Smokemont Campground

Just what you want when you're looking for a calm campground near GSM! I chose this campground to be close to both the Great Smoky Mountains and the Qualla Boundary-- this one specifically because I was hoping the lack of showers would keep a lot of young families away. I was correct! I love kids, but I go camping for the peace and quiet, and there weren't nearly as many young families as in Cades Cove or the private campgrounds in Cherokee-- Smokemont had a good variety of campers between families, solo campers, and older couples. It was peaceful during the day and quiet at night. The tent sites feature gravel tent pads. These sites also vary widely in terms of size and privacy-- some campsites are rather private while others have little-to-no brush or space that separates them from their neighbors-- C & D loops are especially close together. Sites are reservation only-- they will not allow you to drive through the campground without the intent to stay. The campground also has a few hiking trails which vary in length from one mile to 8+ miles. I reserved site B024 months ahead of my trip by calling the ranger office at the entrance of the campground asking for recommendations-- I wanted to get a site that would allow me to use my hammock. I spoke with a very friendly female ranger who was happy to refer me to a good campsite, and even took a quick drive around the campground looking for such a site while I remained on the phone. I am very glad I called, the ranger recommended a lovely campsite! My site was one row back from the river so that I could hear it, and I had a couple of large trees that made using my hammock a breeze. My neighbors were roughly 15-20 feet away from my tent pad-- close, but not right on top of me. My section of the B-loop probably had the best spread-apart campsites within the campground, and the generator-free rule was respected. Upon arrival, the ranger at the office checked me in and supplied me with a “reserved” pass to put up at my campsite. They were straight forward about the rules to keep wildlife away, as both bear and elk regularly visit the campground. The campground does not offer bearproof storage containers at the campsites, so I brought an airtight dogfood container and kept my food & toiletries within that, locked inside my car at all times unless I was actively eating. There are certainly wildlife present-- I saw an elk nearby as soon as I finished pitching my tent, and I even saw a pileated woodpecker above my site. Bugs are very prevalent here, though not mosquitoes-- there were tiny green “no-see-ums” everywhere there was a light after sundown. Getting into my tent with a light on and without bringing some bugs inside with me was rather difficult. Though there are no showers at this campground, there are five toilet houses. These houses were regularly cleaned, though the cleaning focused heavily on the sinks, toilets, mirrors, and floor rather than the walls & ceilings-- those were rather full of bugs and cobwebs. The lighting inside the houses was also rather poor, though I could see clearly when I was inside at night. There were some small shelves over the bathroom sinks, which were useful. Overall, I did enjoy my stay at this campground and will certainly return. Though there were young families, there were more adults than there were children, and most kids I saw were ages 10 and up. Because of this, the campground was rather quiet. I also stayed in the generator-free area, which was a rule respected by all of the other visitors. The campground is overall very clean and is well maintained. Since there are no showers, you will need to bring shower wipes or a portable camp shower; bathing is prohibited in the river. Also keep in mind the campground’s surrounding area; it is a high elevation camp within the Smoky mountains that makes summer rainstorms prevalent. I recommend bringing an extra rain tarp with extendable poles to put up over your tent pad and/or picnic table. If you are looking for a large and more private site, I recommend booking campsites B32 or A7.

One of the best campgrounds I have stayed in due to the peacefulness of the area and my camping neighbors. The hosts were nice and friendly. My sight was right across from the river so we had a nice view. Also had some crow btos that would come and hang near us ever time we were at the campsite.

Nice quiet campground with a nice stream that passes nearby. We were probably lucky the night we stayed since everyone was very mindful of their noise levels and it was just dead quiet at night. The tent pads were pretty spacious. Firewood was available nearby. The campgrounds is just a few minutes past Oconaluftee visitor center where there were a buuuuunch of elk roaming around (one of the rangers had to chase them with the wee-woos to get them off the road). We were heading north for our road trip and Newfound Gap had awesome views but it does get pretty congested with a lot of tourists so I suggest going early in the morning.