Stay close to the action or get away from it all.

Whether you like to rough it or smooth it, the Smokies offer a breathtaking setting to pitch your camp.  You'll experience the Smoky Mountains on an intimate and personal level that can only happen outdoors.

The Smoky Mountains are home to commercial campgrounds of every variety, offering everything from the most basic tent sites to top notch amenities.  You're sure to find one to suit your tastes and budget.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg offers backcountry camping, as well as developed campsites.  The developed sites range from primitive to basic hookups.  All are located in areas of astounding natural beauty and can be reserved in advance.  Use of backcountry campsites for backpacking requires a backcountry permit, which are available free of charge and can be reserved up to thirty days in advance.

Because the American black bear is a native resident here in the Smokies, bear precautions are enforced at all campgrounds.  Following food storage regulations will protect your larder from midnight raids. Feeding of bears is strictly prohibited, as it teaches the bear to associate human activity with a free handout  . Backpackers will need to suspend their food stores between two trees out of reach - black bears can climb trees, so simply hanging food from a limb will not foil a determined bruin.