Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge

[schiguy]

Looking to spend a week in September in the Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge area. Any suggestions on a good campground. I see there are numerous ones that have various ammentites and would like some input from experienced folks before I book something. Thanks.

[rsday75]

River Plantation is nice on the Severville side.

Anchor Down is nice but a little further out and $$$

Not too familiar with the Gatlinburg campgrounds. We usually just do a day trip into Gatlinburg.

[SouthCo]

March of this year we spent a week at Pigeon Forge KOA. We liked the location. It was close the things we wanted to visit. The Old Mill Square is next door. We walked over there thru Patriot Park to the restaurants and shops a few times...

[CastIron]

We stayed at Up the Creek Campground just outside of Pigeon Forge a few years ago. It is very nice. It is situated between two creeks. Their best amenities are peace and quiet. No pool, no restrooms, etc. Just nice big campsites.
Up The Creek - RV Camp in the Smokies

[Pfflyer]

There are a couple of campgrounds in Townsend about a 30 minute scenic drive to either Gatlenburg through the national forest or to Pigion Forge through Wears Valley. There is a KOA and another CG right next door right on the river. Not as much traffic but still close enough.

[Lauren]

Thanks for asking! We are wanting to plan a trip to the smokies this fall and need to plan and book now since I read it's a really busy time of year.

[Pfflyer]

Another nice thing about Townsend is it right at the entrance to Cades Cove. If you have never been its worth the time.

[Danny]

We are planning a trip there next week and will probably stay at Riverbend, just over the hill from the Titanic! LOL. They have Sunday morning church services.

[Gobbledot]

Depends on what you want to do or where you want to go. If you stay in the Sevierville/ Pigeon Forge area then my/our favorite is River Plantation. It is in the middle of it all and a GREAT CG..

[3'senough]

It depends on your idea of camping? I did the River Plantation last year and it was a little snug and did not like the quarry behind the CG with beeping at 430AM. The sites and CG were well maintained and the desk personnel were very attentive. For a CG in the middle of it all this was the best choice. Next time I will go east of Gatlinburg and get more rural.

Dollywood, WM, entertainment and shopping are all within 15 minutes of this CG if that is what you want.

Traffic is brutal in this region and perhaps even worse the time you are attending.

[glsimms]

I consider myself to be a Smoky Mountain veteran as I have been going there since the early '70's and have seen a lot of changes over the years.

A member here on JOF just recently got back from the Smokies and he stayed at Smoky Bear Campground. It's 20 minutes from Gatlinburg and a bonus is you don't drive thru Sevierville or Pigeon Forge to get there! It also has a 5 star rating from Trailer Life as well.

Check it out:
Smoky Bear Campground and RV Park

[schiguy]

It is amazing the feedback I have gotten on this question. It is not hard to tell this is a nice area to visit with a lot of things to do.

[popjim52]

We just came back not 2 weeks ago from there. We stayed at Anchor Down, and it was by far a very very nice campground. The views were spectacular across the Douglass Lake into the forest with the Smokey Mountains in the background.It was not awfully far from Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area

[fjd]

We spent a week in River Plantation campground last year. Good location and et a lot of great folks there. It is just outside the main strip into pigeon forge in Severville. We are from NJ and are used to heavy traffic. The strip is crazy busy and touristy but we like the mix of doing touristy now and then and spending alone time in the mountains. We would go back in a heart beat. Loved Gatlinburg as well. Give us an update after your trip what you did and how much you enjoyed it.

[robkelly]

We were at Camp LeConte for a week earlier this year and would stay there again. Sites are a little small, but then again IMO everything in the area is tight. The owners are great and take pride in their campground.

[Danny]

Got in at Riverbend for next Tues. thru Sat. no problem. First tried Anchor Down all booked up!

[schiguy]

I put in a reservation request for Smoky Bear. We will see what happens.

[glsimms]

Originally Posted by schiguy

I put in a reservation request for Smoky Bear. We will see what happens.

Have a good time and let us know how you like it.

[Tgallagher]

We just spent 5 nights at the smoky bear campground. It is a very good park. Beautiful sites. There's not a lot of spots so make sure you reserve ahead of time. It is well worth it. Very quiet and peaceful. The staff is awesome, facilities are clean. You are a 20 minute drive from Gatlinburg, but I personally liked it that way. There also a nice untraveled hiking trail right out of the park called The Old Settlers trail. Very cool. You can see old buildings, rock fences, and a river.

I really can't say enough about it. If you have any more questions I will try to answer it. I did post some about our trip under the campground forum.

[RoyBraddy]

We always stay inside the Park at ELKMONT CAMP. This is a NO-HOOKUP site but does have several bath room buildings close by and water spigots...

They have many sites for generators only folks so you can recharge your batteries each day connecting your shore power cable directly to the generator...

ELKMONT has a few supplies on site but TOWNSEND and GATLINBURG are close enough to go and get groceries when you need them... We always do our shopping at TOWNSEND as it is not as crowded as the GATLINBURG/PIGEON FORGE areas...

Been going here for many years since the early 70s both Tent Camping and POPUP Trailer Camping...

the SMOKY MTNS is our special place to visit...


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Roy Ken