Tents and small parties
Family sites allow six people. Big Creek is tent-only; at other campgrounds choose a site that fits your tent and vehicles.
Choose your camping setup
Start with how you sleep, then choose a campground and the right site category.
Cars, vans and trailers
Camping belongs in designated sites, not parking lots or pullouts. Check the individual driveway and approach-road limits; hookups are limited to some Look Rock sites.
Groups, horses and backpackers
Group camps are tents-only with a seven-person minimum. Horse camps and backcountry sites have separate reservations and rules.
Find your campground
See Great Smoky Mountains campgrounds beside the park’s roads. Numbers match the comparison below; confirm your approach before traveling.
- Campground · numbers match the comparison
- Park boundary
Compare All 10 Great Smoky Mountains Campgrounds
Compare locations, site types, dated operating seasons, facilities and published fees. Check the linked booking page for your site and travel year.
| Location | Campground | 2026 season | Tents & vehicles | Published campsite fee |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1. Cades CoveDirections to Cades Cove CampgroundCades Cove Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: 40 ft RV, 35 ft trailerTrailer max: 35 ft | $30 | |
2. SmokemontDirections to Smokemont CampgroundSmokemont Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | Year-round | Check individual site typeRV max: 40 ft RV, 35 ft trailerTrailer max: 35 ft | $30 | |
| 3. Elkmont211 sitesFlushNear: Sugarlands Visitor Center | about Apr 4 – Nov 28 | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: 35 ft RV, 32 ft trailerTrailer max: 32 ft | $30 | |
| 4. Cosby157 sitesFlushDump station | about May 16 – Oct 24 | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: 25 ftTrailer max: 25 ft | $30 | |
| 5. Abrams Creek16 sitesFlush | about May 9 – Oct 24 | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: Not recommended; trailers to 12 ftTrailer max: 12 ft | $30 | |
| 6. Big Creek12 sitesFlush | about May 16 – Oct 24 | Tents onlyRV max: No RV sites | $30 | |
7. CataloocheeDirections to Cataloochee CampgroundCataloochee Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | about May 2 – Oct 24 | Check individual site typeRV max: 31 ftTrailer max: 31 ft | $30 | |
| 8. Deep Creek92 sitesFlushDump station | about May 2 – Oct 24 | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: 26 ftTrailer max: 26 ft | $30 | |
| 9. Balsam Mountain43 sitesFlush | about May 16 – Oct 11 | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: 24 ftTrailer max: 24 ft | $30 | |
10. Look RockDirections to Look Rock CampgroundLook Rock Campground Campground location, not an assigned campsite. Check access and booking rules before travel. | about May 9 – Oct 24 | Tent-compatible sitesRV max: 13 to 48 ft, by site | $30 (non-electric) / $36 (electric) |
- Great Smoky Mountains boundary
- This campground
What does camping cost?
Compare the price and charging unit for your setup. The booking total depends on the selected site, travel year and applicable fees.
Family sites
$30/site/night; $36/site/night for electric-and-water sites at Look Rock. The published price is by site amenities, not a blanket tent-versus-RV split.
Group camps
Published 2026 group rates range from $38–$94/group-site/night, depending on campground and party size. Group sites are tents-only.
Backcountry permits
$8/person/night plus a $6 nonrefundable permit fee. A backcountry permit does not replace a parking tag when one is required.
Which Campgrounds Are Open by Month
Read across each row for the 2026 season. Operating dates do not show campsite availability.
Scheduled all monthScheduled part of monthNo scheduled season
| Monthly context | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WeatherAvg high / low · °FGatlinburg 2 SW, TN · station preview · 1991-2020 | 47°27° low | 51°29° low | 59°35° low | 69°42° low | 75°51° low | 80°59° low | 83°63° low | 82°62° low | 78°56° low | 69°44° low | 58°34° low | 50°29° low |
| Park crowdsAvg park visits · 2021–2025 | 415.9kLow | 485.5kModerate | 881.6kModerate | 1029.7kHigh | 1240.3kHigh | 1457.2kPeak | 1544.5kPeak | 1220.4kHigh | 1195.3kHigh | 1607.1kPeak | 992.0kHigh | 753.6kModerate |
| Campgrounds · 2026 | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Cades CoveYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| SmokemontYear-round | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month |
| Elkmontabout Apr 4 – Nov 28 | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season |
| Cosbyabout May 16 – Oct 24 | No season | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season | No season |
| Abrams Creekabout May 9 – Oct 24 | No season | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season | No season |
| Big Creekabout May 16 – Oct 24 | No season | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season | No season |
| Cataloocheeabout May 2 – Oct 24 | No season | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season | No season |
| Deep Creekabout May 2 – Oct 24 | No season | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season | No season |
| Balsam Mountainabout May 16 – Oct 11 | No season | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season | No season |
| Look Rockabout May 9 – Oct 24 | No season | No season | No season | No season | Part of month | All month | All month | All month | All month | Part of month | No season | No season |
How to book Great Smoky Mountains camping
Choose the campground, site type and travel dates before opening the booking page.
Family sites
Advance reservations are required. Book through Recreation.gov or 877-444-6777, up to six months ahead.
Group and horse camps
Reserve the specific group or horse campsite. A family-site reservation does not cover a larger group or stock camping.
Backcountry trips
Every overnight backcountry trip requires a permit and advance reservation through Recreation.gov.
Check your vehicle’s fit
Use published maximum lengths to make a shortlist, then check the individual campsite and route.
Enter your RV, van or trailer length
- Campground maximums are a shortlist. Check your individual site’s dimensions and equipment rules.
- Only published equipment lengths are listed. Check other sites in the comparison above.
- Use the operating calendar for dates and check the approach road before booking.
- Cades CoveNo full hookups40 ftRV
- SmokemontNo full hookups40 ftRV
- ElkmontNo full hookups35 ftRV
- CosbyNo full hookups25 ftRV
- CataloocheeNo full hookups31 ftRV
- Deep CreekNo full hookups26 ftRV
- Balsam MountainNo full hookups24 ftRV
- Look RockNo full hookups48 ftRV
No campgrounds match these filters. Try a shorter setup or compare camping outside the park.
Know the camp rules
Plan for the park’s normal camping rules. Official conditions carry restrictions for your travel dates.
Bear-safe storage
When not in use, seal food and preparation equipment in a vehicle trunk or hard-sided camping unit; use available food lockers.
Six people per family site
Maximum two vehicles, or one vehicle with a trailer. Only one RV or trailer per site.
No showers
Bring certified heat-treated firewood or collect dead and downed wood where allowed. Do not assume the medical-power outlets are RV hookups.
Camping outside the park
Compare the park’s gateway areas first, then confirm nearby campground seasons, fees and equipment rules with the operator.
Gatlinburg
Use the Tennessee approach for Sugarlands and Newfound Gap Road. Snow can interrupt a mountain crossing.
Townsend
This approach suits Cades Cove and the Little River corridor. Check the route rather than assuming a straight road across the park.
Cherokee
Use the North Carolina approach for Oconaluftee and Newfound Gap Road. Winter weather can prevent the crossing to Tennessee.
Questions about Great Smoky Mountains camping
Quick answers to the practical questions below.
Are reservations required for Smokies camping?
Yes. Reserve frontcountry, group and horse campsites in advance through Recreation.gov. Backcountry trips also need permits and advance reservations.
Can I camp in my car in the Smokies?
Use a designated vehicle-compatible campsite. Camping in pullouts and parking lots is prohibited.
Do Smokies campgrounds have showers or hookups?
No campground has showers. Some Look Rock sites have electric and water hookups. The 5-amp outlets at Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont are for medical equipment only.
Which campgrounds normally operate in winter?
Cades Cove and Smokemont normally operate year-round, with fewer loops or sites in winter. Confirm your date and site through the official booking listing.
How we built this page.
An independent guide using official data. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Park Service.
- Official guidance
- NPS and the relevant operators. The linked official pages support the access, facilities and rules described here. Confirm details before traveling.
- Crowd context
- 2021–2025 monthly averages. NPS recreation visits describe normal seasonal demand, not trail congestion, parking availability or unique visitors.
- Schedules and conditions
- Planning patterns, not live status. Seasonal information describes the normal pattern or explicitly dated source schedule. Current conditions are handled separately. The official source is the place to confirm today’s access.
Topic sources and data details
Campground locations, site counts, published fees and dated 2026 operating seasons come from the committed NPS/operator campground dataset. Normal setup and booking rules were checked against the official sources linked in each section.
The operating calendar aligns NOAA station climate normals with 2021–2025 NPS park visits. Weather varies with elevation and location; park visits do not measure campsite occupancy. Maps reuse reviewed park boundaries and road geometry. The vehicle shortlist does not guarantee an individual site or route will fit your equipment.
Operational source check: September 11, 2026. Design and emphasized source review: 2026-10-21. A design review does not refresh every underlying record.