Travelers To Great Smoky Mountains National Park Will Find The Most Campsites At This Popular Campground

It's not easy to snag a campsite at America's most visited national park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park brought in 11.5 million visitors in 2025, but across its ten campgrounds, the park has only about 1,000 campsites — and they're typically booked solid several months in advance. So what's a prospective camper's best bet? Plan ahead, of course, and reserve a spot at the popular Elkmont Campground, the largest and liveliest camping area in the park.

Conveniently located just a short drive away from the Sugarlands Visitor Center, the northern gateway to the park, Elkmont Campground has 211 campsites. (For context, the park's other campgrounds each have between 12 and 161 campsites.) There are no electric hook-ups or showers at Elkmont Campground, but campers have access to flush toilets, sinks, and potable water. Each site has a gravel tent pad, fire ring, and picnic table. Most feature a paved driveway where you can park your car, though 20 are walk-in sites in a beautiful wooded area you can reach on foot from the campground's parking lot. 

The lovely forested surroundings are a major part of the campground's appeal. Two waterways, Little River and Jakes Creek, run through the area, ideal for cooling off in summer or casting a line in the water. According to Recreation.gov, the national park's official reservations portal, campsites set along Little River are the most sought-after spots in the campground.

"The campground is beautiful and located on a rushing rocky river," wrote one recent camper on Google Reviews. "It's pitch dark out there so look up at the amazing starry nights."  Another repeat visitor added, "[In] my opinion, it's the best campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park." He mentioned that one downside to Elkmont Campground is its popularity, but that you'll hear the sound of water (not your neighbors at the next campsite) if you book a site on the Little River.

Apart from the creek and river, the campground offers easy access to several hiking trails. Campers will find the trailheads for three popular routes — Little River Trail, Jake's Creek Trail, and Elkmont Nature Trail — near the campground. You'll also see interesting historic buildings nearby that were once part of a thriving logging camp and resort town that predate the national park

Elkmont Campground is open seasonally from April through late November. Campsites cost $30 per night (plus taxes and fees) and may be reserved online. The breathtaking mountain city of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, located about nine miles from Elkmont Campground, is a perfect place to stock up on food, drinks, and camping supplies. Looking for a quieter campground in the park that's open year-round? Try Smokemont Campground, a wildlife-filled camping getaway near the "southern gateway to the Smokies."