Community Forums

flintsters · 02-11-2025, 04:06 PM

We are planning an almost 3 week trip into the Appalachians, Smokies, Nashville, etc this summer. I think I have a pretty good sense of the rest of the trip but I'm struggling with where to stay when we visit the Smokies. At first I considered staying inside of the NP but given our 34' 5th wheel it seems like that's a tight experience at best. We will be primarily hiking as well as a trip to Dollywood. We are a family of 5 (wife and 3 daughters ages 19, 17, 12) Since it's summer having hookups and probably a pool would be awesome. Where should we stay and make home base for our time there? We have 4 nights planned for the area. If it's neither Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge then I'd be open to another location.

ViperJD · 02-11-2025, 04:17 PM

We stayed at Pigeon Forge Landing RV resort. A bit pricey, but great for big rigs and was a very nice campground that was close to the attractions. Recommended,

wildtoad · 02-11-2025, 06:39 PM

We stayed at the KOA in Pigeon Forge, centrally located, walking distance to restaurants and shops, can catch a trolly to Dollywood. Plenty to do in area.

jacwjames · 02-11-2025, 07:40 PM

I'd suggest Pigeon Forge, avoid driving through Gatlingburg pulling a 5th wheel is a big plus. There are a number of nice parks in PF and convienant to Dollywood and other attractions.
A day visit to Gatlinburg would be worth it if you are into a lot of traffic and shoulder to shoulder people go for it.
You can go through Waland to get to the park, Cades Cove is usually a big attraction but can get crowded, go early and they shut to loop down on Wednesdays (I think) for bikes.

Good luck

MikenDebbie · 02-11-2025, 07:41 PM

We stayed at a Pigeon Forge Sun Outdoors campground and drove around looking at other campgrounds in the area, and came to the conclusion that most seemed to be very nice and acceptable. This was before Camp Margaritaville opened…but they all looked good to us.

Toby Dog · 02-12-2025, 06:29 AM

We've stayed in Pigeon Forge but did a day trip into Gatlinburg.
It was really really busy and parking is ridiculous. There is no free parking if that troubles you.
After the fire in 2016 the Gatlinburg main stretch had to be rebuilt and could be any other place in the country except for the music venues.
Justin Aldean and Blake Shelton have venues there.

George Schweikle · 02-12-2025, 06:50 AM

We will stay again in Townsend. TN this year; "the quiet side of the smokies". Several campgrounds, but they fill up early.

https://exploretownsend.com/

Quote:

Originally Posted by flintsters

We are planning an almost 3 week trip into the Appalachians, Smokies, Nashville, etc this summer. I think I have a pretty good sense of the rest of the trip but I'm struggling with where to stay when we visit the Smokies. At first I considered staying inside of the NP but given our 34' 5th wheel it seems like that's a tight experience at best. We will be primarily hiking as well as a trip to Dollywood. We are a family of 5 (wife and 3 daughters ages 19, 17, 12) Since it's summer having hookups and probably a pool would be awesome. Where should we stay and make home base for our time there? We have 4 nights planned for the area. If it's neither Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge then I'd be open to another location.

**hamm2018** · 02-12-2025, 07:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flintsters

We are planning an almost 3 week trip into the Appalachians, Smokies, Nashville, etc this summer. I think I have a pretty good sense of the rest of the trip but I'm struggling with where to stay when we visit the Smokies. At first I considered staying inside of the NP but given our 34' 5th wheel it seems like that's a tight experience at best. We will be primarily hiking as well as a trip to Dollywood. We are a family of 5 (wife and 3 daughters ages 19, 17, 12) Since it's summer having hookups and probably a pool would be awesome. Where should we stay and make home base for our time there? We have 4 nights planned for the area. If it's neither Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge then I'd be open to another location.

We have stayed at several different campgrounds in the area. Now we go back to Clabough's Campground. From the first time there, they have done a great job on updates. It is now really a very good place to stay.

https://claboughcampground.com/

spock12 · 02-12-2025, 11:16 AM

We have stayed in Pigeon Forge a bunch at probably 10 different campgrounds and twice inside the park, our fifth wheel is 36ft. We now stay in Sevierville at Riverside RV park, they have a pool and the sites at the back are wide. The campgrounds in Pigeon Forge are tight for the most part and one or two parks Verizon doesn’t work. In Pigeon Forge Riveredge is good and Camp River Landing is good, the trolley runs right through the campgrounds. If you don’t want to drive in Gatlinburg you can take the trolley to Gatlinburg. You can drive halfway and take the trolley for dollar or two dollars from Pigeon Forge

GypsyR · 02-12-2025, 11:25 AM

We like to stay at Riveredge. Especially when not dragging a toad with us. Mainly because there is a trolley stop right at the front gate. Park is pretty much designed for 5th wheels. Downside is there is nothing much within reasonable walking or bicycling distance. We love to walk around Gatlinburg. Driving and parking there, not so much.

We've stayed at Clabough's. It's OK. Older style with semi random laid out spots. Couple of pools. Grocery and hardware store pretty close but little else to walk to.

Our favored one for years was Greenbriar outside of Gatlinburg. Not close to anything except a BBQ place. Way off the last trolley stop too, you need a car/truck to go anywhere. No pool but a nice creek to swim in and you can tube on it a little ways if the water is up. Very kid friendly, teens maybe not so much. Relaxed family type place but we haven't been there since they raised their prices quite a bit.

Just a few where we've stayed.

spock12 · 02-12-2025, 12:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsyR

We like to stay at Riveredge. Especially when not dragging a toad with us. Mainly because there is a trolley stop right at the front gate. Park is pretty much designed for 5th wheels. Downside is there is nothing much within reasonable walking or bicycling distance. We love to walk around Gatlinburg. Driving and parking there, not so much.

We've stayed at Clabough's. It's OK. Older style with semi random laid out spots. Couple of pools. Grocery and hardware store pretty close but little else to walk to.

Our favored one for years was Greenbriar outside of Gatlinburg. Not close to anything except a BBQ place. Way off the last trolley stop too, you need a car/truck to go anywhere. No pool but a nice creek to swim in and you can tube on it a little ways if the water is up. Very kid friendly, teens maybe not so much. Relaxed family type place but we haven't been there since they raised their prices quite a bit.

Just a few where we've stayed.

Riveredge and Twin Mountain was campgrounds facing each other and we really loved eating at Log Cabin Pancake House but now Twin Mountain changed it’s name and Log Cabin Pancake house shut the location down, now you have to go to Gatlinburg to eat at Log Cabin Pancake. We still go because it’s great food, if you go get the crepes, they are so good. I like peach or blueberry, wife likes cherry. We like Cades Cove but now because of so many people you have to get a permit or you can bike or walk any time, it’s only 11 miles around. We use to stay at Twin Mountain and take the trolley everywhere, Old Mill Restaurant is a great place for breakfast not so much for supper unless you get there early. Camp River Landing is the name of the campground now, we liked the river sites and once we got flooded out and it never rained a drop at the campground.

hastemaker · 02-12-2025, 03:53 PM

We stayed at Pigeon Forge Landing RV resort, only thing I didn't like was the site pads have a down slope for water run off that make you have use a lot of blocks under the front of the RV to get it level.

426smartin · 02-12-2025, 07:12 PM

We stay at pinemountainrvpark.com in Pigeon Forge nice and quiet close to the center of town stoplight#6, trolly stop also!

flintsters · 02-13-2025, 07:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spock12

We have stayed in Pigeon Forge a bunch at probably 10 different campgrounds and twice inside the park, our fifth wheel is 36ft. We now stay in Sevierville at Riverside RV park, they have a pool and the sites at the back are wide. The campgrounds in Pigeon Forge are tight for the most part and one or two parks Verizon doesn’t work. In Pigeon Forge Riveredge is good and Camp River Landing is good, the trolley runs right through the campgrounds. If you don’t want to drive in Gatlinburg you can take the trolley to Gatlinburg. You can drive halfway and take the trolley for dollar or two dollars from Pigeon Forge

I'm expecting that we will only spend a day in Pigeon Forge to go to Dollywood and the rest of the time in the park hiking, etc. This will be early August. I keep reading about how bad the traffic is in Gatlinburg, which we would have to drive through to get to the NP each day if we were staying in the Pigeon Forge area. I also have read that the campgrounds are not really made for larger campers (ours is 34' 5th wheel). I do see some sites that might fit us at Elkmont. Would I be foolish to consider that given the size of our camper and no hookups in August?