National park · Great Smoky Mountains · Tennessee
Cades Cove Campground is a National Park Service campground in the southwest corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, sitting at the entrance to the famous 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road. It suits wildlife watchers, photographers and cyclists who want to be on the loop at dawn before the day-trippers arrive from Townsend, and self-contained RVers happy to trade hookups for location. It is one of only two campgrounds in the park open year-round.
| Hookups | None |
|---|---|
| Max RV length | 40-ft RV / 35-ft trailer |
| Cost | $30 |
| Fees | Park entrance is free; a parking tag is separate when required. |
| Reservations | Recreation.gov; up to 6 months |
Source-backed: Official NPS campground page (checked 2026-07-18). Rates and site details change — verify with the operator before you book. Compare it with every other park we track in the price index.
Cades Cove Campground is a National Park Service campground in the southwest corner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, sitting at the entrance to the famous 11-mile Cades Cove Loop Road. It suits wildlife watchers, photographers and cyclists who want to be on the loop at dawn before the day-trippers arrive from Townsend, and self-contained RVers happy to trade hookups for location. It is one of only two campgrounds in the park open year-round.
The setup is primitive but well supported: 161 sites, no electric, water or sewer at ordinary sites, no showers and essentially no cell service, but potable water, flush toilets, trash service, food-storage lockers and a dump station run all year. The campground maximum is 40 feet for an RV and 35 feet for a trailer, though many spurs are 24 to 35 feet, so the individual Recreation.gov site record decides fit. Sites cost $30 a night and book up to six months ahead. Park entrance is free, but a parking tag is needed when your vehicle parks elsewhere in the park for more than 15 minutes. The trade-off is remoteness: the drive in from Townsend is slow and winding, and Gatlinburg is the better part of an hour away.
Excerpts from the RV Parks Guide articles that cover this campground. Each links to the full guide.
Full review
Cades Cove Campground Prices, Sites, Showers & Review (2026)Cades Cove Campground review with the verified $30/night 2026 price, 161-site inventory, 40-foot RV limit, no hookups or showers, year-round loops, reservation fees, and vehicle-free Wednesdays.
Our verdict
Book it if you are self-contained and want dawn access to the Cades Cove Loop for wildlife or cycling; skip it if you need hookups, showers, cell service or a base near Gatlinburg's attractions.
No. Ordinary sites have no electric, water or sewer, and there are no showers or laundry. You do get potable water, flush toilets, trash service, food-storage lockers and an on-site dump station year-round. Two sites have five-amp outlets reserved for medical equipment only.
The published 2026 rate is $30 per night, reserved on Recreation.gov up to six months ahead. Park entrance is free; a parking tag is separate when required.
40 feet for an RV and 35 feet for a trailer. Individual parking spurs are often 24 to 35 feet, so filter by equipment length and confirm the specific site record before booking.
Yes. Book on Recreation.gov up to six months in advance. October weekends and vehicle-free Wednesdays fill fast; midweek and off-season dates are far easier.
Yes. It is one of only two campgrounds in the park open all year, with sites C1 to C12 and C26 to C61 listed as the winter loops. Water, flush toilets, trash and the dump station stay open through winter.
Where permitted, generators run only from 8 AM to 8 PM. Loop C is generator-free while Loop B is open, so book Loop C if quiet matters.
Compare alternatives before you book — or browse the whole Tennessee hub.