National Park Service · Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area · TN

Bandy Creek

4Heads uppark alerts
Information
Black Bears at Big South Fork Black bears call Big South Fork NRRA home. Help keep them healthy and safe by storing all food, cooking items, feed, cosmetics and coolers properly stored when at campgrounds or in the backcountry.
Information
The Use of Drones is Prohibited at Big South Fork National River & Recreation Area Currently, the use of drones is prohibited at Big South Fork and all National Parks. Detailed information about the policy is available...
Information
Big South Fork Announces Temporary Closure of Blue Heron Tipple Bridge Big South Fork NRRA has announced the temporary closure of the historic Blue Heron Tipple Bridge, effective immediately in the interest of visitor safety. A recent bridge safety inspection conducted by the Federal Highway Administration…
Information
Firewood ban is in effect for the park. Firewood ban is in effect for the park. Only firewood from the surrounding counties of Scott, Morgan, Pickett, and Fentress, in Tennessee, and McCreary in Kentucky, can be brought into the park. Firewood is for sale or you may use dead and…
Alerts: National Park Service alerts API · Oct 17, 2026
ReservableBookable through April 16; today opens April 17.
Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book
Right now
OpenThe agency lists it open
A night
$20–$35Across the site types the agency prices
Sites
145144 on recreation.gov
Season
Year-roundOpen year-round
73 ftLongest rig
1,580 ftElevation
759 ftWater · an unnamed pond
7.3 miW of Oneida, TN
55%Tree cover
Open year-roundToday

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 9 notices

In the agency’s own words

Bandy Creek is a spacious and modern campground, situated in The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area--a vast and scenic expanse of land that offers visitors countless recreational activities. Keep reading

Recreation

Numerous trails snake through the Recreation Area, offering mountain biking, hiking and horseback riding for visitors. A swimming pool, along with on-site volleyball court, playgrounds and ball fields, make Bandy Creek an ideal spot for families. The main river of the Big South Fork is also a short drive away, offering fishing opportunities.

Facilities

Bandy Creek combines the experience of traditional woods camping with the modern conveniences of flush toilets, hot showers and electric hookups. Sites can accommodate groups and both RV and tent camping. The campsites are spacious and provide picnic areas and plenty of shade.

Natural Features

The Big South Fork is located in north central Tennessee and southeastern Kentucky in some of the most rugged terrain of the Cumberland Plateau. The park encompasses approximately 125,000 acres including rocky gorges and forested plateaus. Numerous pristine streams unite with the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River. Over thousands of years, ceaselessly moving water has carved the sandstone of the plateau into impressive cliffs, arches and chimneys, which are found throughout the park.

Nearby Attractions

Located just under 20 miles from Bandy Creek is the Blue Heron Mine, also known as Mine 18, a historic abandoned mining town that has been rebuilt as an outdoor museum. Visitors can hear audio presentations from actual people who lived in the community in the 1950s.

What the agency tells you

Rule

Important Travel Advisory for Visitors to Bandy Creek Campground If you are traveling from Oneida, TN to Bandy Creek Campground via Highway 297, please be aware that this route includes a 13% downhill grade and winding curves as it descends into the gorge and crosses the Big South Fork River. This section of the highway can be especially challenging for large vehicles, RVs, and those towing trailers. Use caution, reduce speed, and shift to a lower gear before beginning the descent. If you are not comfortable with steep grades and sharp curves, consider an alternate route via Highway 154 to Bandy Creek Road.

Rule

Black bears and other wildlife frequent this campground. Please keep in mind that “food” to a bear includes any item with a scent, regardless of packaging. This may consist of items that you do not consider food, such as canned goods, horse feed, bottles, drinks, soaps, cosmetics, toiletries, trash, ice chests (even when empty), and unwashed items used for preparing or eating meals. All these items must be stored properly. --Secure coolers, grills, cooking utensils, horse feed, any food not in use, and anything with food odors inside the locked compartment of a vehicle or trailer or a bear proof storage locker if available. Food storage lockers each measure approximately 29" deep x 38" wide x 43" tall. --Wipe off picnic tables and grills. Properly discard aluminum foil used for cooking. --Avoid burning garbage in fire rings because it will leave behind grease and food scraps. --Always discard all garbage in wildlife proof trash cans or dumpsters. Keep a clean campsite. --Do not hang garbage from lantern poles.  Following these guidelines will keep you from getting your property confiscated from your campsite. We appreciate your cooperation.

Rule

Reservations for horse stalls must be made by calling (865) 696-5611 or online at www.bandycreekbsfstables.com. They are not included in the campground reservations.

Everything else this campground posts · 6
Rule

This is a hazardous tree area and branches may fall at any time; use caution when selecting a place to camp.

Rule

A Tennessee or Kentucky fishing license is required to fish in the main river of the Big South Fork.

Rule

Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.

Rule

Any group larger than 25 persons wishing to participate in any activity in the park in which members of the group will depart from an established road and/or parking area must first obtain a permit for such activity. More information can be found online at www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/special-use-permits.htm .

Rule

The Bandy Creek Swimming Pool is open Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and Holidays from Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day. Find more information here https://www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/bandy-creek-swimming-pool.htm

Rule

Please be advised that an approved Permit or Authorization by the superintendent is required before providing business services within Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. This includes services such as RV or tent delivery and setup, firewood sales and delivery, shuttle and transportation services, guided hikes, guided floats, and similar activities. To apply for a permit, please visit our website at www.nps.gov/biso and navigate to the "Doing Business With the Park" section. There you will find application forms, instructions, and contact information.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Tents and rigs

Sites
145 · 37 tent-only, 2 group
Hookups
95 electric, 96 water
Longest rig
73 ft
Paved pads
All
Accessible sites
7
Pets
Allowed
Campfires
Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade
Every site
Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets
Flush Toilets - year round
Showers
Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
“Facilities Bandy Creek combines the experience of traditional woods camping with the modern conveniences of flush toilets, hot showers and electric hookups.”
Drinking water
Yes
Dump station
Yes
recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
Playground
Yes
Camp host
On site
recreation.gov lists “Host”
Stay limit
30 nights
recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026
Water, toilets and showers: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water
River, Creek
Accessible Swimming
Amphitheater
Backpacking
Biking
Birding
Evening Programs
Fishing
Hiking
Horseback riding
Hunting
Ranger programs
Kayaking
Mountain biking
Non-Motorized Boating
Night sky · 5th darkest of 95 in TN
Bortle 4
Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

20 of 288 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:02 UTC

recreation.gov lists 144 of the 145 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.

OpenBooked

These counts cover the 145 reservable sites only. This campground also has first-come sites, and recreation.gov publishes no availability for a site you can’t reserve.

Booking window6 months outBookable now through April 16, 2027. Today at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 17, 2027.recreation.gov
Max stay30 nightsthe facility record
A night$20–$35plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule
A weekend$48–$78DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above
If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule
Runs itNational Park ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record
Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.
Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 16

What you actually pay

The sign priceNational Park Service
A night, per site$20–$35
Standard Nonelectric$20
Tent Only Nonelectric$20
Standard Electric$30
Standard Electric$35
Group area, a night$140
Rates for the season the campground is in now, Jan 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026.
The booking feerecreation.gov
Reservation fee, booked online$8
One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.
Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.
What a stay costs
One nightDerived$28–$43
A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$48–$78

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $20–$35 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov
Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10
Cancellation fee$10
Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night
No-show$20 + your first night

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 5

recreation.gov availability, read 16:02 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

145 sites · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 144 mapped sites
66 ftbetween you and the next site, typically
Least roomLoop D D029 32 ftLoop D D031 32 ftLoop C C013 39 ft

All 145 sites

145 of 145 sites located
Standard10Tent only37RV / electric95Group2Type not stated1
SleepsTakes aUp to

Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 145 of the 145 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 144 of the 145 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.

Group SitesE1group standard nonelectric60 ftyes469 ft734 ft647 ft$140
Group SitesE2group standard nonelectric60 ft491 ft758 ft872 ft$140
Loop AA003standard nonelectric51 ft78 ft465 ft483 ft$20
Loop AA004standard nonelectric50 ft71 ft559 ft448 ft$20
Loop AA005standard nonelectric36 ft78 ft530 ft404 ft$20
Loop AA006standard nonelectric48 ft71 ft620 ft385 ft$20
Loop AA007standard nonelectric45 ft64 ft583 ft326 ft$20
Loop AA008standard nonelectric43 ft64 ft577 ft314 ft$20
Loop AA009standard nonelectric49 ft86 ft668 ft222 ft$20
Loop AA010standard nonelectric36 ft86 ft713 ft190 ft$20
Loop AA011standard nonelectric30 ft90 ft657 ft296 ft$20
Loop AA012standard nonelectric46 ft86 ft705 ft338 ft$20
Loop AA013tent only nonelectric45 ft81 ft935 ft154 ft$20
Loop AA014tent only nonelectric52 ftyes81 ft965 ft107 ft$20
Loop AA015tent only nonelectric41 ft79 ft945 ft112 ft$20
Loop AA016tent only nonelectric24 ft74 ft881 ft169 ft$20
Loop AA017tent only nonelectric33 ft66 ft820 ft236 ft$20
Loop AA018tent only nonelectric36 ft60 ft872 ft206 ft$20
Loop AA019tent only nonelectric41 ft60 ft834 ft264 ft$20
Loop AA020tent only nonelectric32 ft73 ft763 ft312 ft$20
Loop AA021tent only nonelectric40 ft74 ft734 ft379 ft$20
Loop AA022tent only nonelectric35 ft57 ft745 ft451 ft$20
Loop AA023tent only nonelectric33 ft74 ft805 ft344 ft$20
Loop AA024tent only nonelectric52 ft57 ft756 ft464 ft$20
Loop AA025tent only nonelectric30 ft69 ft817 ft426 ft$20
Loop AA026tent only nonelectric34 ft66 ft793 ft392 ft$20
Loop AA027tent only nonelectric37 ft66 ft845 ft429 ft$20
Loop AA028tent only nonelectric35 ft75 ft884 ft367 ft$20
Loop AA029tent only nonelectric42 ft57 ft915 ft287 ft$20
Loop AA030tent only nonelectric37 ft57 ft916 ft230 ft$20
Loop AA031tent only nonelectric46 ft88 ft839 ft179 ft$20
Loop AA032tent only nonelectric44 ftyes112 ft1,023 ft118 ft$20
Loop AA033tent only nonelectric45 ft64 ft914 ft130 ft$20
Loop AA034tent only nonelectric31 ft64 ft857 ft137 ft$20
Loop AA035tent only nonelectric48 ft77 ft885 ft81 ft$20
Loop AA036tent only nonelectric37 ft89 ft757 ft209 ft$20
Loop AA037tent only nonelectric30 ft75 ft692 ft282 ft$20
Loop AA038tent only nonelectric43 ft76 ft598 ft474 ft$20
Loop AA039tent only nonelectric35 ft76 ft674 ft442 ft$20
Loop AA040tent only nonelectric40 ft79 ft706 ft368 ft$20
Loop AA041tent only nonelectric40 ft72 ft736 ft284 ft$20
Loop AA042tent only nonelectric28 ft70 ft764 ft223 ft$20
Loop AA043tent only nonelectric43 ft70 ft821 ft178 ft$20
Loop AA044tent only nonelectric47 ft70 ft811 ft110 ft$20
Loop AA045tent only nonelectric53 ft54 ft792 ft137 ft$20
Loop AA046tent only nonelectric40 ft54 ft752 ft190 ft$20
Loop AA047tent only nonelectric68 ft704 ft257 ft$20
Loop AA048tent only nonelectric32 ft73 ft729 ft291 ft$20
Loop AA049tent only nonelectric44 ft78 ft806 ft267 ft$20
Loop BB001standard electric46 ft30 amp62 ft863 ft375 ft$30–$35
Loop BB002standard electric44 ft30 amp51 ft814 ft390 ft$30–$35
Loop BB003standard electric43 ft30 amp62 ft801 ft323 ft$30–$35
Loop BB004standard electric45 ft30 amp51 ft768 ft372 ft$30–$35
Loop BB005standard electric37 ft30 amp84 ft715 ft288 ft$30–$35
Loop BB006standard electric52 ft30 amp78 ft715 ft384 ft$30–$35
Loop BB007standard electric58 ft30 amp51 ft612 ft211 ft$30–$35
Loop BB008standard electric59 ft30 amp51 ft563 ft189 ft$30–$35
Loop BB009standard electric48 ft30 amp62 ft496 ft214 ft$30–$35
Loop BB010standard electric28 ft30 amp62 ft464 ft274 ft$30–$35
Loop BB011standard electric48 ft50 amp59 ft496 ft410 ft$30–$35
Loop BB012standard electric42 ft30 amp59 ft549 ft448 ft$30–$35
Loop BB013standard electric49 ft30 amp77 ft625 ft462 ft$30–$35
Loop BB014standard electric53 ft30 amp80 ft678 ft424 ft$30–$35
Loop CC003standard electric44 ft30 amp89 ft699 ft127 ft$30–$35
Loop CC004standard electric44 ft30 amp55 ft769 ft201 ft$30–$35
Loop CC005standard electric46 ft30 amp55 ft720 ft162 ft$30–$35
Loop CC006standard electric49 ft30 amp71 ft673 ft157 ft$30–$35
Loop CC007standard electric56 ft30 amp83 ft630 ft75 ft$30–$35
Loop CC008standard electric50 ft50 amp65 ft614 ft207 ft$30–$35
Loop CC009standard electric50 ft30 amp64 ft577 ft113 ft$30–$35
Loop CC010standard electric38 ft50 amp65 ft549 ft236 ft$30–$35
Loop CC011standard electric38 ft50 amp59 ft549 ft173 ft$30–$35
Loop CC012standard electric50 ft50 amp59 ft491 ft187 ft$30–$35
Loop CC013standard electric43 ft50 amp39 ft446 ft299 ft$30–$35
Loop CC014standard electric39 ft50 amp39 ft432 ft336 ft$30–$35
Loop CC015standard electric27 ft30 amp85 ft337 ft430 ft$30–$35
Loop CC016standard electric25 ft30 amp85 ft292 ft422 ft$30–$35
Loop CC017standard electric40 ft50 amp51 ft389 ft282 ft$30–$35
Loop CC018standard electric54 ft50 amp67 ft428 ft213 ft$30–$35
Loop CC019standard electric47 ft50 amp51 ft342 ft313 ft$30–$35
Loop CC020standard electric39 ft50 amp48 ft296 ft314 ft$30–$35
Loop CC021standard electric56 ft50 amp48 ft330 ft268 ft$30–$35
Loop CC022standard electric41 ft50 amp54 ft281 ft300 ft$30–$35
Loop CC023standard electric60 ft50 amp54 ft331 ft247 ft$30–$35
Loop CC024standard electric50 ft50 amp90 ft284 ft290 ft$30–$35
Loop CC025standard electric51 ft30 amp40 ft374 ft203 ft$30–$35
Loop CC026standard electric48 ft30 amp47 ft454 ft122 ft$30–$35
Loop CC027standard electric47 ft30 amp40 ft380 ft193 ft$30–$35
Loop CC028standard electric41 ft30 amp44 ft423 ft150 ft$30–$35
Loop CC029standard electric46 ft30 amp56 ft513 ft80 ft$30–$35
Loop CC030standard electric47 ft50 amp56 ft548 ft100 ft$30–$35
Loop CC031standard electric45 ft50 amp77 ft674 ft197 ft$30–$35
Loop CC032standard electric50 amp81 ft648 ft119 ft$30–$35
Loop DD001standard electric56 ft30 ampyes168 ft1,007 ft168 ft$30–$35
Loop DD002standard electric50 ft30 amp74 ft1,096 ft156 ft$30–$35
Loop DD003standard electric52 ft30 amp58 ft1,041 ft131 ft$30–$35
Loop DD004standard electric52 ft30 amp62 ft1,064 ft192 ft$30–$35
Loop DD005standard electric42 ft30 amp66 ft1,122 ft210 ft$30–$35
Loop DD006standard electric43 ft30 amp66 ft1,133 ft258 ft$30–$35
Loop DD007type not stated53 ft50 amp1,057 ft239 ft
Loop DD008standard electric57 ft30 amp56 ft1,058 ft320 ft$30–$35
Loop DD009standard electric54 ft30 amp56 ft1,114 ft336 ft$30–$35
Loop DD010standard electric56 ft30 amp56 ft1,121 ft392 ft$30–$35
Loop DD011standard electric30 amp56 ft1,088 ft369 ft$30–$35
Loop DD012standard electric51 ft30 amp57 ft1,036 ft318 ft$30–$35
Loop DD013standard electric46 ft30 amp70 ft1,087 ft374 ft$30–$35
Loop DD014standard electric55 ft30 amp75 ft1,045 ft363 ft$30–$35
Loop DD015standard electric51 ft30 amp83 ft1,138 ft438 ft$30–$35
Loop DD016standard electric30 ft30 amp75 ft1,044 ft401 ft$30–$35
Loop DD017standard electric58 ft30 amp58 ft1,137 ft471 ft$30–$35
Loop DD018standard electric49 ft30 amp58 ft1,125 ft491 ft$30–$35
Loop DD019standard electric44 ft30 amp73 ft1,139 ft541 ft$30–$35
Loop DD020standard electric33 ft30 amp81 ft1,139 ft602 ft$30–$35
Loop DD021standard electric52 ft30 amp62 ft1,067 ft578 ft$30–$35
Loop DD022standard electric25 ft30 amp62 ft1,019 ft517 ft$30–$35
Loop DD023standard electric47 ft30 amp97 ft1,039 ft464 ft$30–$35
Loop DD024standard electric52 ft50 amp81 ft943 ft230 ft$30–$35
Loop DD025standard electric40 ft30 amp67 ft926 ft248 ft$30–$35
Loop DD026standard electric49 ft50 amp65 ft863 ft160 ft$30–$35
Loop DD027standard electric45 ft30 amp61 ft863 ft215 ft$30–$35
Loop DD028standard electric43 ft30 amp61 ft803 ft173 ft$30–$35
Loop DD029standard electric60 ft50 amp32 ft798 ft109 ft$30–$35
Loop DD030standard electric33 ft50 amp75 ft730 ft134 ft$30–$35
Loop DD031standard electric60 ft50 amp32 ft768 ft81 ft$30–$35
Loop DD032standard electric50 ft50 amp78 ft660 ft115 ft$30–$35
Loop DD033standard electric50 ft50 amp50 ft590 ft138 ft$30–$35
Loop DD034standard electric47 ft50 amp50 ft540 ft184 ft$30–$35
Loop DD035standard electric50 amp71 ft482 ft251 ft$30–$35
Loop DD036standard electric39 ft50 amp60 ft439 ft317 ft$30–$35
Loop DD037standard electric40 ft50 amp60 ft379 ft373 ft$30–$35
Loop DD038standard electric25 ft50 amp92 ft347 ft378 ft$30–$35
Loop DD039standard electric72 ft50 amp70 ft453 ft267 ft$30–$35
Loop DD040standard electric73 ft50 amp70 ft515 ft209 ft$30–$35
Loop DD041standard electric42 ft50 ampyes66 ft616 ft115 ft$30–$35
Loop DD042standard electric42 ft30 amp66 ft663 ft111 ft$30–$35
Loop DD043standard electric41 ft30 amp88 ft769 ft138 ft$30–$35
Loop DD044standard electric54 ft30 amp88 ft814 ft108 ft$30–$35
Loop DD045standard electric38 ft30 amp49 ft858 ft199 ft$30–$35
Loop DD046standard electric47 ft30 amp73 ft901 ft200 ft$30–$35
Loop DD047standard electric30 amp49 ft881 ft215 ft$30–$35
Loop DD048standard electric65 ft50 amp76 ft952 ft254 ft$30–$35
Loop DD049standard electric50 ft30 amp60 ft905 ft140 ft$30–$35
Loop DD050standard electric49 ft30 amp54 ft972 ft180 ft$30–$35
Loop DD051standard electric40 ft30 ampyes60 ft925 ft80 ft$30–$35
Loop DD052standard electric73 ft30 ampyes54 ft1,005 ft147 ft$30–$35

25 of 145 listed

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Overnight42°Chance Rain Showers50% rain
Saturday56°Partly Sunny11% rain
Saturday Night34°Mostly Clear then Areas Of Frost
Sunday66°Areas Of Frost then Sunny

NWS forecast for Oneida, TN

Typical weather

Typical October night 42°F, day 69°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical January night 25°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

90°32°20°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: ONEIDA, TN (USC00406829), 9 miles away and 140 ft lower

The land, and who answers for it

who answers for it

Who answers for this land

John Rose, official portrait

Bandy Creek is in Tennessee’s 6th congressional district. Its representative, John Rose (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from
Right now: The agency lists it open right now.
Cell signal: the Park Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.