Cades Cove Campground
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- Right now
- OpenThe agency lists it open
- A night
- $30From, per site
- Sites
- 164161 on recreation.gov
- Season
- Year-roundOpen year-round
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
Over 2 million visitors annually come to enjoy the scenic beauty of Cades Cove and its many historic structures. Popular activities here include hiking, biking, touring the 11-mile Cades Cove loop road and observing wildlife. Whether blanketed in bright wildflowers in the spring or vivid colors in the fall, the scenery at Cades Cove never disappoints. Keep reading
Recreation
The Great Smoky Mountains are a hikers paradise and visitors to Cades Cove Campground love the 5-mile roundtrip hike to Abram Falls. From Cades Cove Loop Road, follow the signage at the turnoff for directions to the trailhead. Although Abrams Falls is only 20 feet high, the large volume of water rushing over falls more than makes up for its lack of height. The long, deep pool at its base is very picturesque. The trail to the falls traverses pine-oak forest on the ridges and hemlock and rhododendron forest along the creek. The waterfall and creek are named for Cherokee Chief Abram or Abraham whose village once stood several miles downstream. A nearby horse stable provides one-hour horseback rides as well as hay rides and carriage rides from March through October, offering recreational activities for the entire family. Campers can also enjoy high-quality backcountry fishing in the cool waters of the countless streams and rivers that snake through the mountains, with trout available in abundance.
Facilities
Cades Cove Campground is open year round and combines the feel of primitive camping with the modern convenience of flush toilets and drinking water. During the off season, only sites C1-12 and C26-61 are open to camping by reservation only. Once B Loop closes for the season then generators will be allowed in Loop C, with restricted hours, UNTIL Loop B reopens for camping. During peak season (May - October) a camp store provides visitors with basic necessities as well as bike rentals. Events like Interpretive Programs in the nearby amphitheater and Bicycle Only Days on the loop road provide visitors with a fun and unique experience. Please visit www.nps.gov/grsm for up-to-date information on campgrounds, road and weather conditions in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Natural Features
Cades Cove is a broad, verdant valley surrounded by mountains and is one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smokies. It offers some of the best opportunities for wildlife viewing in the park. Large numbers of white-tailed deer are frequently seen, and sightings of black bear, coyote, ground hog, turkey, raccoon, skunk, and other animals are also possible. For hundreds of years Cherokee Indians hunted in Cades Cove but archeologists have found no evidence of major settlements. The first Europeans settled in the cove sometime between 1818 and 1821. By 1830 the population of the area had already swelled to 271. Contact Info This location has limited staffing. Please call (865) 448-4103 for general information.
Nearby Attractions
The park holds one of the best collections of log buildings in the eastern United States. Over 90 historic structures, including houses, barns, outbuildings, churches, schools and grist mills, have been preserved or rehabilitated in the park, a few of which are easily accessible from the Cades Cove loop road. Townsend, located about nine miles away, offers full service grocery stores and fuel. Charges & Cancellations • If you plan to arrive at a date later than your arrival date you MUST contact the campground office 865-448-4103 in order to avoid a cancellation to your reservation. If you wish to cancel your reservation the day of your arrival you MUST contact the campground office 865-448-4103 in order to receive a refund. • Rules and reservation policies can be found at https://www.recreation.gov/rules-reservation-policies
What the agency tells you
A valid parking tag is required for any vehicle parking for more than 15 minutes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Front country campers parked at their designated campsite will not be required to have a parking tag. If they park elsewhere in the park, a parking tag will be required. Please note that parking tags will be required for vehicles in excess of what is allowable for each campsite. *For additional park information call 865-436-1200 or visit www.nps.gov/grsm
Over the last 10 years, an average of 339 negative human-bear encounters have been reported each year; many more go unreported. Visitors should be aware that high bear activity can occur in any area, and that your safety is not guaranteed. To increase your odds for a safe visit, please follow best practices for living and recreating in bear habitat. Stay alert and be prepared to react appropriately during possible encounters, and always report any unusual bear interactions as soon as possible.
Caution: Bear Habitat! Bears and other wildlife frequent the area. All food and equipment used to prepare and store food (even when empty, and even if certified as bear resistant) must be kept in a sealed vehicle or camping unit of solid, non-pliable material AT ALL TIMES when not in use. All scented items, as well as all water containers MUST be stored. Dispose of garbage promptly in dumpsters provided. Unattended or improperly stored coolers, food and/or scented items may be impounded by campground staff. Violators are subject to fines.
Everything else this campground posts · 12
Dispose of garbage promptly in bear-proof dumpsters. This rule is strictly enforced!
Firewood Restriction: Only heat-treated firewood bundled in its original packing and bearing a certification seal from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) or a state department of agriculture may be brought into the park. This rule is strictly enforced. Campers may also collect dead and down wood in the park for campfires. Firewood Vendors. Heat-treated wood is available from a growing list of private businesses in communities around the park. Please visit firewoodscout.org for a list of available vendors near the park. Concessioners at Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont will provide heat-treated wood for sale during their operating season. Certified heat-treated firewood is packaged and clearly marked with a state or federal seal. For additional information about these firewood regulations, please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/frontcountry-camping
Do not occupy any vacant site. If you have a reservation you need to KNOW your campsite number prior to arrival. Fires are allowed in fire rings only!
There are no showers or electric, water or sewer hook-ups in the park. Some accessible sites have a 5 amp electric hookup for medical equipment use only.
Quiet hours are in effect from 10 PM to 6 AM. Generator use is prohibited from 8PM-8AM. Generator use and the idling of engines to charge batteries is prohibited in C Loop whenever Loop B is open for camping. Once B Loop closes for the season then generators will be allowed in Loop C, with restricted hours, until Loop B reopens for camping.
A maximum of 6 people may occupy a campsite. The park stay limit is 14 consecutive days. Reservations which exceed the 14 consecutive day limit may be cancelled and refunded.
A Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license is required to fish in the park. Special regulations apply in the park.
Pets are permitted but cannot be left unattended. All pets must be kept on a leash at all times. Pets are not allowed on trails.
Cades Cove and Smokemont campgrounds are the only campgrounds open year round and require a reservation. Reservations may be made up to 6 months in advance.
You must check-in with the campground office staff UPON ARRIVAL to complete your reservation. If you arrive after the office is CLOSED for the day then you must check-in with the campground staff the following day. Failure to check-in with the office staff by noon following the day of your arrival will be considered a no show. This may result in a forfeit of your reservation. From November -April the campground office is intermittently staffed. You must be able to provide proof of your reservation upon request by park staff.
Vehicle Free Day runs from the first Wednesday in May through the last Wednesday in September. No motorized vehicles will be permitted to enter Cades Cove Loop from sunset on Tuesday until sunrise on Thursday.
Cancellation Policy for Individual Campsites: A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 164 · 31 tent-only
- Hookups
- None
- Longest rig
- 42 ft
- Paved pads
- All
- Accessible sites
- 11
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- Every site
Facilities
- Toilets
- Flush Toilets - year round
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
- Store
- Nearby
Around the campground
- On the water
- Waterfall, River, Creek
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Historic site
- Horseback riding
- Ranger programs
- Visitor center
- Wildlife viewing
- Night sky · 45th darkest of 95 in TN
- Bortle 4
- Fall color · reported 9 days ago, 8.5 km away
- Minimal color
Full this Saturdayread 16:12 UTC
How full the weekend is nationally.
3 campgrounds have sites open within 30 miles, read 16:25 UTC. See them
OpenBooked
Every one of the 160 sites on offer is taken this Saturday. 8 are free on Tue, Oct 20. read 16:12 UTC Why the weekend fills and the week doesn’t
Watch for a cancellation
Watch this campground
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.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 19
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $30 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 you plan to arrive at a date later than your arrival date you MUST contact the campground office 865-448-4103 in order to avoid a cancellation to your reservation. If you wish to cancel your reservation the day of your arrival you MUST contact the campground office 865-448-4103 in order to receive a refund. • R…” · this campground’s own terms
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 · 6
Open within 30 miles this weekend · 3
Sites the agency is offering this Friday and Saturday that nobody has taken, nearest first. read 16:25 UTC
- Appalachian ClubhouseGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · 12 mi · 1 of 2 site-nights open
- Elkmont CampgroundGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · 12 mi · 1 of 422 site-nights open
- Deep Creek Campground (NC)Great Smoky Mountains National Park · 22 mi · 1 of 180 site-nights open
recreation.gov availability, read 16:12 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
164 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 159 mapped sitesAll 164 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 161 of the 164 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
Measured shade is NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC) read at the site’s own coordinate, 27% canopy or more, and only for the sites the agency gave no Shade value. It never changes the agency’s own shaded count beside it.
| B:Generator Use | A01 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | yes | 157 ft | 222 ft | $30 | |
| B:Generator Use | A02 | type not stated | 30 ft | yes | 341 ft | |||
| B:Generator Use | A03 | type not stated | 27 ft | yes | 382 ftAbrams Creek | |||
| B:Generator Use | A04 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | yes | 49 ft | 443 ft | $30 | |
| B:Generator Use | A05 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | yes | 64 ft | 515 ft | $30 | |
| B:Generator Use | B01 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 59 ft | 190 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B02 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 59 ft | 208 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B03 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | 63 ft | 265 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B04 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 63 ft | 288 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B05 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 62 ft | 327 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B06 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 65 ft | 396 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B07 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 57 ft | 387 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B08 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 63 ft | 521 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B10 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 63 ft | 563 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B11 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 49 ft | 490 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B12 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 68 ft | 506 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B13 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 62 ft | 532 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B14 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 67 ft | 428 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B15 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 73 ft | 448 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B16 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 66 ft | 368 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B17 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 72 ft | 382 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B18 | standard nonelectric | 29 ft | 66 ft | 317 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B19 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 67 ft | 290 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B20 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 49 ft | 208 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B21 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 57 ft | 172 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B22 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 49 ft | 254 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B23 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 57 ft | 228 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B24 | tent only nonelectric | 59 ft | 308 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B25 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 90 ft | 331 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B26 | tent only nonelectric | 68 ft | 386 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B27 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 66 ft | 427 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B28 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 65 ft | 447 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B29 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 66 ft | 490 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B30 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 65 ft | 506 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B31 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 68 ft | 552 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B32 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 53 ft | 549 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B33 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | yes | 80 ft | 450 ft | $30 | |
| B:Generator Use | B34 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 47 ft | 495 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B35 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 80 ft | 372 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B36 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 47 ft | 449 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B37 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 90 ft | 246 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B38 | tent only nonelectric | 51 ft | 398 ft | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B39 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 82 ft | 144 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B40 | tent only nonelectric | 86 ft | 312 ft | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B41 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 77 ft | 212 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B42 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 77 ft | 137 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B43 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 79 ft | 172 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B44 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 79 ft | 194 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B45 | type not stated | 35 ft | 280 ft | ||||
| B:Generator Use | B46 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 47 ft | 290 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B47 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 51 ft | 329 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B48 | tent only nonelectric | 27 ft | 47 ft | 337 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B49 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 51 ft | 378 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B50 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 50 ft | 386 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B51 | tent only nonelectric | 31 ft | 61 ft | 449 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B52 | tent only nonelectric | 59 ft | 464 ft | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B53 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 43 ft | 505 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B54 | tent only nonelectric | 43 ft | 522 ft | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B55 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 43 ft | 544 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B56 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 43 ft | 565 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B57 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 60 ft | 509 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B58 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 58 ft | 508 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B59 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 44 ft | 449 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B60 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 45 ft | 450 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B61 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 44 ft | 405 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B62 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 45 ft | 405 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B63 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 63 ft | 332 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B64 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 60 ft | 338 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B65 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 54 ft | 269 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B66 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 60 ft | 278 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B67 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 54 ft | 216 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B68 | standard nonelectric | 25 ft | $30 | ||||
| B:Generator Use | B69 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | $30 | ||||
| B:Generator Use | B70 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 49 ft | 184 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B71 | tent only nonelectric | 64 ft | 264 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B72 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 49 ft | 228 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B73 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 64 ft | 321 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B74 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 58 ft | 282 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B75 | tent only nonelectric | 79 ft | 393 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B76 | standard nonelectric | 29 ft | 58 ft | 336 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B77 | tent only nonelectric | 82 ft | 466 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | |||
| B:Generator Use | B78 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 82 ft | 417 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B79 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 86 ft | 464 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B80 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 64 ft | 531 ftAbrams Creek | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B81 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 89 ft | 373 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B83 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 78 ft | 285 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B84 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 79 ft | 436 ft | $30 | ||
| B:Generator Use | B85 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 78 ft | 286 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C01 | tent only nonelectric | 54 ft | 26 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C02 | tent only nonelectric | 54 ft | 25 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C03 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 64 ft | 86 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C04 | standard nonelectric | 57 ft | 147 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C05 | tent only nonelectric | 57 ft | 200 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C06 | tent only nonelectric | 72 ft | 275 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C07 | tent only nonelectric | 72 ft | 337 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C08 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 67 ft | 414 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C09 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 67 ft | 467 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C10 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 73 ft | 436 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C11 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 67 ft | 378 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C12 | tent only nonelectric | yes | 48 ft | 336 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C13 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 77 ft | 242 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C14 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 56 ft | 200 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C15 | standard nonelectric | 26 ft | 62 ft | 210 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C16 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 62 ft | 250 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C17 | standard nonelectric | 29 ft | 53 ft | 299 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C18 | standard nonelectric | 33 ft | 53 ft | 344 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C19 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 48 ft | 376 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C20 | standard nonelectric | 29 ft | 48 ft | 330 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C21 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 81 ft | 201 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C22 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 69 ft | 197 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C23 | standard nonelectric | 28 ft | 37 ft | 186 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C24 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 62 ft | 154 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C25 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 39 ft | 128 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C26 | tent only nonelectric | 44 ft | 84 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C27 | tent only nonelectric | 47 ft | 74 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C28 | tent only nonelectric | 47 ft | 77 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C29 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 74 ft | 518 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C30 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 46 ft | 492 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C31 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 5 amp | yes | 62 ft | 480 ft | $30 |
| Generator Free loop | C32 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 46 ft | 446 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C33 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 48 ft | 418 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C34 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 36 ft | 343 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C35 | standard nonelectric | 31 ft | 48 ft | 370 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C36 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 36 ft | 308 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C37 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 61 ft | 286 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C38 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 49 ft | 242 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C39 | standard nonelectric | 34 ft | 41 ft | 226 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C40 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 49 ft | 196 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C41 | tent only nonelectric | 41 ft | 186 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C42 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 50 ft | 124 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C43 | tent only nonelectric | 46 ft | 141 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C44 | tent only nonelectric | 56 ft | 87 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C45 | standard nonelectric | 43 ft | 115 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C46 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 39 ft | 165 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C47 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 43 ft | 156 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C48 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | yes | 62 ft | 232 ft | $30 | |
| Generator Free loop | C49 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 57 ft | 211 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C50 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | yes | 62 ft | 294 ft | $30 | |
| Generator Free loop | C51 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 56 ft | 276 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C52 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 55 ft | 380 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C53 | standard nonelectric | 20 ft | 38 ft | 331 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C54 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 53 ft | 435 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C55 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 38 ft | 369 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C56 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 53 ft | 403 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C57 | standard nonelectric | 42 ft | 5 amp | yes | 52 ft | 421 ft | $30 |
| Generator Free loop | C58 | tent only nonelectric | 76 ft | 341 ftCooper Branch | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C59 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 52 ft | 452 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C60 | standard nonelectric | 21 ft | 56 ft | 407 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C61 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 48 ft | 348 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C62 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 56 ft | 224 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C63 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 48 ft | 315 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C64 | standard nonelectric | 30 ft | 51 ft | 283 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C65 | tent only nonelectric | 24 ft | 48 ft | 363 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C66 | tent only nonelectric | 27 ft | 51 ft | 334 ftCooper Branch | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C67 | tent only nonelectric | 60 ft | 386 ft | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C68 | tent only nonelectric | 59 ft | 399 ftCooper Branch | $30 | |||
| Generator Free loop | C69 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 45 ft | 327 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C70 | standard nonelectric | 21 ft | 59 ft | 402 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C71 | standard nonelectric | 24 ft | 45 ft | 284 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C72 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 49 ft | 333 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C73 | standard nonelectric | 27 ft | 46 ft | 238 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C74 | standard nonelectric | 35 ft | 39 ft | 286 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C75 | standard nonelectric | 29 ft | 29 ft | 249 ft | $30 | ||
| Generator Free loop | C76 | standard nonelectric | 32 ft | 29 ft | 222 ft | $30 |
25 of 164 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Cades Cove GroupGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · 0.3 mi
Anthony Creek Horse CampGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · 0.6 mi
Abram's Creek CampgroundGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · 8.9 mi
Metcalf Bottoms Picnic PavilionGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · 8.9 mi
Look Rock CampgroundGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · 9.3 mi
Elkmont Group CampGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · 11 miFrom Maryville, TN: Take U.S. 321 North (you'll actually be driving south!) from Maryville to Townsend, TN (about 22 miles). At the traffic light in Townsend, continue straight on TN 73 and follow signs to Cades Cove.
From Pigeon Forge, TN take US 321 South (you'll be driving westerly) to Townsend, TN. Turn left (south) at Townsend onto TN 73. Follow signs to Cades Cove.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Townsend, TN
Typical weather
Typical October night 44°F, day 68°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 26°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
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.
The land, and who answers for it
what threatens it · who answers for it · a letter you can send
What threatens this place
You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.
Who answers for this land
Cades Cove Campground is in Tennessee’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Tim Burchett (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →
Who can change it · 4
Two offices, two different asks. The draft to the agency asks it to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up. The draft to Congress asks why that share is zero and presses for a published minimum at the campgrounds it funds.
- The office that runs itGreat Smoky Mountains National ParkNational Park Service unit
- The member who votes the moneyTim BurchettU.S. Representative · Tennessee’s 2nd district
- Your senator, on the same appropriationBill HagertyU.S. Senator · Tennessee
- Your senator, on the same appropriationMarsha BlackburnU.S. Senator · Tennessee
Read the draft, or change the wording
For the camper who turned up, or tried to book, and couldn’t get in. Every draft is written from this campground’s own record (its agency, its unit, its site count and its own weekend) and the buttons above copy whichever wording is selected here.
Asks the National Park Service to set aside a published share of the sites here for whoever drives up, and to post what that share is.
Subject Hold back a share of sites at Cades Cove Campground for campers who drive up
To the National Park Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park: I tried to camp at Cades Cove Campground in Tennessee and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 161 of the 164 campsites the agency files at Cades Cove Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 160 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cades Cove Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m asking for one specific thing: set aside a published share of the sites at Cades Cove Campground as first-come, first-served, and post what that share is so it can be checked. Somebody who drives up has no way in, and no way to find out whether they might have had one. Sent about Cades Cove Campground (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cades Cove Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Dear Tim Burchett, I’m a constituent in Tennessee’s 2nd district. I tried to camp at Cades Cove Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 161 of the 164 campsites the agency files at Cades Cove Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 160 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cades Cove Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cades Cove Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cades Cove Campground (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cades Cove Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Dear Bill Hagerty, I’m a constituent in Tennessee. I tried to camp at Cades Cove Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 161 of the 164 campsites the agency files at Cades Cove Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 160 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cades Cove Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cades Cove Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cades Cove Campground (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee) via campanac.com
Asks them to put the question to the agency in writing, and to press for a published minimum share of walk-up sites across the campgrounds they fund.
Subject Walk-up camping at Cades Cove Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee
Dear Marsha Blackburn, I’m a constituent in Tennessee. I tried to camp at Cades Cove Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and couldn’t. recreation.gov lists 161 of the 164 campsites the agency files at Cades Cove Campground, and every one of them is booked ahead, and the agency's own record lists none held back for somebody who drives up. On Saturday, October 17, all 160 sites recreation.gov was offering there were already booked. 1,623 of the 7,639 federal campgrounds in this country still keep at least some sites for whoever arrives first. Cades Cove Campground keeps none, and that’s a choice somebody made rather than a rule. I’m not asking you to run Cades Cove Campground. I’m asking you to put it to the National Park Service in writing: why is the share of first-come sites there zero, and what would a published minimum share cost? Please press for that minimum at the federal campgrounds you fund. The people who open these campgrounds, collect the fees and keep the water running are seasonal positions. At GS-5, base pay plus the government's own 36.25% benefit factor, one costs about $47,414 a year. One percent of the $13.3 billion the USS Gerald R. Ford cost to procure would pay for about 2,800 of them for a year. Both figures are the government's own (a Congressional Research Service report and an OPM pay table), and I’m glad to send them. Sent about Cades Cove Campground (Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee) via campanac.com