Frontcountry Camping

Valid Parking Tags Required Starting March 1, 2023

Frontcountry campers parked at their designated campsite will not be required to have a parking tag. If parked elsewhere in the park, a parking tag is required.

 

Duration:

1 minute, 57 seconds

Frontcountry Campground Video

 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park maintains developed frontcountry campgrounds at 10 locations in the park. Click on campground titles below to learn more about each specific campground.

• Abrams Creek Campground
• Balsam Mountain Campground
• Big Creek Campground
• Cades Cove Campground
• Cataloochee Campground
• Cosby Campground
• Deep Creek Campground
• Elkmont Campground
• Look Rock Campground
• Smokemont Campground

Camping is permitted in designated campsites only, NOT in pull outs or parking lots. Camping is popular year-round and the park has a variety of options to enjoy camping throughout the year. Cades Cove and Smokemont Campgrounds are open year-round. All other campgrounds are open on a seasonal basis.

Each campground has restrooms with cold running water and flush toilets. Each individual campsite has a fire grate and picnic table. There are no showers, electrical or water hookups in the park. Shower facilities are available in the communities surrounding the national park. Please inquire about the nearest facilities when you check-in at the campground. There are 5-amp electric outlets for medical equipment use only at Cades Cove, Elkmont and Smokemont.

A maximum of two vehicles are allowed per site. At RV sites only one RV or trailer is allowed. No more than two (2) motor vehicles or one vehicle with trailer are allowed per campsite. Each campground has overflow parking for excess vehicles. Each campsite allows a maximum of six people. Camping structures must be placed on the tent pad, where a pad is provided. Hammocks are allowed but are limited to the footprint of the campsite. Check in time is 1:00 p.m. and check out time is at noon.

Pets are allowed on a leash no longer than six feet. Pets are only permitted on the roads, Oconaluftee River Trail and Gatlinburg Trail.

The park-wide camping limit is 14 consecutive days with no more than 60 total days in a calendar year. These limits apply to all park campgrounds. Quiet hours are from 10:00 PM-6:00 AM. Generator quiet hours are from 8:00 PM-8:00 AM.

Front Country Reservations: Reservations for the Frontcountry, group and horse campgrounds can be made by calling 877-444-6777 or visiting www.recreation.gov. Making reservations prior to your arrival are recommended to guarantee a campsite.

Additional information about camping reservations, including reservation time frames.

Read Campground Rules and Regulations for information concerning food storage, generator use, quiet hours, and other campground regulations. You can download a park map to find the locations of these campgrounds in the park.

 

Invasive insects hitchhiking into the park on firewood.

Lisa Horstman

Firewood Regulations: Only heat-treated firewood that is bundled and certified by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) or a state department of agriculture may be brought into the park. Campers may also collect dead and down wood found in the park for campfires.

Certified heat-treated firewood is packaged and clearly marked with a state or federal seal. Heat-treated wood is available from a growing list of private businesses in communities around the park. Concessioners at Cades Cove, Smokemont, and Elkmont provide heat-treated wood for sale during their operating season March-November.

Visit the campground pages for a map and listing of local stores and businesses that sell certified firewood. Additional information about this regulation.

 

Campground	Map	Number of Sites	Fee Starting Mar 1, 2023	Elevation	2023 Open/Close Dates	Maximum RV Length
Abrams Creek Reserve Now	Map	16	$30	1,125'	4/28 – 10/29 Reservations Required	12'
Balsam Mountain Reserve Now	Map	43	$30	5,310'	5/12 – 10/09 Reservations Required	30'
Big Creek Reserve Now	Map	12	$30	1,700'	4/07 – 10/29 Reservations Required	Tents Only, No RVs
Cades Cove Reserve Now	Map	159	$30	1,807'	Year-round Reservations Required One dump station open year-round	Trailers-35' Motor Homes-40"
Cataloochee Reserve Now See entrance road advisory below.	Map	27	$30	2,610'	4/07 – 10/29 Reservations Required	31'
Cosby Reserve Now	Map	157	$30	2,459'	4/07 – 10/29 Reservations Required	25'
Deep Creek Reserve Now	Map	92	$30	1,800'	4/07 – 10/29 Reservations Required	26'
Elkmont Reserve Now	Map	220	$30	2,150'	3/10– 11/26 Reservations Required Dump station at Sugarlands Visitor Center open seasonally	Trailers-32' Motor Homes-35'
Look Rock	Map	68	$30 - 36	2,600'	4/28 – 10/29	No size limit
Smokemont Reserve Now	Map	142	$30	2,198'	Year-round Reservations Required Dump station open year-round	Trailers-35' Motor Homes-40"

Cataloochee Entrance Road Advisory: The entrance road to Cataloochee Valley is a winding, gravel road that has some steep drop offs with no guard rails. Horse trailer traffic may be encountered on the road. Because the road is narrow, it may be necessary to stop or back up to allow other vehicles to pass.

 

Groceries, Camping Supplies, Food, and Firewood

A limited selection of groceries, camping supplies, visitor convenience items, and food and beverage service are available in the park.

Bundles of certified heat-treated firewood are available for sale in the communities surrounding the national park. Firewood may not be brought into the park unless it bears the USDA-APHIS-PPQ or state certification that it has been heat-treated. See Firewood FAQs page for additional information. The following campgrounds have on-site firewood sales:

• Cades Cove (at Cades Cove Campground Store)
• Elkmont
• Smokemont (at Smokemont Riding Stables)

Late Arrival Procedures

Park campgrounds are not gated. You may check in after hours, pursuant to the instructions that follow. However, please be considerate of your neighbors while setting up camp by keeping noise and light to a minimum. Quiet hours are from 10:00 PM-6:00 AM. Generator quiet hours are from 8:00 PM-8:00 AM.

If you have a reservation and arrive after the campground office closes, proceed to your assigned site. If you have forgotten your assigned site, check the Late Arrival List posted on the bulletin board for your name and site number. Return to the campground office the next morning to check in. If you fail to check in your site may be reassigned and your reservation may be canceled.

If you do not have reservations, check the Late Arrival List. If there are campsites available for campers who do not have a reservation, those available sites will be posted on the list. Set up ONLY on one of the sites listed as available. All other sites are assigned to campers with reservations. Return to the campground office the next morning to check in and pay for your campsite.

Dump Stations for RVs

Dump stations with potable water are located at Cades Cove, Cosby, Deep Creek, Look Rock, and Smokemont campgrounds. In addition, there is a dump station located across the road from the Sugarlands Visitor Center, approximately six miles from Elkmont Campground.

Discount Passes

The America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass is an annual pass that covers entrance fees at sites managed by the National Park Service, USDA Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Bureau of Land Management. This pass does not provide discounts for camping fees.

If you are 62 or older or have a permanent disability, you may be eligible for the senior or access pass. Great Smoky Mountains National Park visitor centers no longer sell senior passes. Please check at Smokemont, Elkmont, Cades Cove, or Deep Creek campgrounds. Get more information about Senior or Access passes at the USGS website. These two passes do provide discounts on camping fees. View all available passes at the USGS website.