Smokemont

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

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The Smokemont campground's 142 sites are the only North Carolina campsites open year-round. As with most other campgrounds in the park, there isn't much space between sites. At 2200ft elevation, Smokemont is situated beside the rushing mountain stream of Bradley Fork, although no sites directly overlook the water.

The campground is located just off Newfound Gap Rd, about 4 miles north of the Oconaluftee Visitor Center near the park's entrance by Cherokee, NC. This is a good base for hiking, with several trails leading off from the campground.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Linn Cove Viaduct along Blue Ridge Parkway.

    Great Smoky Mountains National Park

    10.63 MILES

    The story of the Smoky Mountains began in primordial times when clashing supersized continents created a chain of mountains that are today among the…

  • The Henry Whitehead Cabin, at Cade's Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee.

    Cades Cove

    26.26 MILES

    In Appalachian parlance, a cove means a valley, but Cades Cove is far more than that. One of the most popular destinations in the Tennessee section of…

  • Titanic Museum

    Titanic Museum

    23.55 MILES

    On April 15, 1912, the steamship Titanic sank on her maiden voyage after colliding with an iceberg. The ship's history and the stories of many of her…

  • Llamas resting and eating after carrying supplies to the top of Mt. LeConte in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

    Mt LeConte

    9.69 MILES

    Mt LeConte (6593ft) is the park’s third-highest peak and one of its most familiar sights, visible from practically every viewpoint. The only way to get to…

  • Woman with beadwork

    Museum of the Cherokee Indian

    5.06 MILES

    This remarkable modern museum traces Cherokee history from their Paleo-Indian roots onwards. Its villain is the perfidious Andrew Jackson, who made his…

  • Looking South From Clingmans Dome over mountain range

    Clingmans Dome

    10.53 MILES

    ‘On top of Old Smoky’ is Clingmans Dome (elevation 6643ft), the park’s highest peak. At the summit, a steep, half-mile paved trail leads to an observation…

  • Mingus Mill. Built in 1886, this historic grist mill uses a water-powered turbine instead of a water wheel to power all of the machinery in the building.

    Mingus Mill

    2.6 MILES

    One of the park's most picturesque 19th-century buildings, the Mingus Mill is a turbine-powered mill that still grinds wheat and corn much as it has since…

  • Tsali Recreation Area

    Tsali Recreation Area

    18.59 MILES

    The Tsali Recreation Area has been famed among mountain bikers for so long that local riders rather take it for granted. For out-of-state visitors, though…

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Nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park attractions

1. Mingus Mill

2.6 MILES

One of the park's most picturesque 19th-century buildings, the Mingus Mill is a turbine-powered mill that still grinds wheat and corn much as it has since…

2. Mountain Farm Museum

3.16 MILES

Adjacent to the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, this excellent collection of historic buildings evokes life on a typical farmstead of the late 19th century…

3. Museum of the Cherokee Indian

5.06 MILES

This remarkable modern museum traces Cherokee history from their Paleo-Indian roots onwards. Its villain is the perfidious Andrew Jackson, who made his…

4. Rockefeller Memorial

7.36 MILES

This two-tiered stone-walled structure overlooking two states commemorates the $5 million contribution John D Rockefeller Jr made to help make the…

5. Newfound Gap

7.36 MILES

The lowest drivable pass through the Smoky Mountains is located here, at 5046ft. After the pass was discovered in 1872, a new road followed suit,…

6. Mt LeConte

9.69 MILES

Mt LeConte (6593ft) is the park’s third-highest peak and one of its most familiar sights, visible from practically every viewpoint. The only way to get to…

7. Clingmans Dome

10.53 MILES

‘On top of Old Smoky’ is Clingmans Dome (elevation 6643ft), the park’s highest peak. At the summit, a steep, half-mile paved trail leads to an observation…

8. Great Smoky Mountains National Park

10.63 MILES

The story of the Smoky Mountains began in primordial times when clashing supersized continents created a chain of mountains that are today among the…