Best Camping in Tennessee

Tennessee camping is anchored by the most-visited national park in the US — Great Smoky Mountains — but extends to exceptional state park campgrounds across the state.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Ten campgrounds with 1,000+ sites in the most-visited national park in the US. Elkmont Campground (near Gatlinburg, TN) is the largest (220 sites) and hosts the synchronous firefly event (late May–early June) when thousands of Photinus carolinus fireflies flash in unison — a natural spectacle visible nowhere else on Earth. Cades Cove Campground (near the Cades Cove loop road) puts campers in the best position for wildlife watching at dawn and dusk. Backcountry camping requires permits at designated shelters along the AT.

Fall Creek Falls State Park
The finest state park campground in Tennessee — near the tallest waterfall in the eastern US. The campground has RV hookups and tent sites; the park's inn and cabins add lodging variety. Reserve early for peak season (summer weekends, fall foliage in October).

Pickett CCC Memorial State Park (Jamestown)
A small, quiet state park in the Cumberland Plateau with remarkable sandstone arches, rock shelters, and natural bridges — geological features more typical of the Colorado Plateau than Tennessee. The campground is uncrowded; the trails are exceptional. Technically adjacent to the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area (Oneida)
The Daniel Boone National Forest equivalent for Tennessee — a federally designated recreation area on the Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. The deep sandstone gorge, Class III–IV whitewater, and cliff-top overlooks make this one of the finest outdoor destinations in the mid-South. Bandy Creek Campground is the main facility.

Natchez Trace State Park (Lexington)
A large reservoir park in west Tennessee with 250+ campsites, horseback riding trails, and Pin Oak Lake swimming. A quiet, southern-Tennessee character that makes a good base for exploring the western part of the state.