The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is one of the most visited in the U.S. It has three main entrances: Cherokee, North Carolina; Townsend, Tennessee; and Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The park is divided into two areas, the backcountry and frontcountry. The backcountry is primarily for backpackers and requires hikers to trek for several miles to a camping site inside the park. The frontcountry has 10 different developed campgrounds that include restrooms, fire grates and picnic tables. In the frontcountry you will be camping near your vehicle. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. During extreme winter weather, certain roads and campgrounds are closed. Entrance to the national park is free, however, fees are charged for camping, which range from $14 to $23 per night. Reservations are required in some areas of the park. For more information, visit the website at www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/
Walden's Creek Campground is located at 2485 Henderson Springs Road in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The campgrounds are new and close to several activities including Dollywood, shopping in Gatlinburg and dining theaters. The campgrounds have paved roads, 38 sites with full hookups, bath house, cable, Wi-Fi and laundry facilities. The main roads through the campground are paved. The Walden Creek campgrounds are open from March to December; sites start at $30 per night. There are also numerous cabins available. For more information, call 877-908-2727 or 865-908-2727. You can also visit the website at www.waldenscreek.com
Mill Creek Resort is located at 449 West Mill Creek Road in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. The campgrounds have a trolley service to take you to a variety of places in Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville. The campgrounds are semi-wooded and have a number of amenities such as cable, Wi-Fi, pool, playground, bath house and laundry facilities. There are 72 full-hookup sites available as well as cabins and rental homes. The campgrounds do not allow camping with tents only, but do accept pop-ups. Campsite rates are $28.95 per night. For more information, call 865-428-3498 or visit the website www.mcresort.com.
Ripplin' Waters is located at 1930 Winfield Dunn Parkway in Sevierville, Tennessee. The campgrounds do not allow pets and are for RVs or pop-ups only. Each campsite includes water, sewer and electric hookups. The campgrounds have numerous amenities including a camp store, playground, pool, laundry and bath houses available. Rates for the river site range from $30 to $33 and rates for the park site range from $28 to $31. There are also full-facility cabins available for $75 and up depending on the number of persons staying in each site. For more information, call 865-453-4169 or 865-453-4169. You can also visit the website at www.ripplinwatersrv.com
