Hi there!
Elkmont Campground is a camping spot in the Smoky Mountains that is near a river, scenic roads, waterfalls, hiking trails, and more!
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!
Side note! Check the reviews at partner websites included below!
How to save money on your trip to the Smoky Mountains
I use hotels.com to look for the cheapest hotels. You can also try the expedia hotels site (good for car rentals too) or see if you like any of the vrbo vacation rentals or cabins.
/end side note
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First, some quick things to know about the Elkmont campground that’s located on the Tennessee side of the Smoky Mountains.
Then, a bit on how to make camping reservations.
Things to know about camping at Elkmont Campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
1. The Elkmont Campground is located around a 20 minute drive from Gatlinburg.
Out of the campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Elkmont Campground is the campground located nearest to Gatlinburg that’s also in a relatively central area.
The Cosby campground is located around 30 minutes from Gatlinburg, but the Elkmont Campground is more centrally located to popular Smoky Mountains activities. Cosby is basically located in northeast corner of the national park, and it’s in a quieter area.
2. If you’re coming from the east, you’ll drive along Fighting Creek Gap Road to get to the Elkmont campground.
This will offer you scenic mountain views as you drive to the campground! This is the road you’d take if you’ll be driving through the town of Gatlinburg to get to Elkmont.
3. If you’re coming from the west, you’ll drive along Little River Road to get to the Elkmont campground.
Little River Road will offer you scenic river views as you drive to the campground! This is road you’d take if you’ll be driving through the town of Townsend to get to Elkmont.
You can also make an activity out of driving Little River Road (aka Little River Gorge Road). You can drive straight through on the scenic winding road, or you can make some quick stops to see roadside waterfalls like the Sinks, the Meigs Falls, or the Cane Creek Twin Falls.
You can spend longer along Little River Road by finding a spot to go down to the river with your camp chair and hanging out there for a bit listening to the river flowing, or eating your picnic lunch by the river. Or for a spot that’s a bit more “formal” (aka picnic tables) there is the Metcalf Bottoms picnic area that is along Little River for a riverfront picnic spot. Elkmont to Metcalf Bottoms is around a 15 minute drive.
Little River Road is the road that you’d take to drive to Cades Cove from Elkmont Campground. See more about things to do on the drive from Elkmont to Cades Cove. There is also a campground at Cades Cove.
4. For the final road to the campground, you’ll drive along Little River.
No matter which direction you come from, you will be driving along Little River on the final stretch to get to Elkmont Campground!
5. It’ll take less than 10 minutes to drive to the Laurel Falls trailhead.
Laurel Falls is among the most popular waterfalls in the Smoky Mountains. The Laurel Falls trailhead is located directly off the main road (which is Fighting Creek Gap Road).
6. It’s a 15 minute drive to the Sugarlands Visitor Center.
You can consider this the gateway to Great Smoky Mountains National Park! Stop by here to get a $5 Smokies Starter Kit. Or if you still have time before you Smoky Mountains vacation, you can buy the starter kit online.
7. It’s a 15 minute drive to the Cataract Falls trailhead.
You can make it a longer hike by starting the hike to Cataract Falls from the Sugarlands Visitor Center, or you can park a little closer for a shorter hike to Cataract Falls.
8. It’s a 15 minute drive to the start of the Newfound Gap Road.
Newfound Gap Road is US-441 and the main road that runs north to south through the national park. It connects the national park gateway towns of Gatlinburg TN to 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 North Carolina side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The North Carolina side has the Mingus Mill and Mountain Farm outdoor museum, along with the Oconaluftee Visitor Center which is among the top spots for reliable elk sightings. (The elk were there both evenings I drove by.) There’s also the Smokemont Campground on the North Carolina end of Newfound Gap Road.
Newfound Gap Road is also where you’ll find the turn-off to Clingman’s Dome Road. This will lead to the Clingman’s Dome Trail which will then take you to the highest point in the Smoky Mountains.
From the Elkmont Campground to the Clingman’s Dome trailhead might take an hour or more depending on traffic and how much you stop along the way!
See more about what to see on the drive from Elkmont to Clingman’s Dome Road.
9. There’s the Elkmont Nature Trail right near the campground.
10. The campground is for tent camping and RV camping.
11. You can get riverside campsites!
12. There are some walk-in campsites available.
For the walk-in campsites at Elkmont Campground, there will be a small parking area, and then you’ll walk a short distance to your campsite.
13. The tent campsites come with a tent pad.
This will be flat gravel ground to set up your tent.
14. Elkmont Campground is a mostly “rustic” campground.
15. There is no electricity at the campground.
The campsites of Elkmont Campground are “non-electric” and there is no electricity at these campsites.
16. There are no showers at the campground.
There are no showers at Elkmont Campground, or at any other campgrounds in the national park.
17. There are regular bathrooms at the campground.
There are regular toilets at the campground, along with regular sinks, although there is no hot water. Cold water only.
18. There are faucets around the campground for drinking water.
19. There’s a dishwashing sink for campers.
20. You can get ice and firewood from the Elkmont campground store.
There is the Elkmont campground store that sells ice and firewood, among other basic camping supplies. This is located near the campground office and has limited hours. You’ll see it when you check in.
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.
21. The nearest RV dump station is at Sugarlands Visitor Center.
This is a 15 minute drive.
22. There are bears in the Smoky Mountains.
Elkmont 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!
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.
23. There are “bear-proof” garbage dumpsters for campers.
You will see bear-proof dumpsters and trash cans in the Elkmont area, and all over the park.
24. The Elkmont campground office is open from 9am to 5pm to check in to your campsite.
These were the posted hours in 2020 anyway.
Now, this may not be a big deal to most people.
You can still arrive at the campground on your first day past 5pm and find your campsite on your own.
They will even have a campsite list posted with your name in case you forget to make a note of it before you arrive.
But if you do arrive at the campground after 5pm, it also means that you can’t have an early day the next morning. You’ll need to stop by the campground office before you leave for the day, which means you can leave the campground no earlier than 9am.
25. It’s about a 40 minute drive to the Rainbow Falls trailhead.
26. It’s about a 45 minute drive to the start of the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is a slow going one-way road and one of the scenic drive in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Similar to Little River Road, you can drive straight through, or you can make a number of stops along the way.
You can see some historic cabins, a historic mill, and there are also some waterfalls hikes along the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
You can find the Grotto Falls Trail and the Baskins Creek Falls Trail.
Also similar to Little River Road, you can find some spots to stop along the way and sit along the creek to listen to the water flowing.
See more about what to see on the Roaring Fork drive.
And finally…
How far are the popular Smoky Mountains activities from Elkmont Campground?
- Elkmont to Alum Cave Bluffs Trail and Mt LeConte hike: 30 minute drive
- Elkmont to Newfound Gap overlook and Charlie’s Bunion hike: 40 minute drive
- Elkmont to Clingmans Dome Trail and Andrews Bald hike: 1 hour drive
- Elkmont to Cades Cove: 1+ hour drive
- Elkmont to Mingus Mill: 1+ hour drive
- Elkmont to Oconaluftee Visitor Center: 1+ hour 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 Elkmont campground.
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Now…
How to make camping reservations at Elkmont Campground
As per the National Park Service:
There will be no fist come first serve camping in Elkmont in 2020-2021.
All sites are occupied by reservation only.
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 Elkmont 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. If it’s a riverside campsite, then that will be noted. If you’re looking for a riverside campsite, you can look at the campground map and click on the campsites that seem to be near the river, and then look at the individual campsite details to confirm.
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 Elkmont Campground reviews you can read on the camping reservation website.
Cost of camping at Elkmont campground
The cost of camping at Elkmont campground is around $25-30 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.
But starting in 2023, there are the parking fees.
Checking in to your campsite
Then, once you arrive in the Elkmont 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 Elkmont campground!
Explore more campgrounds in the Smoky Mountains:
- Things to do near Cades Cove Campground
- Things to do near Smokemont Campground
- Things to do near Cosby Campground
See more about great things when driving from around Gatlinburg:
- Driving from Gatlinburg (and Elkmont) to Cades Cove
- Driving from Gatlinburg (and Elkmont) to Clingman’s Dome
The big list of things to do in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
HAPPY CAMPING IN ELKMONT!
Here are more ideas for a few days in the Smoky Mountains!
More of the best things that the Smoky Mountains is known for is hiking!If you're looking for just one solid day hike in the Smoky Mountains, there's the Mount LeConte hike. Most often this is done as a day hike, but you can also stay overnight near the Mount LeConte summit! There is the LeConte Lodge, which claims to be the highest guest lodge in the eastern part of the United States! (It does book up!)
There are also lots more hikes that come with mountain views. See more about some of the best hikes in the Smoky Mountains.
There are also a lot of hikes to waterfalls. See more about the best waterfall hikes in the Smoky Mountains.
You can also go camping in the mountains. See more about the best campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. (No showers in the national park, though!)
Cost to go to Great Smoky Mountains National Park
There is no national park entry fee for Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but as of 2023, there is a parking fee.You'll need a parking pass when you go to the Smoky Mountains.
You can wait until you arrive to buy the parking pass, or you can buy it online before you go at recreation.gov.
Depending on how many days you will be in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the cost of parking will be $5 or $15 per vehicle.
Plan out your time in the Smoky Mountains!
Some of the best known things in Great Smoky Mountains National Park include Clingmans Dome, Cades Cove, and Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail!For Clingmans Dome, you can get great views from the parking lot, or you can hike up to the highest point in the Smoky Mountains! (No matter what, you do need weather on your side, though! For me, 3rd time was the charm at Clingmans Dome!) See more about Clingmans Dome.
For Cades Cove, it's all about the slow-going Cades Cove Loop Road! You can drive it, bike it, or walk it! You can make stops to walk inside historic cabins, see a historic mill, and even do a waterfall hike! See more about Cades Cove.
The Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is also a slow-going road that you drive and make stops along the way, including quiet stops along a creek or waterfalls hikes. See more about the Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail.
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