Elkmont is the classic big family campground of the Smokies' North District - 211 sites at 2,150 feet, the closest campground to Sugarlands Visitor Center. You get tent and RV sites, flush toilets, and drinking water in season, but no hookups and no showers, so plan your rig and your washing-up accordingly. Sites come with paved driveways and tent pads, and the whole place runs on reservations through Recreation.gov. It's mild in winter and hot and humid in summer - a solid base camp for a straightforward family trip.
BOOK IF: You want a big, developed family base camp near Sugarlands with flush toilets, drinking water, and paved pads for a rig up to 35 feet. SKIP IF: You need hookups, showers, an on-site dump station, or cell signal - none of those exist here.
Tent, RV, tent-only, walk/boat-to, group
Sugarlands Visitor Center is six miles from camp; Daisy Town and the Appalachian Clubhouse are among the park's listed historic sites, and Laurel Falls and Cataract Falls are on the park's attraction list
A developed family campground with flush toilets, drinking water in season, paved driveways, tent pads, and a seasonal amphitheater for ranger programs - up to six people per site keeps the whole crew together
The campground operates roughly April through late November (closed Nov 29, 2026-Apr 3, 2027); summers run hot and humid at this elevation, so shoulder-season trips inside the operating window are the comfortable play
- Book on Recreation.gov the day your six-month window opens. - No showers here: pack a wash basin or plan a town run. - No cell signal: download offline maps and print your reservation. - Bring USDA heat-treated firewood or buy it at the seasonal camp store - don't move firewood. - Seal food in the vehicle or a hard-sided unit whenever it's not in use. - RVers: dump before you arrive or use the station six miles away at Sugarlands.
Expect a developed campground with paved internal roads and paved site driveways - keep every wheel on the pavement, including trailer and guest-car wheels. RVs to 35 feet and trailers to 32 feet fit; there are no hookups and no on-site dump station, so arrive with full fresh water and empty tanks. Tents go on the pad where one is provided.
This is a big developed campground - 211 sites - not a backcountry hideaway. It's the closest family campground to Sugarlands Visitor Center, run entirely on reservations, with quiet hours at 10 pm and generators off by 8 pm. Expect a family base-camp feel rather than solitude.
Flush toilets in season, but no showers and no laundry on site. Water spigots run seasonally. Plan a wash-basin routine at camp or a laundry-and-shower run into town.
Tent, RV, tent-only, walk/boat-to, group
Seasonal amphitheater for ranger programs; the park's trail network includes the Little River Trail and the Little River, Cucumber Gap, Jakes Creek Loop
Recreation.gov - reservations required (Booking: Book up to six months in advance)
No Pets Allowed
No - reservations are required at Elkmont, with zero first-come, first-served sites. Book on Recreation.gov up to six months in advance.
RVs up to 35 feet and trailers up to 32 feet are allowed. There are no hookups and no electrical sites, and the closest dump station is six miles away at Sugarlands Visitor Center, so arrive self-contained.
If you want the closest family campground to Sugarlands with flush toilets, seasonal drinking water, and paved sites for $30.00 a night, yes. If showers and power are must-haves, this isn't your spot.
Only heat-treated firewood that is bundled and certified by the USDA or a state agency may be brought into the park. Otherwise, buy it at the seasonal camp store or collect dead and downed wood in the park.
Yes - this is bear country. Keep food and anything used to prepare or store it sealed in your vehicle or a hard-sided camping unit whenever it's not in use, and stay 100 yards from bears.
No - there's no cell reception and no internet at the campground. Download offline maps, print your reservation, and tell folks your plan before you drive in.
No - generator use is prohibited from 8 pm to 8 am, and quiet hours run 10 pm to 6 am.
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