Great Smoky Mountains National Park has 10 developed campgrounds, ranging in size from the 12-site Big Creek campground to 220-site Elkmont. Cades Cove, with 159 sites, and Smokemont, with 142, remain open year-round. Reservations are required for all 27 sites at Cataloochee, and the park service advises visitors that the narrow, winding road to the campground can be treacherous. The Elkmont campground, closest to Gatlinburg, is open from March through November. Sites are large enough for motor homes up to 35 feet long. Each campground has a modern bathhouse with flush toilets, and sites have fire grates and picnic tables, but there are no hookups or showers at any of the campgrounds.
The National Park Service takes bear safety seriously, so campers must use the bear boxes at the eight campgrounds that have them or store food and odorous items in the trunk of their car or in a bear box of their own. Food and coolers left lying around campsites are confiscated and a fine may be levied. Firewood from a quarantined state or county is prohibited -- check the park’s website for a list of quarantined states and counties. Campers may stay at a campground up to 14 days, and pets are allowed in the campgrounds, but not on the trails.
Backpackers planning to spend the night in Great Smoky Mountains National Park must make a reservation and get a permit, available online and at the Sugarlands Visitor Center in Gatlinburg, that is good for seven days. Camping is only allowed at shelters and designated campsites -- trail maps with campsite locations are available online for free and at visitor centers for a small charge. Backcountry campers should be aware that about 1,500 black bears live in the park, and they must use the cable system at each site to store food and other items with an odor that may attract bears.
Equestrians can ride into the backcountry to camp or use one of the drive-in horse campgrounds at Anthony Creek, Big Creek, Cataloochee, Round Bottom or Tow String. Anthony Creek and Big Creek are closest to Gatlinburg. Reservations are available for all of the horse camps, and a permit is required for backcountry camping. The campgrounds have stalls, hitching racks, picnic tables, grills and room to pitch a tent. Only Big Creek has modern restrooms -- the other campgrounds have pit toilets. Download the trail map for the locations of backcountry campsites open to equestrians. In addition to standard backcountry rules, campers with stock animals may not allow the animals to graze or drink directly from water sources.
