Look Rock Campground

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Look Rock Campground is located along the beautiful Foothills Parkway West. The campground offers 68 campsites in a high country wooded landscape. It offers a traditional outdoor camping experience with the added convenience of flush toilets, drinking water, and a dump station. There are 10 sites with electric hookups. There are no shower facilities at the campground. Avoid GPS directions leading you along Montavale Rd, Happy Valley Rd, or Flats Rd if you are towing a trailer or vehicle.

The campground offers 68 campsites in a high country wooded landscape. It offers a traditional outdoor camping experience with the added convenience of flush toilets, drinking water, and a dump station. Each campsite has a picnic table, tent pad, and fire ring. Some sites will accommodate tents only, while other sites will accommodate large camper trailers. There are 10 sites with electric hookups. Be sure to reserve a site that will accommodate the type of equipment you plan to bring. There are no shower facilities at the campground. 

Need to Know

• Avoid GPS directions leading you along Montavale Rd, Happy Valley Rd, or Flats Rd if you are towing a trailer or vehicle.

• Beginning March 1, valid parking tag is required for any vehicle parking for more than 15 minutes in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Front country campers parked at their designated campsite will not be required to have a parking tag. If they park elsewhere in the park, a parking tag will be required. Please note that parking tags will be required for vehicles in excess of what is allowable for each campsite. Daily and weekly parking tags can be purchased at automated fee machines within the park and daily, weekly, and annual parking tags can be purchased at Visitor Centers. Please see go.nps.gov/GRSMfees for all purchase locations. 

• Over the last 10 years, an average of 339 negative human-bear encounters have been reported each year; many more go unreported. Visitors should be aware that high bear activity can occur in any area, and that your safety is not guaranteed. To increase your odds for a safe visit, please follow best practices for living and recreating in bear habitat. Stay alert and be prepared to react appropriately during possible encounters, and always report any unusual bear interactions as soon as possible.

• Stay Limits. A maximum of 6 people may occupy a campsite. The park stay limit is 14 consecutive days. Reservations which exceed the 14 consecutive day limit may be cancelled and refunded.

• Caution: Bear Habitat! Bears and other wildlife frequent the area. All food and equipment used to prepare and store food (even when empty, and even if certified as bear resistant) must be kept in a sealed vehicle or camping unit of solid, non-pliable material AT ALL TIMES when not in use. All scented items, as well as all water containers MUST be stored. Dispose of garbage promptly in dumpsters provided. Unattended or improperly stored coolers, food and/or scented items may be impounded by campground staff. Violators are subject to fines.

• Fires. Fires are allowed in fire rings only!

• Firewood Restriction: Only heat-treated firewood bundled in its original packing and bearing a certification seal from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) or a state department of agriculture may be brought into the park. This rule is strictly enforced. Campers may also collect dead and down wood in the park for campfires. For additional information about these firewood regulations, please visit the park website at http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/frontcountry-camping.

• Firewood Vendors. Heat-treated wood is available from a growing list of private businesses in communities around the park. Please visit firewoodscout.org for a list of available vendors near the park. Concessioners at Cades Cove, Elkmont, and Smokemont will provide heat-treated wood for sale during their operating season. Certified heat-treated firewood is packaged and clearly marked with a state or federal seal. 

• Quiet Hours. Quiet hours are in effect from 10 PM to 6 AM. Generator use is restricted to 8 AM to 8 PM. Some campgrounds have generator free sections.

• Fishing in the Park. A Tennessee or North Carolina fishing license is required to fish in the park. Special regulations apply in the park.

• Pets. Pets are permitted but cannot be left unattended. All pets must be kept on a leash at all times. Pets are not allowed on trails.

• Additional Park Information. For additional park information call 865-436-1200 or visit www.nps.gov/grsm.

• Reservation Required! A reservation is required to stay at Look Rock Campground. Please make your reservation before driving to the campground as cell phone coverage in Great Smoky Mountains National Park is very limited and there are no provisions to make a reservation once you are at the campground. Reservations are site specific therefore you are REQUIRED to occupy only the site(s) for which you have reserved. To make changes to your reservation you must contact Recreation.gov at 1-877-444-6777 or field staff where available.

• Cancellation Policy for Individual Campsites: A customer who cancels a reservation the day before or on the day of arrival will pay a $10.00 service fee AND forfeit the first night's use fee (not to exceed the total paid for the original reservation). Cancellations for a one-night reservation will forfeit the entire amount paid and will not be subject to an additional service fee.

• There are no showers in the campground.

Natural Features

 Look Rock sits at a higher elevation than most of the other campgrounds in Great Smoky Mountains. It features a wooded, high country landscape. There is a nearby picnic area for day use, and the Look Rock observation tower offering panoramic views of the park. The campground is just a short drive to Chilhowee, Cadlerwood, and Cheoah Lakes, providing ample fishing and boating recreation. There are many opportunites for unique and scenic drives in the area. Wildlife viewing opportunities abound. While hiking is limited from the campground itself, the nearby main section of the park offers over 802 miles of hiking trails. A hikers paradise.

Nearby Attractions

Look Rock Observation Tower

State Route 129 (Tail of the Dragon)

Calderwood Lake

Cheoah Lake

Chilhowee Lake

Look Rock Picnic Area

Little River

Abrams Creek

Cades Cove

Twenty Mile

Appalachian Trail

Recreation

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a hikers paradise. Visitors to Look Rock Campground love the opportunity to enjoy day hiking and backpacking the parks 802 miles of trails. There are abundant opportunities for wildlife viewing as well as birding. The park is also a fisheman's paradise. While there are no fishing opportunities at the campground itself, it is just a short drive to several lakes and many streams where trout are abundant. Many visitors enjoy the scenic views that the Look Rock observation tower offers. There is a beautiful picnic area nearby for day use. Visitor looking for scenic roadways will not be disappointed. The Foothills Parkway West offers a relaxing drive through the high country, with many scenic pulloffs along the way. Nearby is the section of State Route 129 know as "The Tail of the Dragon". This unique section of roadway offers scenic views and features 318 curves in 11 miles.

Contact Information

Mailing

10042 Campground Drive Townsend TN 37882

Physical

7040 Flats Road Walland TN 37878

Phone Number

For campground inquiries, please call: 865-436-1261

Rental Options

Learn more about gear rental options for your trip

Driving Directions

From Maryville, TN: Take U.S. 321 North (you'll actually be driving south!) from Maryville to Walland, TN. Turn right onto Foothills Parkway Section 8G/Foothills Pkwy W (signs for Look Rock/US-129), about 9.5 miles to campground along Foothills Parkway. Avoid GPS directions leading you along Montavale Rd, Happy Valley Rd, or Flats Rd if you are towing a trailer or vehicle.

From Pigeon Forge, TN: Follow US-321 S to Foothills Parkway Section 8G/Foothills Pkwy W in Walland. Exit from US-321 S, about 24 miles. Turn left onto Foothills Parkway Section 8G/Foothills Pkwy W (signs for Look Rock/US-129/Fontana), about 9.5 miles to campground along Foothills Parkway.

Available Campsites

• Site 34, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 11, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 66, Loop A, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
• Site 16, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 40, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 42, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 44, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 26, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 55, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 63, Loop A, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
• Site 64, Loop A, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
• Site 1, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 12, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 8, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 43, Loop A, Type Rv Electric
• Site 35, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 3, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 33, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 15, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 58, Loop A, Type Standard Electric
• Site 24, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 65, Loop A, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
• Site 22, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 60, Loop A, Type Standard Electric
• Site 45, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 5, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 67, Loop A, Type Standard Electric
• Site 28, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 69, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 21, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 10, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 14, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 39, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 50, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 7, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 4, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 32, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 6, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 31, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 54, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 38, Loop A, Type Rv Electric
• Site 53, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 57, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 13, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 47, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 36, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 49, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 48, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 19, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 9, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 41, Loop A, Type Standard Electric
• Site 18, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 27, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 23, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 46, Loop A, Type Standard Electric
• Site 52, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 61, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 17, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 29, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 56, Loop A, Type Standard Electric
• Site 30, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 37, Loop A, Type Rv Electric
• Site 62, Loop A, Type Tent Only Nonelectric
• Site 59, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 25, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 68, Loop A, Type Rv Electric
• Site 20, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric
• Site 51, Loop A, Type Standard Nonelectric

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