Cataloochee Campground

We made the short trip from Asheville to stay one night and see the Elk in the valley. The campground is small and quaint. Site # 5 is right by the creek/river and it was amazing sleeping at night with the van doors open. Campground is very clean, well kept, and bathrooms are nice. We saw the whole herd of elk in the valley as well. We will certainly be back!

We camped here in early June of 2018. Wonderful National Park camping off the beaten path on the North Carolina side of GSMNP. Like most National Parks, this is dry camping with no hook ups, no dump station, and no showers/hot water at the restrooms. Not a problem for us because, frankly, that’s part of what we like about National Parks. Excellent trout fishing in the creek running next to the campground and elk all over the place. One important thing to note: the road in is NOT for the faint of heart. The posted max RV length is 31'. Our camper is 28’ long and I consider myself to be a solid driver. Maybe not nerves of steel but pretty close. Even so, I white knuckled it all the way in and out of the campground. It isn’t too bad if there are no other vehicles coming but if you do happen to meet one, you have to slow down, pick your spot, and then hug the side of the road while one of you drives by. You may even need to back up occasionally to get to a spot in the road wide enough for one of you to pass. Fair warning: Do NOT attempt this road with a big rig. I have a Chevy 2500 Silverado and a 28’ camper. I wouldn’t try it with anything bigger or longer than that. With that said, it is some of the best camping we have done and we will probably do it again, white knuckles and all!

The campground is fine. Excellent if you get one of the sites on the water (#3, 5 or 7). The surrounding area is incredible. We saw wild turkey and elk as well as some stunning fall foliage.

Why we won’t be back? Because we made the mistake of coming up that road everyone talks about in a 30 foot motorhome. Big mistake. Even though the folks at the Smoky Mountain NP ranger station told us “big rigs make the trip all the time” — don’t do it. Not in a 30 footer or longer. We were way too big for this place.

Got a tent, pop up or nimble small rig? Enjoy!

The 12 mile road is barely wide enough for two cars much less if your pulling a trailer. Lots of blind curves with little clearance. It can be done but carefully. The parks is small and tight, if your over 20 ft it could be difficult to get into your site. Sites are typical national parks, no electricity, no dump station. Water is available.
Camp host is a wonderful lady, kind, considerate, very helpful. No camp store, no firewood for sale (host has wood for free and lets you borrow her axe) now the good part. September and October the elk are very active, boys chasing girls, making lots of noise. Turn left out of camp ground drive 1.5 miles to the big open fields and wildlife abounds. Elk, white tail deer, turkeys, lots of wildlife to be seen. Trout fishing can be great with good rainbow, Brown and native brook.. Water is clear and you have many of choices, go up stream and your small stream fishing, go down stream and its more river fishing. Hatches are minimal when I was there but a neighbor broke off several good fish dredging. You'll have to wade as banks are dense. Be prepared to have many day grippers during the rut, but plenty of room for all. Great hikes, easy road biking, friendly neighbors, you won't be disappointed once you get through the bad road.

Was a really danged long haul from Cherokee, NC, in the south. Google told me it was 37 mi but by the time I had gone up and over the steep mountain and down the hairpin dirt road with my poor pop up trailer, it was about an hour and a half! Note that I did see a fifth wheel that was maybe about 30 ft there, though I can hardly imagine what he would have done had he encountered someone coming the other way on one of those dirt road hair pins.

The drive down was easy for us since we only had an RV that was 15 feet long. It would be very intense if you had a large camper. The Cataloochee valley is stunning and the wildlife is numerous. Great trails to hike on. The host was amazing and we enjoyed our time despite rain

Ditto on all the other reviews.
There is a dish washing sink that we used to dump our bucket collected washing water.
The camp host we had was great, Ginger. Hosts are volunteers that rotate. Make sure you check in and follow the regulations as they are politely enforced for the best camping experience.
Lots of shade in July to make the temperatures lovely.
If you need SOLAR POWER with rooftop panels, site 22 would be the best when leaves are on the trees. Any other site would give you maybe and hour or two if any sun. If you can chase the sun with panels then this would be my most sun to least list 22, 17, 16, 8, 9, 10.

The drive in, and out, over several miles of unpaved, twisty-turny road with tight hairpin turns is challenging. But, once you get there it’s a nice little NP campground. Several preserved homes, a school house and church remain in the valley and are worth visiting. VERY limited Verizon signal (voice & txt only), and no AT&T signal, even with a cell booster. A great get away, but make sure you bring everything you need with you. Otherwise it’s a long way back out…

This is a beautiful campground for relaxation, hiking, and wildlife. Fishing was popular and good according to my neighbor. Steep, narrow, and winding unpaved (hairpin) turns make the access challenging and uninviting for visiting other Smokies areas, but worth the trip if you want to kick back for a few days. Elk roam the meadows and grounds are well kept.

Like other reviews road in a challenge. Hairpin turns and you can’t see what’s coming other direction. Slow and steady. Campground nice and clean. Bathrooms clean. Host friendly and helpful got to see the elk in the fields. Oh and you get to do scary road a second time because that’s the only way in and out