Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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See the Smokemont Region web page for a location map.

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CAMPING SEASON

Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is open year-round, though some sections are closed in the winter and early spring. Being in the foothills at only 2,200 feet in elevation, cold weather and snow are not factors in keeping the place running during the winter.

TYPE OF CAMPING

Smokemont Campground can accommodate tent campers, RVs up to 40 feet long, and other self-contained sleeping vehicles. Each site has a vehicle size limit, and you can get this information on the reservation website, Recreation.gov.

The campground also has a group camping area. See the Smokemont Group Campground web page here on National Park Planner for more information.

RV in the F section of Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

NUMBER OF SITES

There are 142 campsites at Smokemont. The campground is divided into A, B, C, D, and F sections. All sites can accommodate up to 6 people and 2 vehicles. (I have no idea where E section is. Maybe some government official didn’t realize that E came after D and before F.)

Smokemont Campground Map (click to enlarge)

Tent campers are welcome in all sections except F, which is exclusively for RVs (that leaves 96 sites for tents). However, it is the A, B, and C sections that are geared more for tent campers because no generators are allowed from May 15th through October 31st. While tents are allowed in the D section, campers have to put up with generator noise; generators are allowed in D and F. RVs are allowed in all sections, though it is D and F that are best able to accommodate them, especially the larger RVs.

F section of Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is exclusively for RVs

AMENITIES

Like all campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are no showers at Smokemont, 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 dump station for RVs.

There are no water or electricity hook-ups at the campsites, with the exception of 5-amp connections for medical devices at two sites reserved for disabled visitors (sites B28 and F43). There are 6 wheelchair-accessible sites in all.

Ice, vending machine snacks, and firewood are sold at the Smokemont Riding Stables, which is located just outside the campground.

Smokemont is probably the most level of all campgrounds within Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It is wooded, so most campsites have plenty of shade. However, there is no privacy, as campsites are packed together one right after another, and there is no brush or other vegetation between them.

B section of Smokemont Campground at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

TENT CAMPING

Tent campsite at Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

While sites in the campground are shaded and fairly level, the inclusion of level tent pads in the A, B, C, and D sections make uneven terrain irrelevant for tent campers. Pads range in size from 13′  x 13′ to 15′ x 15′. You can have as many tents as you can fit on the pad, though realistically this means no more than two tents in most cases. Those with more tents than pad space must pay for a second campsite. When making a reservation at Recreation.gov, pad size, along with all other details about each campsite, is given.

Picnic tables, grills / fire rings, and lantern posts are standard at all of the campsites at Smokemont.

Campsite C11 at Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

RV CAMPING

RV at Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

RVs are allowed in all sections, though each campsite has a size limit. All sites in sections D and F can accommodate RVs up to 40 feet, whereas the other sections can only accommodate smaller vehicles such as vans and pick-up truck campers. Section D is the best choice for RVs because all sites have pull-through parking, giving large vehicles easy in-and-out access. Parking in the rest of sections is back in. Also, since F sites are exclusively for RVs, no tents are allowed, so adults can’t sleep in the RV while kids sleep in a tent. If that’s your plan, choose a D site.

Generators are allowed in sections D and F from 8 AM to 8 PM, and in sections A, B, and C from November 1st through May 14th when D and F sections are closed. When the entire campground is open, A, B, and C sites would only be a logical choice for RVs if all D and F sites are booked, and you must make sure the parking space is long enough to accommodate your RV.

Some of the campsites in the F section are situated along Bradley Fork, a small creek that flows into the Oconaluftee River. These campsites are 2, 4, 6, 34, 36, 38, 40, 42, 44, and 46.

Campsite F38 at Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park sits on the Bradley Fork

The Bradley Fork runs through Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

No other campsites at Smokemont are right on the water. The campground map makes it look as if some sites in the A, B, and C sections sit along the creek, but while you can see the creek from these sites, there is a road and a strip of land between the campsites and the water.

A road and strip of land sits between most Smokemont campsites and the Bradley Fork, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

RESERVATIONS

Reservations are required year-round for all campsites at Smokemont Campground. You can make a reservation up to six months in advance by phone at (877) 444-6777 or online at Recreation.gov. When making a reservation online you will be given information about the size of the parking areas, so choose appropriately if you are in an RV or towing a trailer. In addition, Recreation.gov provides photos of the sites. They may not show all angles, but viewing them is better than picking blindly.

If you try to make a reservation and the entire campground is booked solid, check back every chance you get because people cancel all the time and the sites immediately go back up for sale. I’ve gotten a campsite at Great Smoky Mountains National Park two hours after I couldn’t get one the first time I tried to make a reservation.

Campsites not reserved in advance are available on a first come, first served basis on the day of your arrival for that night only. You can use the reservation system to book campsites for additional days, but you may have to move to a new campsite if the one you pick is booked the next day (or there may be no campsites at all next day). Inquire about available sites at the campground office if it is open. If you arrive when the office is closed, you can self-register. To do so, check the office bulletin board for a list of campsites that are available FOR THAT NIGHT ONLY and pick from one of these. Do not drive around looking for an empty site because no occupation notice is attached to the campsite post. Someone with a reservation may show up at midnight. If a campsite is available, you can pay in the morning and hopefully make a reservation for the rest of your stay.

Campgrounds at Great Smoky Mountains National Park are not gated, so you can check in after hours. If you arrive when the campground office is closed and you have a reservation, 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 individual campsite fee at Smokemont 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 is 1 PM.
• All food must be stored in food storage boxes (if provided) or in your vehicle.
• 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.
• Park on the pavement only and/or in designated spaces.
• Do not bring your own firewood to Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Firewood is available for sale at the Smokemont Riding Stables. 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.
• Hammocks are allowed in the campground with the following guidelines: Must be over the footprint of the campsite, limited to trees 10 inches in diameter with adequate padding around the tree and only 2 hammocks are allowed to be suspended from the same tree.

For more information on camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, see the National Park Service’s Frontcountry Camping web page. This lists all the rules and regulations, opening and closing dates, and the latest camping fees.

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