National Park Service · Tennessee campground guide
The numbers
Fee range
$30/night
Season open
March through November
RV size limit
Up to 40 ft
Reservation window
6 months ahead via Recreation.gov
The insider read
Synchronous firefly event (late May/early June) lottery — campers get auto access. Closest GSMNP camp to Gatlinburg. River-loop sites face the Little River.
Original analysis from PickRV — synthesised from public sources you can verify, pulling the operational details competitor guides typically skip.
Verify at nps.govOn site
Book it right
PickRV doesn't handle campground bookings — reserve direct through the official channel so policies and cancellations flow through one record.
Opens recreation.gov
Every fact above is sourced from the managing agency's canonical page. Cross-check fee, season, and size limit before you depend on them.
Match the campground's size limit and hookup level to a vehicle category, then plan the rest of the trip.
Keep exploring
Near Spencer
StateInsider tip · 256-ft Fall Creek Falls — tallest free-fall waterfall east of Mississippi. Cumberland Plateau gorge views. Inn restaurant on grounds.
Near Crossville
StateInsider tip · CCC-built historic stone bridge. Closer to Nashville (90 min) than Smokies. Golf + lake + cabins.
Near Oneida
NPSInsider tip · 125,000-acre wilderness on the Cumberland Plateau. Whitewater Cumberland River. Equestrian-friendly camp loop separate from family loop.
Near Tellico Plains
USFSInsider tip · Bald River Falls (90 ft) 1 mile from camp. Cherohala Skyway scenic drive. Quieter than nearby NPS lands.
Your next step
Elkmont Campground (Great Smoky Mountains NP) takes rigs up to 40 ft, so what you arrive in decides whether the loop works at all. If you don't own one, the same trip runs on a motorhome rented in Tennessee.
Nothing in Tennessee is bookable today — PickRV opens for bookings on October 25. Dated requests are what we take to owners, so give us the window you actually want — you get one email the day a rig covers it, and nothing else.
Nearby & related
Sourced costs, campground directories, and the places worth a detour — the next layer of Tennessee trip planning.
Before you go
Tennessee rules
Verified 2026-05-10
