Frontcountry Camping

Notice

Abrams Creek, Big Creek, Balsam Mountain, Cataloochee, Cosby, and Look Rock campgrounds are closed. We regret any inconvenience. The park’s largest campgrounds are currently open: Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont. Deep Creek will open as planned on April 18. 

 

Valid Parking Tags Required

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

 

List of Campgrounds

Great Smoky Mountains National Park maintains developed frontcountry campgrounds at 10 locations in the park. Cades Cove and Smokemont Campgrounds are open year-round. All other campgrounds are open on a seasonal basis. Select a campground below to learn more.

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Amenities

Each campground has restrooms with cold running water and flush toilets. Each individual campsite has a fire grate and picnic table. Showers are not available in the park and only some sites at Look Rock Campground provide electric and water hookups. (Shower facilities are available in the communities surrounding the national park. Please inquire about the nearest facilities when you check-in at the campground.) Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont campgrounds have 5-amp electric outlets for medical equipment use only.

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. Additional information about this regulation.

General Regulations

• Camping is permitted in designated campsites only, NOT in pull outs or parking lots.
• Two vehicles maximum are allowed per site. At RV sites, only one RV or trailer is allowed. 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 pm and check out time is 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.

Advance reservations are required. To reserve a frontcountry, group and horse campsite, call 877-444-6777 or visiting Recreation.gov. Additional information about camping reservations, including reservation time frames.

Read Campground Rules and Regulations for more information. You can download a park map to find the locations of these campgrounds in the park.

Dump Stations for RVs

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

Interagency 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.