ItOpened Guides · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
How to actually get a site at Elkmont Campground — the verified facts, the release reality, and the cancellation route in.
Overview 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. Recreation 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 of maintained trails ranging from short, leg-stretchers to strenuous treks, with a number of those trails easily accessible from Elkmont Campground. The nearby and popular Laurel Falls Trail leads to a spectacular 80-ft.
| Total sites | 217 |
|---|---|
| Site types | Standard, Walk-to / hike-to, Tent only |
| Site mix (directory count) | Standard 164 · Tent only 25 · Walk-to / hike-to 22 |
| Area | Great Smoky Mountains National Park |
| Managed by | National Park Service |
| Nearest community | Gatlinburg, TN |
| Activities | Camping, Fishing, Hiking, Historic & Cultural Site, Interpretive Programs, Wildlife Viewing |
| Directory phone | 865-430-5560 FOR RESERVATIONS CALL 1-877-444-6777 |
| Official listing | Recreation.gov campground page |
| Book through | Recreation.gov |
Elkmont Campground is reserved through Recreation.gov, on the release pattern stated in its official listing. In demand, reservable sites are claimed within minutes of each release — which is why the campground reads as sold out for most of the year, and why the realistic route in is rarely the release itself.
Sites booked months ahead get cancelled as trips fall through, and each cancellation returns its nights to the official calendar instantly — first-come, no waitlist, no announcement. ItOpened scans the Recreation.gov calendar for Elkmont Campground around the clock; when a site matching your dates and vehicle opens, you get a text with a direct link, and you book it yourself, in your own account, at the normal price. We never book, hold, or resell. The mechanics are the same ones documented in how campsite cancellations actually work.
Watch more than one calendar. These nearby or same-area campgrounds take the same trip — and their cancellations are independent chances:
| Cades Cove Campground | 164 sites · same area |
|---|---|
| Cosby Campground | 157 sites · same area |
| Smokemont Campground | 142 sites · same area |
| Deep Creek Campground (NC) | 92 sites · same area |
| Look Rock Campground | 69 sites · same area |
Full directory facts and sibling campgrounds: Elkmont Campground campground page · Great Smoky Mountains National Park park page.
Every figure in this article traces to one of the sources above. If a number isn't sourced, we don't print it.
Last updated 2026-10-30.