Campground Review Summary

• Name: Smoky Bear Campground & RV Park
• Dates of stay: August 27-29, 2019
• Location: 4857 East Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN
• Type of campground: Private / Independent
• Cost: $60/night
• Additional fees: none
• Stay limit: no
• Accepts mail / packages: did not ask
• Cell reception: AT&T good
• Website: http://www.smokybearcampground.com
• Pros: great location, nice amenities
• Cons: cost, not satellite friendly

Full Review

We made a last-minute short-term booking here to take care of some business in Gatlinburg (we own a cabin here). Approaching the Labor Day holiday weekend, availability was very limited, but we were able to squeeze out 3 days here.

It is an older campground, but there are a few sites that are big-rig capable. Maneuvering the one-way one-lane road is do-able with care. Our site was a pull-through concrete site that was solid, but surprisingly unlevel (2% grade side to side). It has been surprisingly difficult lately to find a truly level site! We managed for a short stay.

The full hookups worked great – 30/50 amp electric, water and sewer. Due to trees, none of the sites are satellite-friendly. We did pick up a limited selection of over the air channels and the campground said they provide basic cable, but we didn’t try it. The free wifi, was quite decent. The site also provided a picnic table and fire ring. The sites have typical commercial campground spacing – not a ton of space, but it’s acceptable to us.

The campground has a nice, if small, pool and a hot tub! The bath house is modern and all of the amenities are squeaky clean. The campground even comes with a friendly campground kitty cat.

The location is great if you stay here on vacation. It’s about 25 minutes to downtown Gatlinburg and all of the attractions and amenities. Cosby is in the other direction, and our favorite restaurant (Apple Barn Restaurant and Farmer’s market barn) is about 15 minutes in the other direction.  It’s a bit pricey by our standards, but typical for the area. They don’t do weekly/monthly rates, only daily rates. Due to the area’s popularity, they can get it.

Bottom Line: A bit pricey, but a nice campground in a great area.