Elkmont gets buggy so bring bug spray and citronella candles May- Sept. Overall, the B sites are small and offer little privacy. It is a pretty long walk between the two halves, at least 10 minutes. Half the size for half the price plus it's not the correct type. Generations of campers have returned to Elkmont year after year, drawn by the sounds of the river, the tranquility of the forest, and the variety of recreational activities in the Elkmont area. The nearest picnic area is Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area, west of Elkmont on Little River Road. Heres the breakdown: Bryson City, North Carolina is loaded with attractions that the whole family will enjoy-- between train rides, playing on the water, its proximity to the Smoky Mountains National Park, and the charming downtown with great food and a casual vibe. However, please be considerate of your neighbors while setting up camp by keeping noise and light to a minimum. Its a basic campground. No cell signal whatsoever. Open year-round, Cades Cove Campground borders wild meadows where turkey and bear strut their stuff. Home Tours. I would guess that when it is full, it wouldn't feel so private. Elkmont Campground is open from the second week of March until December 1st. Lots of wild turkeys in the area. Daisy Town is by far the most preserved and complete part of Elkmonts Historic District. The Elkmont Campground remains open, but K and L loop roads are temporarily closed for safety reasons, the park service said in the bear warning. My Familys Favorite Historic Site In The Smokies" . First, be prepared. If during your stay, you plan to park your vehicle outside of your designated campsite parking for longer than 15 minutes, you will need a parking tag. I have actually turned around on the Newfound Gap road and given up because it was so terrible. The National Park has a great section on Elkmonts history and it is well worth a read to understand why the buildings are there and why some only have chimneys and foundations left. . 37738, Download the official NPS app before your next visit. Elkmont Campground has 200 tent / RV campsites with paved driveways, gravel tent pads, fire rings, and picnic tables. Campsite K1-4, K6, K7 & K11 and also sites L1-7 . Many hikers think trekking through snow will be the most difficult part of a winter hike, but what is more dangerous is ice. Wading through the Little River over to the E campsites on the river. Junction City - Schreiner Park Campground, Upper Teton View - Toppings Lake Dispersed Campsites #8 - 16, Oliver Lee Memorial State Park Campground, Your Guide to the 2023 Quartzsite Sports, Vacation, & RV Show. Cell phone coverage is a no for any service I have tried over the years- Verizon, T Mobile, AT&T, and US Cellular. The river is very shallow next to sites. The sites arent private, which didnt bother us. Two of the largest campgrounds are found in the Tennessee side of the national park: Elkmont Campground and Cades Cove Campground. Enjoy lots of winter activities and snow-covered magical views, especially when visiting the Great Smoky Mountains in December, January, and February. A pretty basic dishwashing sink is on the outside of the bathroom, plus a potable water spigot. This is my biggest pet peeve of frontcountry camping. Is smokemont campground open? It is amazingly well-stocked though considering its tiny size, with not just wood and fire starters, but also items such as ice, bread, peanut butter, smore fixings, chili, bug spray, drinks (no alcohol), and basic camping equipment like tent pegs among lots of other things. This review is the opinion of a Campendium member and not of Campendium.com, First, be prepared. This blissful campground has been around since the early 1950s, and it is still going strong today! The only hiccup to this is that they sometimes dont release next years reservations until January or even later. An Elkmont man is behind bars after the Limestone County Sheriff's Office says he committed an armed robbery. Three handicap accessible ADA sites have 5 amp electrical service for use of medical equipment only.Proof of medical equipment required for use of electric hookup,. There arent any tent only loops at Elkmont much to my chagrin as a dedicated tent camper, but they do forbid generator use on loops A, B, L, M, and N. There are 20 walk in campsites in Elkmont where the tent pad is located a short distance away or up/down a few stairs from the parking area. We have already rented a minivan and we are starting our tour fron Atlanta planning to stay 2 nights in GSMNP before heading. Temperatures usually range from the mid-40s to the high-20s. Explored Elkmont cabins and did trails in that area. Bathhouses were nice and clean, There is a very small store at the entrance for those things that you may have forgotten. Tour on your schedule. However, there is one at the the Sugarland Visitor Center. This monster is about the max you can fit on a tent pad. Reservations which exceed the 14 consecutive day limit may be cancelled and refunded. You cannot get a generator waiver anymore, so if you need electricity overnight for a medical device, you need to reserve one of these sites. While physically located near Gatlinburg, it couldnt be further a Best monthly rate place I could find with open site. Why was the town of Elkmont Tennessee abandoned? Turn left at Sugarlands Visitor Center. Please note that parking tags will be required for vehicles in excess of what is allowable for each campsite. The beginning of Jakes Creek trail. 5. . The only drawback to this site is it is up some stairs from the parking area which can be annoying for carrying coolers back and forth. Find incredible places and experiences that help you bring home a story through August 2, 2022by Hugo Warren Elkmont Campground does NOT have electric, water, or sewer hook-ups. Failure to check-in with the office staff by noon following the day of your arrival will be considered a no show. Dump station at Sugarlands Visitor Center; open seasonally. Is December good time to visit Smoky Mountains? Use this locals years of experience at gorgeous Cades Cove to find out everything you need to know about camping at Cades Cove Campground. The river sites in G and H loops (on the west side of the campground) can get some road noise from the Little River Road across the river from the campsites. Fee: $40 per night Dates Open: May 13 - October 30, 2022 Directions to Smokemont Campground Smokemont Campground is in the southeastern area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about six miles from Cherokee, North Carolina. Book on the recreation.gov website for Elkmont. What are the Smoky Mountains like in January? Reservation Rules Located eight miles from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Elkmont Campground is the largest and busiest campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Campsite L2- you can see how the slope of the driveway makes it unsuitable for RVs or pop-ups. The following campgrounds have on-site firewood sales: Park campgrounds are not gated. This is campsite K8. A close up of campsite L2, one of my new favorites at Elkmont. Turn left at the Elkmont Campground sign and proceed 1.5 miles to the campground office. 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. Temperatures usually range from the low-50s to the high-20s. There are no showers, electric, water, or sewer hook-ups in the park. You could be that person! Lakewood Family Campground (also known as Lakewood Camping Resort) is a family-owned campground where you can go and create fun memories with your family that will last a lifetime! You can drive to Little Greenbrier School when the Wear Cove Gap Rd is open; from Metcalf Bottoms, you cross the wooden bridge over the river and drive about 0.5 miles until you see a gravel road on your right and a sign for Little Greenbrier School. After a 55 minute car drive, blessedly traffic free, we arrived at Clingmans Dome and were able to hike the trail and enjoy the viewing platform with about 5 other early birds. I asked the information desk at the visitor center where it was. From Gatlinburg,TN: Take Newfound Gap Road (aka U.S. 441) South into the Park. Besides just the normal amount of traffic for a campground of this size, you also get people heading to the popular trailheads of Little River and Jakes Creek trails so you get road noise from that too. . Recreation.gov! This family friendly campground is one of our favorites in the Smokies and we return to it again and again. No restrooms right now. Sh Up for a long weekend at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, camped at the Elkmont campground with a site right on the river. We enjoyed Little River Trail near Elkmont and Gatlinburg trail near Sugarlands visitor center. as well as all water containers, MUST be stored. All of the river sites tend to be really close to each other but luckily the river is pretty loud, especially in spring, so can dampen noisy neighbors. The inner sites of Loop A are the worst for this. While most Elkmont residents' leases expired . This is the kind we like. At the trailhead, look for the box containing brochures containing all the information that corresponds to the numbered signs along the trail (or ask for one at the ranger station). Or is glamping more your style? Check NOAAs website for a detailed weather forecast before you go so you have an idea of whats coming and then check the daily weather forecasts on the bulletin board outside the Ranger Station while you are at Elkmont and have 0 cell service. and Tantrum Brewing Company. In general, I like the south end of the west side of Elkmont best- I think it is the quietest and the campsites are the biggest. If you want more info about the Tennessee side of the Smokies and especially about our favorite family-friendly trails, check out our Great Smoky Mountains National Park Guidebook available on Amazon. At an elevation of 2,150 feet, the area enjoys a moderate climate, characterized by mild winters and hot, humid summers. It is a 3,000 square foot facility with electricity, an open meeting hall, roofed porch with rocking chairs, and a ballroom with ceiling fans. There are also no showers or laundry in the campground. Camping World Continues Expansion with the Acquisition of Ashley Outdoors in Salem, Alabama. Unattended or improperly stored coolers, food and/or scented items may be impounded by campground staff. Its close to great trails, the popular Cades Cove, has plenty of good restaurants, and its still close enough to Sevierville if you want to visit Dollywood or shop at the outlets. Which means you can only park in the designated parking area which is actually pretty small. That means it is 5 -10 degrees cooler than Knoxville but it is still hot during the middle of the day in the summer months when the sun is directly overhead. 10 LGBTQ+-Friendly Campgrounds Throughout the U.S. 7 RV Campgrounds Along the Natchez Trace Parkway, 5 Alternatives to Utahs Popular National Parks, Where to Camp When Visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park, The Best National Parks for Stargazing, and Where to Camp, The Best National Forests for Winter Camping, The Best Campgrounds to Experience a Dark Sky Park, Upcoming Dispersed Camping Changes You Should Know About for 2022, 5 Southwestern State Parks Worthy of a Detour, Campendiums 15 Most Popular Bookable Campgrounds in 2022, Written by someone with an affiliation to the property, Duplicate review submitted by the same member, Multiple reviews submitted by members of the same household, Reviewer did not actually visit the location, 11 Smoky Mountain Campgrounds You'll Love in 2019, FPV Scooter Tour Great Smoky Mountains National Park Elkmont Campground, A Visit to Elkmont - Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Camping By The Little River, Sisters on the Fly (Smoky Mountains) - June 2014, Great Smoky Mountains National Park - June 2014, Sugarlands Visitor Center RV Dump Station, sq_lead_photo_urls => [[], ["https://campcdn.com/photos/9/9/9987/85414/sq/elkmont-campground.jpg?v=1633794840", "https://campcdn.com/photos/9/9/9987/135993/sq/elkmont-campground.jpg?v=1633813851", "https://campcdn.com/photos/9/9/9987/162895/sq/elkmont-campground.JPG?v=1633825097", "https://campcdn.com/photos/9/9/9987/171849/sq/elkmont-campground.jpeg?v=1633828960", "https://campcdn.com/photos/9/9/9987/162872/sq/elkmont-campground.JPG?v=1633825093", "https://campcdn.com/photos/9/9/9987/85415/sq/elkmont-campground.jpg?v=1633794839"]], description => ["Although most sites will accommodate tents or RVs, extreme slope or length of driveway make certain sites more suitable for tents than RVs. 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