Hi there!
Smokemont Campground is a camping spot in the Smoky Mountains near a scenic road, a relatively short drive to the start of many scenic Smoky Mountains hiking trails, and near one of the best places to see ELK in the Smoky Mountains!
I went camping in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in September. What the weather will be like from year to year can vary (which means the colors can vary!), but this is what it was like for me!
First, some quick things to know about the Smokemont campground that’s located on the North Carolina side of the Smoky Mountains.
Then, a bit on how to make camping reservations.
Things to know about camping at Smokemont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
1. The Smokemont Campground is located in North Carolina on the southern end of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
2. Smokemont campground is located right off of Newfound Gap Road.
Newfound Gap Road is US-441 and the main road that runs north to south through Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It connects the national park gateway towns of Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC. So Smokemont Campground is kind of near Cherokee NC.
Driving along Newfound Gap Road is where you’ll find a bunch of scenic overlooks, a number of great hiking trails with scenic views, and it will take you to the Tennessee side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
If you have plans to do a bunch of hikes along Newfound Gap Road, then you might find Smokemont Campground to be the most convenient campground.
These hikes include:
- Clingmans Dome Trail (where you can also find the Andrews Bald hike)
- Alum Cave Trail (which can take you to the Mt LeConte summit)
- Charlies Bunion hike
With Smokemont Campground being right along Newfound Gap Road, it means a scenic drive along the main road just to get to the campground!
👆👆 Driving Newfound Gap Road to Smokemont Campground from the north.
👆 The south side of Newfound Gap Road aka the south side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, entering/leaving the park. This picture is in the direction of driving away from the national park. This spot is around 10 minutes from Smokemont Campground.
3. It’s about a 5 minute drive to Mingus Mill from the campground.
The Mingus Mill is one of the historic mills you can visit in the Smoky Mountains, and possibly THE historic mill to visit if you are only going to make time for one.
4. It’s a 10 minute drive to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center… and the possibility of seeing ELK!
You can consider the Oconaluftee Visitor Center the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the North Carolina side! Stop by here to get a $5 Smokies Starter Kit. Or if you still have time before your Smoky Mountains vacation, you can buy the starter kit online.
The other reason to drive by the Oconaluftee Visitor Center is because this is one of the top reliable places to see elk in the Smoky Mountains. They are not always there, but are often there.
According to the National Park Service:
The best times to view elk are usually early morning and late evening.
Elk may also be active on cloudy summer days and before or after storms.
I saw them in evenings and in the rainy daytime! There’s a field right next to the visitor center. You’ll know it when you see it. If the elk are there, there will also probably be a line of cars parked alongside the road.
Also on your way to the visitor center from the campground, you’ll pass by small fields. Well, it may not be a “field” but a small grassy area. Either way, keep your eye out for elk when you drive to the visitor center too. I also saw elk there.
5. It’s about a 10 minute drive to the Mountain Farm Museum.
This is an outdoor mountain farm and located right next to the visitor center. You’ll park at the visitor center.
6. It’s a 10 minute drive to Oconaluftee River Trail.
Similarly, this is also right next to the visitor center and you’ll park at the visitor center. This is one of the only dog-friendly trails in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
7. For the final road to the campground, you’ll drive along the Bradley Fork river.
After the final turn off of Newfound Gap towards the campground, you’ll cross over a bridge over the river, and then it’ll be a drive along the river to get to the campground! A scenic final drive to get to Smokemont campground too!
8. The campground is for tent camping and RV camping.
According to the National Park Service:
RVs and trailers are encouraged to use loops D or F unless they want to avoid generator noise.
9. You can get riverside campsites if you’re RV camping.
When looking at the Smokemont Campground map, look at loop F (RV camping only).
There are also some campsites in loop B near the river with the campground road separating the river and campsite (tent camping and RV camping).
10. There are tent campsites that come with a tent pad.
This will be flat gravel ground to set up your tent. Not all campsites have tent pads. This will be noted when you make your Smokemont camping reservation.
11. Smokemont Campground is a mostly “rustic” campground.
12. There is no electricity at the campground.
The campsites of Smokemont Campground are “non-electric” and there is no electricity at these campsites.
13. There are no showers at the campground.
There are no showers at Smokemont Campground, or at any other campgrounds in the national park.
You can ask the Smokemont campground office for an updated list of campgrounds nearby so you can call about current status for showers. (In 2020, covid made campgrounds less welcoming to walk-ins for showers.)
14. There are regular bathrooms at the campground.
There are regular toilets at the campground, along with regular sinks, although there is usually no hot water. Cold water only. Although there was a Smokemont campground review by a camper (William) who stayed at Smokemont Campground in January 2021 who stated there was hot water in the bathroom. So maybe that’s a winter thing.
15. There are faucets for drinking water at the campground.
16. There’s a dishwashing sink for campers.
17. You can get ice and firewood from the Smokemont riding stables store just down the road.
There is a small store at the Smokemont Riding Stables that sells ice and firewood, among other basic camping supplies. This is located right near the campground, after you make the final turn towards Smokemont campground. You’ll see a sign for it when you’re there.
In 2020, the cost of firewood was $6 per bundle, and the cost of ice was $3 per bag.
Because of invasive species that could come with wood brought from elsewhere, it’s always best to buy your firewood locally.
Read about the firewood specifications for camping in the Smoky Mountains.
And… if you want to ride the horses, you can do that too.
18. There is an RV dump station at the Smokemont Campground.
19. There are bears in the Smoky Mountains.
Smokemont is “bear habitat.”
It’s said that a fed bear is a dead bear. This means that once bears start to see humans as a source of food, they can become a threat to humans, and that means a potential threat to you! If a specific bear is thought to be a threat, then it may be put to rest.
Currently, bears in the Smoky Mountains are generally not seen as a threat to people. But it takes everyone, including all campers, to keep it like that and to keep everyone safe, while you’re camping, and to keep the campers that come after you safe!
When you check in, you’ll be given a copy of things to help keep bears away so be sure to read that.
Among the things that are noted are to be sure to take care to pick up after yourself after you eat. You want to avoid leaving food in your tent, and be sure to store all food in your car. This also means it would be better if you didn’t eat inside your tent at all.
Another thing is to also try not to keep scented items inside your tent. Scented items can even include things like shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and sunscreen.
Before you go camping, you can read up on bears in the Smoky Mountains.
20. There are “bear-proof” garbage dumpsters for campers.
You will see bear-proof dumpsters and trash cans in the Smokemont area, and all over the park.
21. Be prepared for camping in the rain!
You’ll want to be prepared for rain no matter where you go camping just in case. But you’ll want to make sure to be prepared if you go camping at Smokemont Campground! According to a worker at Mingus Mill that’s just down the road from Smokemont Campground, this is the rainy side of the Smoky Mountains. And well, pretty much my whole time at Smokemont Campground, it felt like it was cloudy or rainy! Although to be fair, for part of my stay I think the remnants of a hurricane were passing through.
22. You can find the weather forecast posted outside the campground office.
You probably won’t get cell service or data at Smokemont Campground, in which case you can head to the campground office to check the weather.
23. It’s about a 5 minute drive to the Collins Creek picnic area.
There’s a sheltered picnic area here.
24. It’s about a 30 minute drive to the Deep Creek area of the Smoky Mountains.
Deep Creek is an area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park that is also on the North Carolina side. You can do a waterfall hike here that will allow you to see 3 waterfalls along the way.
25. There are a few places outside the national park that you may want to see that’s kind of near Smokemont Campground.
Smokemont to the “southern terminus” of the Blue Ridge Parkway is about a 10 minute drive. Or, you can call this the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway on the North Carolina side! (You could then say it ends in Virginia at Shenandoah National Park.)
Smokemont to Mingo Falls is a 20 minute drive. 👇
Smokemont to Soco Falls is a 30 minute drive. 👇
And finally…
How far are the popular Smoky Mountains activities from Smokemont Campground?
- Smokemont to Alum Cave Bluffs Trail and Mt LeConte hike: 35 minute drive
- Smokemont to Newfound Gap overlook and Charlie’s Bunion hike: 25 minute drive
- Smokemont to Clingman’s Dome Trail and Andrew’s Bald hike: 35 minute drive
- Smokemont to Cades Cove: 1.5-2 hours drive
See more activities:
- The best hiking in the Smoky Mountains for your first trip
- The list of waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains
- The big list of things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Read the reviews of the Smokemont campground.
⛰🐻
Now…
How to make camping reservations at Smokemont Campground
The official website for making a Great Smoky Mountains National Park camping reservation through the National Park Service NPS is recreation.gov.
You can type in Smokemont Campground for the search, and then go from there.
You’ll be able to find an updated campground map too.
You can also see the individual campsites that are available.
If you click on an individual campsite, it will also give you the basics of the campsite. It will also tell you if the campsite is near the river.
If you have flexible dates, you can also search the availability by date. This can also help you determine if you should book soon or not, based on the availability of the campsites. You can also see how close a campsite is to the nearest bathroom.
There are also Smokemont Campground reviews you can read on the camping reservation website.
Cost of camping at Smokemont campground
The cost of camping at Smokemont campground is around $25 per night. See here for updated camping fees.
There is NO entry fee for Great Smoky Mountains National Park! This is kind of unusual for a national park.
Checking in to your campsite
Then, once you arrive in the Smokemont area, you’ll stop by the campground office to check in and get your camping permit!
Then off you go to find your campsite!
And that’s a bit about camping at Smokemont campground!
Explore more campgrounds in the Smoky Mountains:
- Elkmont Campground
- Cades Cove Campground
- Cosby Campground
- Planning a camping trip in the Smoky Mountains
Best of hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
The big list of things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
HAPPY CAMPING IN NORTH CAROLINA AT SMOKEMONT!
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