Eating & Sleeping

Great Smoky Mountains National Park offers a variety of camping opportunities.

NPS Photo

 

Eating

Limited food and beverage services, groceries, and convenience items are available in the park visitor centers and, during peak season, at the Cades Cove store.

 

Lodging

There are no motels or rental cabins located within the national park other than Le Conte Lodge. The lodge is located on the crest of Mount Le Conte and can only be reached by hiking. Advance reservations are required. Several popular hiking routes lead to the top of Mount Le Conte, including Alum Cave Trail (a 5-mile hike up the mountain), the Boulevard Trail from the Appalachian Trail (8.3 miles), Rainbow Falls Trail (6.5 miles), and Bullhead Trail (6.8 miles).

Communities surrounding the national park offer a wide choice of accommodations including hotels, cabins, bed and breakfasts, and campgrounds.

 

Camping

The park offers several different types of campsites:

• Frontcountry - RV and tent camping in a developed campground that has restrooms.
• Group Campgrounds - Large frontcountry campsites suitable for groups of eight people or more.
• Backcountry - Backpacking sites that require hiking several miles to reach a campsite.
• Horse Camps - Small campgrounds, accessible by vehicle, that offer hitch racks for horses and primitive camping facilities.