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Elkmont Campground: how hard is it to reserve?

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

DifficultyModerate61/100

Weekends booked (90d)82%

Weeknights booked (90d)70%

Dates with an open site (30d)26/30

As of Oct 10, 2026, 82% of Friday and Saturday site-nights at Elkmont Campground over the next 90 days are already reserved, compared with 70% of weeknights. In the next 30 days, 26 of 30 dates have at least one open site (718 open site-nights in total; 2,125 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%	1	0
Oct 30, 2026	89%	8	40
Nov 6, 2026	100%	1	0
Nov 13, 2026	64%	39	43
Nov 20, 2026	51%	59	52

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	61	82%	70%	26

About Elkmont Campground

211 campsites (211 listed in availability data)
$30 per night
Recreation.gov rating 4.5/5 from 3,137 reviews
Equipment: Tent, RV, RV/Motorhome, Trailer, Caravan/Camper Van, Pickup Camper, Fifth Wheel, Pop up
Activities: Wildlife Viewing, Hiking, Fishing, Interpretive Programs, Camping, Historic & Cultural Site

Located eight miles from Gatlinburg, Tennessee, Elkmont Campground is the largest and busiest campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At an elevation of 2,150 feet, the area enjoys a moderate climate, characterized by mild winters and hot, humid summers.The Little River runs through the campground offering visitors the option to camp waterfront. Campers can enjoy high-quality backcountry fishing in the cool waters of the Little River and countless other streams and rivers that snake through the mountains. Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hiker's paradise, with over 800 miles…

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)
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
Cosby Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Deep Creek Campground (Nc) Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Cataloochee Campground Great Smoky Mountains National Park	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
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)
Indian Boundary Cherokee National Forest	TN	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Standing Indian Campground National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Van Hook Glade National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Jackrabbit Mountain National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Mount Pisgah Campground Blue Ridge Parkway	NC	Not measured yet	n/a	n/a
Lake Powhatan National Forests in North Carolina	NC	Easy	50%	26

All Tennessee campgrounds · How we measure