely love. Their secret to being so satisfied? They purchased the model after a solid year of researching different fifth-wheel campers in person and online to find the perfect fit for their family of three.