Elkmont Campground Map (click to view or download PDF)

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See the Elkmont Region web page for an interactive location map.

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TYPE OF CAMPING

The Elkmont Group Campground is a tents-only campground. Parking is done in a common parking lot and equipment must be carried to the campsite. The campground is located within the Elkmont Campground and has its own private loop road.

CAMPING SEASON

The Elkmont Group Campground usually operates from mid-April through the end of October. The exact opening and closing dates change each year, so be sure to visit the National Park Service’s Group Campgrounds web page for the latest schedule.

CAMPSITES

There are four campsites at the Elkmont Group Campground. The campground has its own restroom and an amphitheater for lectures and other events.

You must have at least seven people to reserve a group campsite.

GROUP SITE 1

Campsite GP1 is handicap-assessible and can accommodate up to 30 people. It has a half dozen parking spaces, a stand-up grill with three cooking surfaces (equal to three regular grills), five picnic tables, two lantern posts, and two tall, handicap-accessible fire pits. These are good for cooking if you are in a wheelchair, but they suck for sitting around a campfire because the fire is down at the bottom of the metal container.

The camping area is in a clearing surrounded by trees, so there is no shade. Tents must be pitch on the provided tent pads. There is one 14′ x 14′ pad and two 12′ x 20′ pads.

Being handicap accessible, it is the campsite closest to the restrooms, and a maintained dirt path leads to the tables and tent pads.

Campsite #1 at the Elkmont Group Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

GROUP SITE 2

Campsite GP2 can accommodate up to 20 people. There is parking for four vehicles. Amenities include three picnic tables, a stand-up grill with three cooking surfaces, and a fire pit. There are two 12′ x 20′ tent pads. The walk to the camping area is approximately 50 yards.

Campsite #2 at the Elkmont Group Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

GROUP SITE 3

Campsite GP3 is the smallest of the group campsites, accommodating only up to 15 people. There is parking for five vehicles, and the parking lot is close to the camping area. There are three picnic tables, a stand-up grill with three cooking surfaces, and a fire pit. There is one 13′ x 13′ and one 13′ x 25′ tent pad.

Campsite #3 at the Elkmont Group Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

GROUP SITE 4

Campsite GP4 is isolated from the other campsites, so it has the most privacy. It can accommodate up to 20 people and has parking for four vehicles. The camping area is above the parking lot, so campers must carry their gear up a flight of steps. There are four picnic tables, a stand-up grill with three cooking surfaces, and a fire pit. There are two 12′ x 20′ tent pads.

Stairs leading to Campsite #4 at the Elkmont Group Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Campsite #4 at the Elkmont Group Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

AMENITIES

Like all campgrounds at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, there are no showers at Elkmont, but there are private companies and private campgrounds 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. They may or may not have hand dryers or paper towels, so bring your own hand towels with you.

There are no water or electricity hook-ups at the campsites.

Elkmont has a camp store that sells basic camping supplies, ice, and firewood. Snacks, coffee, and sodas are sold via vending machines. Last I checked, it is only open Monday through Saturday from 3 PM to 8 PM.

RESERVATIONS

Group campsites must be reserved, and reservations can be made up to one year in adavance. Sites cannot be paid for upon arrival, even if the place is empty. You must drive back to Gatlinburg where you can get a phone signal and make a reservation either online at Recreation.gov or by phone. If using the online system, when navigating to the proper campground reservation page search for Elkmont Group Campground, not Elkmont Campground. The main and group campgrounds have separate reservation pages.

FEES

The 15-person group site is $38/night; the two 20-person sites are $50/night; and the 30-person site is $75/night. 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 Elkmont Camp Store. 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. No generators are allowed.
• 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, place adequate padding around the tree, and only two 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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