Great Smokies

[270S]

Taking first real RV trip to Great Smokies NP. How are the various Federal campsites? BTW, all are off grid. Glad my RV is 100% capable, even at night during NO Generator running hours 8-8. MY battery bank and inverter will provide 100% of my 120Vac requirements and desires - AC if needed.

Any inputs pro or con appreciated:

• Any gotchas or warnings to look out for
• Any sites to not miss, plan on skipping any Theme parks, just getting one with the outdoors
• How are water & gas sources and dump stations

[Jim G]

The best for RVs are Smokemont and Cades Cove. They are first come first served, so it is best to check in on a Sunday evening or early afternoon during the week, getting a place on Thursday or Friday evening is tough.
Check out recreation.gov for specific recommendations. Cades cove is close to Townsend on the North border of the park, Smokemont is near Cherokee on the south end. I would not recommend traveling in an RV on 441 from one side of the park to the other unless you have to. There are public campgrounds in Townsend and Cherokee with sites available if you cannot get a spot in the park. There are some nice parks in Townsend on route 321 between Townsend and Wear Valley and a couple of nice parks in Townsend near the entrance to the park. They will let you dump for a small fee. I do not recall if there are dumps are in the park campgrounds but I think so. Cosby and Big Creek are on the Northeast part of the park, they are nice but only have a small number of sites to accommodate RVs Recreation.gov or 877-444-6777 can answer your questions. Dry camping in the park is very nice and worth the trouble. But don't try any campground in the park in an RV over 34 feet without checking out your preferred campground in advance or you may end up somewhere you do not want to be.