Great Smoky Mountains National Park Frontcountry Campgrounds
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, spanning the Tennessee-North Carolina border, is America’s most visited national park, renowned for its ancient mountains, diverse ecosystems, and abundant wildlife. The ten frontcountry campgrounds operated by the National Park Service are a fantastic place to get back to nature.
Why stay in a hotel when you can sleep under the stars and the magnificent trees inside the park, surrounded by over 1,500 species of flowering plants and the calls of elk and black bears?
Each campground offers a unique experience. Whether you are an individual getting some alone time, or a group of seven or more, the park has what you need.
Marc’s Take: The National Park Service does a fantastic job maintaining these campgrounds. If you plan on staying in one, make your reservations as soon as they become available. Spots fill up quickly and if you wait too long, you will need to find a nearby commercial campground.
What is a Frontcountry Campground?
Frontcountry campgrounds are the park’s developed, drive-in camping areas where you can pull your car, truck, RV, or trailer right up to a designated campsite.
These campgrounds are located along paved or well-maintained gravel roads and offer basic amenities like flush toilets, running water, picnic tables, fire rings with grills, and often a small camp store or ranger station nearby.
They are ideal for families, first-time campers, or anyone who wants the experience of sleeping in the Smokies without hiking in with all their gear.
For more details on a specific campground, click on one the pictures below and learn just about everything you want to know about the campground.
Frontcountry Campgrounds
Our handy chart below shows you how many camping sites, and the type, are at each campground.
Amenities at All Frontcountry Campgrounds
All park campgrounds have cold running water and restrooms with flush toilets. In addition, each campsite is outfitted with a picnic table and a fire ring with a grate for cooking.
Campgrounds do not have showers. When you check in, ask the attendant where the nearest shower facility is located. Local surrounding communities do have available showers, including options in Gatlinburg, TN, and Cherokee, NC.
Most campgrounds do not have electric or water hookups, but some sites at Look Rock Campground provide electric and water hookups. Dump stations with potable water are available at Cades Cove, Cosby, Deep Creek, Look Rock, and Smokemont, with an additional one near Sugarlands Visitor Center.
IMPORTANT: A few campsites at Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont have 5-amp electrical outlets reserved for those with medical needs (i.e. CPAP machines, etc.). Be sure to mention your medical need for electricity when making the reservation.
Check out our chart outlining the available amenities at the frontcountry individual site campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Read: Paws in the Park Pet Policy
ADA / RV / Trailer Accessibility
Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides several accessible camping options to ensure visitors with disabilities can enjoy the outdoors. Reservations for wheelchair-accessible sites can be made at Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont campgrounds, with sites featuring level ground, paving, specialized tables, and fire grills adjacent to accessible restrooms. Cades Cove and Smokemont offer these year-round, while Elkmont’s are seasonal.
Additionally, Deep Creek Campground has one accessible site, and Big Creek Horse Camp includes an accessible campsite and restrooms (seasonal). Balsam Mountain offers a wheelchair-accessible site nearby with a picnic table, fire ring, and tent pad.
Campground Reservations
All frontcountry campgrounds require advance reservations. Frontcountry campgrounds are popular and fill up quickly during the high season. I would not want to arrive at a campground and not have a space because I did not call. You can make reservations up to six months in advance for individual campsites.
IMPORTANT: The more popular campgrounds fill up six months out, pretty much immediately. As soon as it is open, visit Recreation.gov or call (877) 444-6777 to make a reservation. Same day reservations are acceptable (if spaces are available), but they must be made online or at the above phone number before arrival.
Group Campgrounds
Group campgrounds accommodate groups of seven or more. Keep in mind that these are “tent only” facilities. Guests in RVs, campers, pop-ups, buses, etc., must use other facilities.
Group campgrounds are located near the individual camps. The seven with sites available for groups include Big Creek, Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Cosby, Deep Creek, Elkmont, and Smokemont.
Just like the other campgrounds, group campsites do not have showers, electric, or water hookups. They do have cold running water and restrooms with flush toilets.
All group campsites require a reservation. You may reserve group campsites at Recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777, up to six months in advance.
Additional Tips for a Memorable Camping Experience
- Wildlife and Safety: With an estimated 1,900 black bears in the park, follow bear safety rules strictly, store food in bear-proof lockers or vehicles, and never approach wildlife. Fines apply for violations. Pets are allowed in campgrounds but must be on a leash no longer than six feet and are not permitted on most trails.
- Activities: Access hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, fishing in designated streams (permit required), and wildlife viewing. Popular spots near open campgrounds include the Cades Cove Loop (11-mile scenic drive) and synchronous firefly viewing at Elkmont (lottery-based in summer).
- Seasonal Considerations: Winter brings potential snow and ice, with reduced access; prepare accordingly. Fees are $25–$30 per night for individual sites and $40–$75 for group sites (senior/access pass discounts available). Check-in is 1:00 p.m., check-out is noon. Maximum stay is 14 consecutive days, with no more than 60 days total per year.
- Firewood Regulations: Only heat-treated firewood (bundled and certified by USDA or state agriculture) or dead/down wood collected in the park is allowed to prevent pest spread. Leave non-certified firewood at home.
- Parking Tags: Required for any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes.
Read: Everything You Need to Know About Parking Tags in GSMNP
For information about specific camping areas, please see the following articles. We have included directions, campground amenities, nearby points of interest, fees, opening and closing dates, and more.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park, spanning the Tennessee-North Carolina border, is America’s most visited national park, renowned for its ancient mountains, diverse ecosystems, and abundant wildlife.
The ten frontcountry campgrounds operated by the National Park Service are a fantastic place to get back to nature.
Why stay in a hotel when you can sleep under the stars and the magnificent trees inside the park, surrounded by over 1,500 species of flowering plants and the calls of elk and black bears?
Each campground offers a unique experience.
Whether you are an individual getting some alone time, or a group of seven or more, the park has what you need.
Marc’s Take: The National Park Service does a fantastic job maintaining these campgrounds. If you plan on staying in one, make your reservations as soon as they become available. Spots fill up quickly and if you wait too long, you will need to find a nearby commercial campground.
What is a Frontcountry Campground?
Frontcountry campgrounds are the park’s developed, drive-in camping areas where you can pull your car, truck, RV, or trailer right up to a designated campsite.
These campgrounds are located along paved or well-maintained gravel roads and offer basic amenities like flush toilets, running water, picnic tables, fire rings with grills, and often a small camp store or ranger station nearby.
They are ideal for families, first-time campers, or anyone who wants the experience of sleeping in the Smokies without hiking in with all their gear.
For more details on a specific campground, click on one the pictures below and learn just about everything you want to know about the campground.
Frontcountry Campgrounds
Our handy chart below shows you how many camping sites, and the type, are at each campground.
Amenities at All Frontcountry Campgrounds
All park campgrounds have cold running water and restrooms with flush toilets.
In addition, each campsite is outfitted with a picnic table and a fire ring with a grate for cooking.
Campgrounds do not have showers. When you check in, ask the attendant where the nearest shower facility is located.
Local surrounding communities do have available showers, including options in Gatlinburg, TN, and Cherokee, NC.
Most campgrounds do not have electric or water hookups, but some sites at Look Rock Campground provide electric and water hookups.
Dump stations with potable water are available at Cades Cove, Cosby, Deep Creek, Look Rock, and Smokemont, with an additional one near Sugarlands Visitor Center.
IMPORTANT: A few campsites at Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont have 5-amp electrical outlets reserved for those with medical needs (i.e. CPAP machines, etc.). Be sure to mention your medical need for electricity when making the reservation.
Check out our chart outlining the available amenities at the frontcountry individual site campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Read: Paws in the Park Pet Policy
ADA / RV / Trailer Accessibility
Great Smoky Mountains National Park provides several accessible camping options to ensure visitors with disabilities can enjoy the outdoors.
Reservations for wheelchair-accessible sites can be made at Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont campgrounds, with sites featuring level ground, paving, specialized tables, and fire grills adjacent to accessible restrooms.
Cades Cove and Smokemont offer these year-round, while Elkmont’s are seasonal.
Additionally, Deep Creek Campground has one accessible site, and Big Creek Horse Camp includes an accessible campsite and restrooms (seasonal).
Balsam Mountain offers a wheelchair-accessible site nearby with a picnic table, fire ring, and tent pad.
Campground Reservations
All frontcountry campgrounds require advance reservations. Frontcountry campgrounds are popular and fill up quickly during the high season.
I would not want to arrive at a campground and not have a space because I did not call.
You can make reservations up to six months in advance for individual campsites.
IMPORTANT: The more popular campgrounds fill up six months out, pretty much immediately. As soon as it is open, visit Recreation.gov or call (877) 444-6777 to make a reservation. Same day reservations are acceptable (if spaces are available), but they must be made online or at the above phone number before arrival.
Group Campgrounds
Group campgrounds accommodate groups of seven or more. Keep in mind that these are “tent only” facilities.
Guests in RVs, campers, pop-ups, buses, etc., must use other facilities.
Group campgrounds are located near the individual camps.
The seven with sites available for groups include Big Creek, Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Cosby, Deep Creek, Elkmont, and Smokemont.
Just like the other campgrounds, group campsites do not have showers, electric, or water hookups.
They do have cold running water and restrooms with flush toilets.
All group campsites require a reservation. You may reserve group campsites at Recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777, up to six months in advance.
Additional Tips for a Memorable Camping Experience
- Wildlife and Safety: With an estimated 1,900 black bears in the park, follow bear safety rules strictly, store food in bear-proof lockers or vehicles, and never approach wildlife. Fines apply for violations. Pets are allowed in campgrounds but must be on a leash no longer than six feet and are not permitted on most trails.
- Activities: Access hundreds of miles of trails for hiking, fishing in designated streams (permit required), and wildlife viewing. Popular spots near open campgrounds include the Cades Cove Loop (11-mile scenic drive) and synchronous firefly viewing at Elkmont (lottery-based in summer).
- Seasonal Considerations: Winter brings potential snow and ice, with reduced access; prepare accordingly. Fees are $25–$30 per night for individual sites and $40–$75 for group sites (senior/access pass discounts available). Check-in is 1:00 p.m., check-out is noon. Maximum stay is 14 consecutive days, with no more than 60 days total per year.
- Firewood Regulations: Only heat-treated firewood (bundled and certified by USDA or state agriculture) or dead/down wood collected in the park is allowed to prevent pest spread. Leave non-certified firewood at home.
- Parking Tags: Required for any vehicle parked more than 15 minutes.
Read: Everything You Need to Know About Parking Tags in GSMNP
For information about specific camping areas, please see the following articles. We have included directions, campground amenities, nearby points of interest, fees, opening and closing dates, and more.
Disclaimer
My Smoky Mountain Guide aims to provide accurate, up-to-date information about Great Smoky Mountains National Park and surrounding areas, using reputable sources. However, details about events, attractions, trails, or businesses may change without notice due to factors like weather or park policies. We cannot guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of our content. Visitors should verify details with official sources, such as the National Park Service or local businesses, before planning. My Smoky Mountain Guide is not liable for inaccuracies, omissions, or consequences from using this information. You are responsible for your own decisions based on our content. For feedback or corrections, please contact us.
