Federal Campgrounds in Tennessee
Federal coverage only. This directory lists campgrounds on federal land (Forest Service, Park Service, BLM, Corps of Engineers and other agencies) from the Recreation.gov RIDB export. State-park, county and private/KOA campgrounds are out of scope.
Tennessee offers 83 federal campgrounds with approximately 2,408 overnight sites managed by three agencies. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers operates 37 campgrounds, primarily along reservoirs and waterways. The National Park Service manages 23 campgrounds, including facilities in and around Great Smoky Mountains National Park and other protected areas. The U.S. Forest Service operates 23 campgrounds within Tennessee's national forests. Of these 83 campgrounds, 79 accept advance reservations through Recreation.gov, where visitors can check real-time site availability and current conditions.
This directory covers federal campgrounds only. State park campgrounds and private facilities operated by commercial vendors are not included here. For comprehensive trip planning, visitors should consult Recreation.gov to review individual campground amenities, reservation calendars, and availability before traveling. Information about state-managed and private campgrounds in Tennessee can be found through the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and independent campground databases.
How to read the Tennessee directory
Use this page as a starting map of federal camping in Tennessee: the agency split tells you whether you're mostly looking at national-forest sites, park-service grounds or Corps-of-Engineers lakeside camps, and the busiest rec areas below point to where the campgrounds cluster. Every name links to its live Recreation.gov page for current site counts, photos and booking.
| Rec area / forest | Campgrounds |
|---|---|
| Unicoi | 8 |
| Gatlinburg | 7 |
| Greeneville | 6 |
| Celina | 5 |
| Benton | 5 |
| Townsend | 3 |
| Cosby | 3 |
| Gainesboro | 3 |
Common questions
How many federal campgrounds are in Tennessee?
83 in this directory, with about 2,408 overnight sites, across national forests, parks, Corps of Engineers and other federal land. State and private campgrounds are not included.
Are these campgrounds reservable?
79 of the 83 take reservations through Recreation.gov; the remainder are generally first-come, first-served. Confirm on the facility's Recreation.gov page before you travel.
Largest federal campgrounds in Tennessee
- Cades Cove Campground · National Park Service · 164 sites · Townsend
- Cosby Campground · National Park Service · 157 sites · Cosby
- Defeated Creek Park · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 155 sites · Carthage
- Salt Lick Creek · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 150 sites · Gainesboro
- Bandy Creek · National Park Service · 145 sites · Oneida
- Obey River Park · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 131 sites · Celina
- Lillydale Campground And Day Use · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 114 sites · Celina
- Floating Mill Park · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 100 sites · Silver Point
- Dale Hollow Lake - Primitive Camping · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 83 sites · Celina
- Willow Grove Campground · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 83 sites · Celina
- Dale Hollow Damsite · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 79 sites · Celina
- Poole Knobs · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 78 sites · Lavergne
- Look Rock Campground · National Park Service · 69 sites · Townsend
- Little Oak Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 66 sites · Unicoi
- Chilhowee Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 61 sites · Benton
- Cedar Creek (Tn) · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 60 sites · Hendersonville
- Long Branch · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 60 sites · Lancaster
- Seven Points (Tn) · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 59 sites · Hermitage
- Ragland Bottom · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 56 sites · Sparta
- Blue Heron Campground · National Park Service · 45 sites · Oneida
- Lock A · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 45 sites · Ashland City
- Cages Bend · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 43 sites · Gallatin
- Cardens Bluff Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 43 sites · Unicoi
- Thunder Rock Campground · U.S. Forest Service · 38 sites · Benton
- Anderson Road Campground · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · 37 sites · Nashville
Ranked by overnight-site count from RIDB; “n/a” means the site count isn’t published (often a first-come or dispersed area). Each name opens the Recreation.gov facility page.
Compare every managing agency → · Reservable vs first-come in Tennessee → · Choosing a Tennessee campground →
Compiled from the federal RIDB export, verified June 2026. How we compile this. Confirm current details on Recreation.gov.