Camping in Cades Cove, Tennessee

Have you ever explored a national treasure--The Great Smoky Mountains?  If not, you need to go!  We recently had a camping trip that took us to the beautiful Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  We stayed in Cades Cove Campground in Townsend, Tennessee. 

Smoky Mountains Park signMe at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The drive to the campground is gorgeous!  The mountains are stunning!  The road was well paved so we were able to ascend and descend the mountain easily on our way to Cades Cove! It took a while to get to the campground because the speed limit is low. The roads are twisty and hilly so you need to be careful! There is a beautiful stream that runs parallel with the road the whole way to the campground.  

Smoky MountainsBeautiful view of the Great Smoky Mountains at the overlook.

There are three loops that you can camp in. RV camping is permitted in two of the loops (B and C).  There are no hookups so a generator would be helpful.  They have bathrooms (no showers), a dump station and potable water to fill up your tanks.  There is a nice campground store on the premises.  You can buy necessities, and, of course, souvenirs.  They also rent bicycles.  

Stream in Smoky MountainsBeautiful stream that runs along the road to Cades Cove Campground
historical homeHistorical home in Cades Cove

Cades Cove was a thriving town back in the 1800’s.  There is an 11-mile historic loop that you can drive or bike to see some of the historical buildings, to include churches and cemeteries!  Fascinating!  These are original structures. 

deer on loopDeer on nature loop.

There are nice bike trails in the campground.  We rode part of the 11-mile loop.  I have to admit, it was a little tough because it is so hilly, but we did some of it!  We got to see some beautiful views and even caught a buck on the loop!

Cades Cove loopMe riding the Cades Cove Loop.

This picture shows you what the loop looked like.  It is well paved, but hilly in some areas!  There were a couple of times when I had to get off the bike and walk along the road. It was beautiful and we saw some critters along the way!!  This is an amazing place and we really enjoyed it!