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Cosby Campground: how hard is it to reserve?

Great Smoky Mountains National Park · National Park Service · Cosby, TN

DifficultyHard82/100

Weekends booked (90d)91%

Weeknights booked (90d)67%

Dates with an open site (30d)12/30

As of Oct 10, 2026, 91% of Friday and Saturday site-nights at Cosby Campground over the next 90 days are already reserved, compared with 67% of weeknights. Weekends are much harder than weekdays here — shifting a trip to Sunday–Thursday is the easiest way to get a site. In the next 30 days, 12 of 30 dates have at least one open site (253 open site-nights in total; 253 over 90 days).

Upcoming weekends

Weekend (Fri–Sat)	Booked	Open sites Fri	Open sites Sat
Oct 16, 2026	100%	0	0
Oct 23, 2026	100%	0	0
Oct 30, 2026	n/a	0	0
Nov 6, 2026	n/a	0	0
Nov 13, 2026	n/a	0	0
Nov 20, 2026	n/a	0	0

Snapshot history

History accumulates daily from Oct 10, 2026. We have 1 daily snapshot so far; trend analysis (how far ahead weekends fill, cancellation patterns) will be added once enough history exists.

Snapshot date	Score	Weekends booked	Weeknights booked	Open dates 30d
Oct 10, 2026	82	91%	67%	12

About Cosby Campground

157 campsites (157 listed in availability data)
$30 per night
Recreation.gov rating 4.5/5 from 877 reviews
Equipment: Tent, RV, Trailer, Caravan/Camper Van, Pickup Camper, Fifth Wheel, Pop up
Activities: Day Use Area, Wildlife Viewing, Visitor Center, Horseback Riding, Hiking, Fishing, Camping, Historic & Cultural Site, Amphitheater, Evening Programs

Back country camping in a developed front country campground. Tucked in the mountains under a canopy of cool shade, this campground creates a peaceful and secluded environment for visitors, offering the best that the Great Smoky Mountains National park has to offer. This campground is usually quieter and without the hustle and bustle of the busier campgrounds. All campsites have a fire ring, picnic table and several trees. Tent pads are 16ft x 16ft. RV sites are less common and reservations are recommended on busy weekends. Some RV sites also include a tent pad. View map and site descriptions …

Description excerpt from Recreation.gov.

Check live availability and book on Recreation.gov →

Other campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Campground	Difficulty	Weekends booked	Open dates (30d)
Elkmont Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Moderate	82%	26
Cades Cove Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Moderate	63%	26
Smokemont Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Deep Creek Campground (Nc) Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Hard	94%	13
Cataloochee Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Very hard	96%	7
Balsam Mountain Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Look Rock Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Big Creek Campground (Great Smoky Mountains National Park) Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Abram'S Creek Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a

Nearby campgrounds

Campground	State	Difficulty	Weekends booked	Open dates (30d)
Mount Pisgah Campground Blue Ridge Parkway	NC	Very hard	99%	12
Lake Powhatan National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Easy	50%	26
North Mills River National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Davidson River National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Easy	47%	27
Van Hook Glade National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Standing Indian Campground National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a

All Tennessee campgrounds · How we measure