Permits are free but required for backcountry camping in the national park. You can reserve a permit in. You may make reservations up to a month before the first day of your stay. You may stay up to three nights at a single location, but your overall trip can be longer; you will make reservations for the entire trip when you talk to the permitting officials. Trail maps are available at all visitor centers and online.
When planning your trip, keep a few restrictions in mind. You may not have a pet, and your group must include no more than eight people. Do not attempt to make new trails or new fire rings; stick to established routes to protect the park's wildlife, and only use established fire rings. Follow specific guidelines for food storage, waste disposal and litter. Above all, remember that everything around you, including trees, rocks, fallen logs and historic buildings, is protected by law, so do not pick flowers, carve your name, or in any other way deface or damage these resources.
Big South Fork National River and Recreational Area, located in the Cumberland Mountains along the Kentucky state line, provides a number of recreational possibilities that are not allowed in the national parks, such as hunting and fishing. Backcountry camping requires a permit, available from the visitor center or local vendors; it costs $5 to $25, depending on the size of your group. You are allowed to bring your pet, provided it is on a leash of no more than 6 feet long. Unless you stay with posted no-hunting "safe zones," you should plan on wearing highly visible clothing, such as "hunter orange."
Of East Tennessee's 11 state parks, only two offer backcountry camping: Big Ridge State Park, near Maynardville, and Frozen Head State Park, near Wartburg. Backcountry camping in these parks is free, but permits are required; you can get permits from the camp offices. Big Ridge allows pets, but not pack animals, and Frozen Head provides a bathhouse for backcountry campers, located at the trail head.
Although the Hiwassee/Ocoee Scenic River Park is part of the state park system in Tennessee, the only area here where backcountry camping is permitted is along the riverbank above the Appalachia Powerhouse, and this area--the 20-mile John Muir Trail--is not maintained by the state park. Although it runs along the north bank of the state-designated Scenic River, the trail is maintained by the USDA Forest Service as part of the Cherokee National Forest.
