Cades Cove vs Smokemont
Two Great Smoky Mountains National Park campgrounds, side by side.
Cades Cove and Smokemont are both run by the National Park Service in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, about 26.3 miles apart in a straight line (Tennessee and North Carolina). Cades Cove is the bigger campground, with 161 sites to Smokemont's 142. Both list a nightly fee of $30. Both are open year-round. Cades Cove's 2 sites with power list only 5-amp outlets, which are not RV hookups. Smokemont's 2 sites with power list only 5-amp outlets, which are not RV hookups. Neither lists RV electric hookups. For RVs, Cades Cove takes rigs up to 42 ft and Smokemont up to 40 ft. Cades Cove's records list flush toilets, drinking water and dump station; Smokemont's don't. Both pages include a campsite layout from Recreation.gov site records. Riders get more bike-legal trail within 5 miles of Smokemont (1.8 mi vs 0.1 mi near Cades Cove).
| Campground | Cades Cove Campground Tennessee | Smokemont Campground North Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Federal (National Park Service) | Federal (National Park Service) |
| Season | Year-round | Year-round |
| Nightly fee | $30 | $30 |
| Number of sites ≠ | 161 | 142 |
| Electric hookups | Low-amp outlets only (5 amp; not RV hookups) | Low-amp outlets only (5 amp; not RV hookups) |
| Water hookups | Not listed | Not listed |
| Sewer hookups | Not listed | Not listed |
| Max amps | 5 amp | 5 amp |
| Max RV/trailer length ≠ | 42 ft | 40 ft |
| Cabins | Not listed | Not listed |
| Key amenities ≠ | Flush toilets Drinking water Dump station Pets allowed ADA-accessible sites Food storage lockers | Pets allowed ADA-accessible sites Food storage lockers |
| Nearest bike trails (≤5 mi) ≠ | 0.1 mi of unnamed bike-legal trail | Oconaluftee River Trail: 3.5 mi, unrated fire tower: 4.7 mi, unrated |
| Campsite layout | Site map + site list | Site map + site list |
| Distance between (straight line) | 26.3 mi | |
| Links | Full details Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗ | Full details Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗ |
Highlighted rows (≠) differ. Not listed means our sources don't say, not that the campground lacks it. Facts come from Recreation.gov (RIDB) site records, bike trails from OpenStreetMap difficulty tags; distances are straight-line. Confirm fees and dates with National Park Service before you go.
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See all campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park.