Camping Recs for Great Smoky NP?

[PatLee]

Hi all,
For those of you who have camped in Great Smoky NP with family a.k.a. little kids, where did you stay? Do you wish you'd stayed elsewhere? Any "lessons learned" and "things to know" most appreciated!
Thanks.

[PA BAMBI II]

Originally Posted by PatLee

Hi all,
For those of you who have camped in Great Smoky NP with family a.k.a. little kids, where did you stay? Do you wish you'd stayed elsewhere? Any "lessons learned" and "things to know" most appreciated!
Thanks.

Hello! We stayed at Yogi on the Smokies (Jellystone campground) on the Cherokee side. We did not regret the choice of which side to camp on. The Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg (which we visited one day for a few hours) was entirely too built up and touristy. You can tube the river right at the campground, but make sure to bring your own. We were told by campground management there would be tubes to rent, but that is not true as we found out.



The campground was fine...but tight. Weekend accommodations had us placed right on top of each other. During the week, it thinned out nicely, though. Cherokee was delightfully sleepy (depressed) with a few little shops, a great pizza shop, and a cool micro brew.



Don't be afraid to drive over the ridge road in the Great Smoky Mountain NP several times. We must have driven the entire road three days in a row. Some of the lunch pull-offs were epic. Hit the main points, and you will have a great experience. Start the loop in Cade's Cove EARLY in the morning. By the time you think you want to do it a second time...it will be packed, and you can head out. That is an EARLY morning drive from the other end in Cherokee, but worth it.

[Jim J]

We are staying at Creekwood Farm RV park about halfway between Waynesville and Maggie Valley. It is close to I 40. The park is flat and sites are easy to access. We have stayed on the Pigeon Forge side before and another campground near Cherokee. Creekwood farm has been the best so far. Sites are close together though.

[GetawA-S]

We have stayed at Misty Meadow near Walland. Clean and quiet. We were not traveling with kids, so I can’t speak to recreational facilities.
There is another more touristy campground in Townsend (still way more low key than Gatlinburg!).
Happy camping!

[Boxite]

We stayed in the Nat’l Park campground and it was fine. (Just be aware bears wander thru the campsites at night… Put away food and watch the children.

[AKNate]

The KOA in Pigeon Forge is great for kids. Yes, the towns of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg are mostly hectic, fake, overdone tourist traps, but the KOA is actually quite nice if you avoid the cheap sites. They have activities every day for kids, a playground with a bouncing pillow (like a trampoline, but way better and safer), a pool with a river in it, and “train” rides around the campground. The campground itself is fairly quiet and located right next to Patriot Park and the Little Pigeon River, with easy access to the multiuse trail that follows the river for biking or running. It’s definitely not a National Park sorta camping experience, but it’s very close to the park for hiking or scenic drives.

[hissilver]

If you want to give your kids the Smoky Mountains experience….stay in the park. Cades Cove Cg, Elkmont Cg, or Smokemont Cg. Will Accommodate any size Airstream and put your kids into the natural experience you might be looking for. Enjoy the National Park for itself.

[PatLee]

AKNate - thanks for your input regarding the KOA there. I had been looking at it as a possibility. I like your campsite! Do you happen to remember the site number? Again, thanks!

[AKNate]

Originally Posted by PatLee

AKNate - thanks for your input regarding the KOA there. I had been looking at it as a possibility. I like your campsite! Do you happen to remember the site number? Again, thanks!

We were in site 202 and were very happy with it. From what I recall, most any of the yellow or orange ones on the map would be fine (the ones with the “KOA Patio”). I think some of the low 400’s were a bit squished in against the river and didn’t have as much space. Also the 136-193 area is up a hill and right by a busy road, so will be dramatically noisier from traffic. I think the best sites in the park are probably 112-123, which back to Patriot Park. The map shows cabins behind them, but they just did that to fit things on the map - the cabins are up the hill. You can look at a satellite view vs the map to see how big any particular sites are. The map doesn’t show it but there is a loop in the empty area behind 201-203 that is where employees stay, so just ignore that when looking at the satellite view. All the two-digit sites in the middle are the more cramped ones where I think all the negative reviews come from. Some say “Patio”, but that is different from “KOA Patio” and not nearly as nice.

[PatLee]

Great details! Many thanks. The map - so helpful.