Smokey Mountains

[jayfowler]

Looking for suggestions/recommendations for RV parks in or around Smokey Mountains for this fall. A lot of the RV parks I found online have you packed in like sardines. Any tips would would be appreciated.

[3'senough]

I have done both east and west sides. Cherokee KOA was spacious in the pull through sites, just not much to do besides camp or gamble at Harrahs. On the west side there is Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg which get crazy busy, especially in the fall leaf peeper season.

I stayed at the River Plantation RV park and will not go back due to proximity to others, traffic and the quarry. The closer you get to Pigeon the tighter and more commercial it gets until you go past Gatlinburg. There are a few threads on some nice camping spots tight to the mountains, just you need to confirm if hookups are available and if you will fit. When and if I return I will do that.

Anchor Down is west on the lake and would require driving in to get to the national park, but might be worth a look.

[NC Hauler]

I would stay in Sevierville TN,,,It's not that far from Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge..
One campground is Riverside RV Park and Resort , and another is River Plantation.. Both are close to all kinds of attractions and in the Smokies. A lot of pull throughs at Riverside,,,we've camped there at various times of year since 2000. A HUGE Bass Pro store and the Knife Factory are just two of the many "must see" spots


Hope this helped...We like Riverside best, easy in and out, great owners, and you AREN'T on top of each other.

Jim

[DocBrown]

We stayed at Smokybear Campground which is about 20 minutes east of Gatlinburg. Neat as a pin and very clean, the owners/hosts are excellent and very attentive, some of the sites are a little small, but not so much that you feel cramped, best of all they have a hot tub! It's a relatively small CG located away from the crowds and chaos that is Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge/Sevierville.

I will say this, Pigeon Forge/Sevierville were not our cup of tea. Super commercialized and cheesy tourist trap, and crowded even during the "off season", first week of Sept. after Labor Day. It reminded us of the WI Dells but 10 times larger. Gatlinburg is an interesting mix of cheesy attractions and fun stuff, like moon shine sampling. Lots of good locally owned restaurants in DT Gatlinburg. Gatlinburg can also be very busy, when we were there it was not unusual to have a 20-25 minute drive through it to get to the main park entrance.

[NC Roamer]

Originally Posted by DocBrown

I will say this, Pigeon Forge/Sevierville were not our cup of tea. Super commercialized and cheesy tourist trap, and crowded even during the "off season", first week of Sept. after Labor Day. It reminded us of the WI Dells but 10 times larger. Gatlinburg is an interesting mix of cheesy attractions and fun stuff, like moon shine sampling.

We normally avoid these tacky tourist places, unless we have some of the grandkids along.

[dalengail]

I second Smokey Bear Campground! We were there 4 or 5 years ago and would go back, again. It is nice and away from the hustle n bustle.

[buckeyejim]

Check out Anchor Down, great park, plenty of space between sites, great pool, and not far from all the Stuff!!! Views of the mtns are to die for.

Check it out been there several times

Buckeyejim
Columbus OH
Eagle 322FKS

[Paintinfool3]

We stayed at up the creek out of pigeon forge and enjoyed the stay but they had construction going on at the time ... last april and so there was a lot of rukus .... nice campground though. not a lot other than nice campsites though. No pool or store or other stuff if you have children. More for adults looking for peaceful experience

[galakelady]

We stayed at the Yogi Bear Jellystone RV Park in Cherokee, NC in the Smokies. Large sites, great hosts, kids' activities. Great place. KOA is on same road but not as nice.