Round Bottom Horse Camp at Great Smoky Mountains National Park

See the Frontcountry Campgrounds web page for an interactive location map.

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LOCATION

Round Bottom Horse Camp at Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located north of Cherokee, North Carolina. Take the exit to Big Cove Road from US 441. At Big Cove Road take a left and follow it for 8.8 miles until it ends at Straight Fork Road / Balsam Mountain Road / Hwy 403. Turn right and go 0.9 mile to the end of the pavement, then continue on the gravel road (adjacent to a trout rearing facility) for 3.5 miles to the horse camp. There are no vehicle restrictions on this section of Balsam Mountain Road.

CAMPING SEASON

Round Bottom Horse Camp is typically open from April until the end of October. The exact opening and closing dates change each year, so be sure to visit the National Park Service’s Horse Camps web page for the latest schedule.

TYPE OF CAMPING

Round Bottom Horse Camp can accommodate tent campers, RVs less than 35 feet in length, pop-up campers, and pickup truck campers, vans, and other small, self-contained sleeping vehicles. You must have a horse to camp at a horse camp within Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Campsite 2 at Round Bottom Horse Camp

NUMBER OF SITES

There are five campsites at Round Bottom Horse Camp. Each site can accommodate up to six people and four horses. There is plenty of room for parking at Campsites 1, 2, 4 and 5, and each site can fit two vehicles with horse trailers. All parking spaces are back-in.

I didn’t see anywhere to park a vehicle at Campsite 3, and the people camping at Campsite 2 also commented about this, so I wasn’t misinterpreting the layout. There is an extra parking area at the far end of the campground, so perhaps those at Campsite 3 could park there, then tent camp at the actual site. This would also be an appealing campsite for those backpacking from campground to campground on a horse.

Campsites 1 and 2 are next to each other, as are Campsites 3 and 4. Campsite 5 is off on its own.

Campsite 1 at Round Bottom Horse Camp

AMENITIES

There is no electricity or running water at Round Bottom Horse Camp. Toilets are portable toilets like you’d find at a construction site. Horses can drink from a nearby stream.

All campsites have a picnic table, lantern post, and a grill / fire ring. Horses are kept at the campsite, and there is a metal, four-horse stall at each one (no roof).

Horse stalls are at each campsite at Round Bottom Horse Camp

RESERVATIONS

Reservations are required and can be made up to six months in advance online at Recreation.gov or by calling (877) 444-6777. It is not possible to pay at the campground. If you show up without a reservation, you must leave and find a place with phone service and make a reservation. There is no phone service at the campground.

FEES

The current campsite fee at Round Bottom Horse Camp is $23. However, prices can always change. The most current rates are given on the Recreation.gov web page.

CAMPGROUND RULES

• Checkout time is noon.

• 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 the park for at least one day before returning.

• Do not bring your own firewood to Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Firewood is available for sale inside the park, but not at the Round Bottom Horse Camp. 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.

• 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.

• See the National Park Service’s Horse Camps web page for additional rules for horse camps.

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