Campsite #3 at Abrams Creek Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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Frontcountry Campgrounds Main Page

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LOCATION

Abrams Creek Campground is located on the west side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park on Abrams Creek Road near Chilowee, Tennessee. This is a remote location, and the road to the campground is very narrow and winding. If two cars approach each other in opposite directions, somebody has to pull off the road, and there’s often no room to do so. Drive very slowly around curves.

Abrams Creek Campground Map (click to view or download PDF)

Just before reaching the campground is a parking area for the Rabbit Creek Trail, a trail that connects to Cades Cove. Beyond the parking area, the road to the campground is dirt.

Rabbit Creek Trail parking area near Abrams Creek Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

CAMPING SEASON

Abrams Creek Campground is open from late April through late-October. Most campgrounds at Great Smoky Mountains National Park that are open for this short of a season are at the higher elevations and can’t open early due to snow. This is not the case with Abrams Creek Campground, which is situated at the lowest elevation of any campground in the park. The short season is probably because it is so out of the way that keeping it open for a longer season is not economically feasible. The exact opening and closing dates change each year, so be sure to visit the National Park Service’s Frontcountry Camping web page for the latest schedule.

TYPE OF CAMPING

Tent campers, pickup and van campers, and pop up campers no longer than 12 feet can be accommodated at the Abrams Creek Campground. Campsites hold up to six people and two tents or one self-contained sleeping vehicle.

Campsite #9 at Abrams Creek Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NUMBER OF SITES

There are only sixteen sites at Abrams Creek Campground, making it one of the smallest campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

TERRAIN

Abrams Creek Campground is wooded and fairly level. Campsites 3 through 9 are right on Abrams Creek—you could jump into the creek from the tent pads at some of the sites. The campground map makes it look as if sites 1 and 2 are also on the water, but they are back a bit and trees and other vegetation block the view. The rest of the campsites are on the forest side of the loop road.

Campsite #5 at Abrams Creek Campground is on Abrams Creek, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Campsite #14 is on the forest side of the loop road at Abrams Creek Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Abrams Creek is swift moving, but it is shallow so you can wade out and go fishing. It is a really nice creek to camp along. (Note: the fish in Abrams Creek are contaminated with chemicals that may cause cancer and other illnesses.)

AMENITIES

Like all campgrounds in the park, there are no showers, but there are private companies that offer fee-based shower facilities outside of the park. Ask the campground host for directions to the closest one. The campground does have modern restrooms with cold water and a dishwashing sink. While the campsites themselves are level enough for disabled visitors, the restroom is at the top of a fairly steep hill. Because of this, Abrams Creek Campground is not designated as an accessible campground for disable visitors.

Walkway to the Abrams Creek Campground restroom, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

There are no water or electricity hook-ups at the campsites. If you need 5 amp connections for medical devices, you must camp at Smokemont, Cades Cove, or Elkmont, the only campgrounds with this amenity.

Each campsite has a picnic table, fire pit / grill, and a tent pad. These are pre-leveled areas of earth that are enclosed in a wood or concrete frame, so regardless of hilly or sloping terrain, you will have a level area on which to pitch your tent.

Tent pad at Abrams Creek Campground’s Campsite #7, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

There is one bear box for the entire campground. Those with a soft top vehicle or a motorcycle can store their food in this box. Everyone else should store their food in their hard top vehicles.

At the far side of the loop road near Campsite #9 is the trailhead for the Cooper Road Trail.

RESERVATIONS

Reservations are required to camp at Abrams Creek Campground. It is not possible to pay at the campground. If you show up without a reservation, you must leave and find a place with cell service (there is none at the campground) so that you can either call (877) 444-6777 and pay by phone or make a reservation online at Recreation.gov. Once you receive your confirmation code you can return and set up your campsite. You can make a reservation up to six months in advance.

Park campgrounds are not gated, so you can check in after hours. If you arrive when the campground office is closed, proceed to your site and register in the morning. If you forgot your site number, check the Late Arrival bulletin board at the campground office. Please note that I forgot my site number when camping at another of the campgrounds at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and the site information was not available as it should have been. I had to drive back to the nearest town where I could get a cell phone signal so I could log into Recreation.gov and find my number. Lesson learned—don’t forget your site number.

FEES

The current campsite fee is $30. Owners of a Senior or Access pass receive a discount on individual campsites.

Prices can always change. The most current rates are given on the Recreation.gov web pages.

CAMPGROUND RULES

• Check-out time is noon. Check-in time is 1 PM.
• All food must be stored in your vehicles or in the one bear box at Abrams Creek Campground.
• Stays within Great Smokey Mountains National Park are limited to 14 consecutive days at any one campground, and no more than 60 total camping days in a year. If you wish to camp more than 14 days at a particular campground, you must leave that campground for at least one day before returning. To do this, you can return home or simply switch to another campground for a day.
• No more than two vehicles are allowed at a campsite. Park on the pavement only and/or in designated spaces. There is overflow parking for extra vehicles.
• Do not bring your own firewood to Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Firewood is available for sale inside the park, but not at Abrams Creek Campground. You can also gather wood inside the park that is on the ground and dead.
• Pets are allowed as long as they stay on a leash no longer than six feet. However, no pets are allowed on the hiking trails, other than horses, and you cannot leave them unattended at your campsite.
• Alcohol is permitted in the campground as long as the people drinking are at least 21-years-old, which goes without saying.
• Quiet hours are in effect from 10 pm to 6 am. Generator use is prohibited from 8 pm to 8 am. Generator use and battery charging by engine idling is prohibited in generator free areas. During quiet hours, noise-producing equipment should be turned off, and entry to the campground is limited to registered campers.
• Hammocks are allowed in the campground with the following guidelines: Must be over the footprint of the campsite; limited to trees at least 10 inches in diameter; and must have adequate padding around the tree. Only 2 hammocks are allowed to be suspended from the same tree.

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