Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited national park in America. Upon entering this national park to get to the Cosby Campground, we understand why. In the first couple of days, we have only touched the surface of this massive and beautiful national park and we already want to come back!
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- Travel Arizona: Boondocking at Apache Trail
- Travel Arizona: Boondocking in Quartzsite
- Travel California: Anaheim Harbor RV Park
- Travel California: Boondocking at Joshua Tree National Park
- Travel Colorado: Base Camp Family Campground
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- Travel Disney: Our Love Affair with Fort Wilderness Campground
- Travel Nevada: Boondocking at Lake Mead
- Travel South Dakota: Boondocking Near Badlands National Park
- Travel South Dakota: Holy Smoke Resort
- Travel Tennessee: Cherokee Dam Campground
- Travel Tennessee: Douglas Dam Campground
- Travel Tennessee: Great Smoky Mountains National Park Cosby Campground
- Travel Tennessee: Overnighting at the Fairgrounds Nashville
Table of Contents
Cosby Campground: Location
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is located along the border between Tennessee and North Carolina. The Cosby Campground is specifically located in Cosby, TN just 30 minutes east of Gatlinburg and 30 minutes west of I-40 where it crosses the TN/NC border.
Cosby Campground: Fees and Campsites
This campground has 14 RV campsites and is dry camping only. There is a dump station just before the camping loops for your convenience. The largest RV campsite can accommodate a 40′ camper, however, we have a 39′ fifth wheel and fit perfectly in a campsite designated for a 35′ maximum. We are in site #A-3 and there is additional parking adjacent to our site. All RV sites are paved, have picnic tables and fire rings, and are $17.50 per night.
While there are no lake views or mountain views per se, we are nestled amongst some of the most beautiful trees we’ve ever seen. Just a small amount of light peeks through the canopy during the day, and it has rained most of the time that we’ve been here. As a matter of fact, it rained the entire time we were trying to get set up in our campsite.
If you rely on cell/internet to work, this is one location you might want to visit when you have time off. There is ZERO cell signal as soon as you pass the Great Smoky Mountain National Park sign leading you into the campground.
Cosby Campground: Bathhouse
There are no bathhouses at the Cosby Campground. There are bathrooms with flush toilets, but no areas to take showers. Just outside of the bathrooms are dishwashing stations should you need them. With our water tanks full, we have plenty of water to accommodate us for our 3-night stay here.
Cosby Campground: Things To Do
Well, you’re in the Smoky Mountains, so there’s plenty to do. Hiking trails are abundant. You can do some fishing or go horseback riding. The kids might also enjoy getting their feet wet and splashing around in the Cosby Creek. You can picnic, or if you’re an experienced cycler, you can brave the ups and downs, twists and turns of the almost 2-mile entrance road into the campground.
And of course, you can watch for birds and BEARS! While we haven’t seen any bears ourselves, we’ve seen and heard lots of birds. With no electric, we sleep with the windows open and wake to the sounds of the birds singing beautiful songs in the mornings. It’s actually very peaceful!
Would we like to stay here again? Absolutely YES! However, we do want to check out other campgrounds in the Smokies, so it may be a while before we come back to this particular campground.
Tennessee and The Smoky Mountains are so beautiful! I grew up in TN and this post brings back memories <3