Cataloochee Campground

Cataloochee is a small campground that requires advance reservations. We were there midweek for 2 nights and it was quiet and there were many open sites. The road into the campground is very narrow, mostly gravel, 10 miles long with many blind curves and switchbacks. If you survive the drive in and don't meet someone towing an RV or horse trailer you will be rewarded with a lovely, secluded place to spend some time. Timing is everything! If you are towing, don't arrive before noon and don't leave too late in the morning. The road into Cataloochee could be considered One Way for towing. Morning is for those leaving the campground and afternoon is for arrivals. There is no hot water, no showers and no dump station. There are water pumps at the campground so you can fill your fresh water tank. The campground host is lovely and kept an eye on things without being intrusive. The restrooms are clean and have a soap dispenser. It's a beautiful campground next to a creek with lots of wildlife (especially elk) and many hiking trails. We recommend the campsites on the outside of the loop. The ones in the middle have no privacy and are quite small.

If you take your time and use lower gears, the drive to the Cataloochee campground is fine; a lot of it is paved. The friendly campground host gave us the tag for our campsite and warned us about recent visits by a mama bear and two cubs. We never saw them. We have a small RV, and moving it would have been inconvenient, so we walked wherever we went. One afternoon we moved our chairs a little to watch the two bull elk and three cows wandering around the campground entertaining some children playing and eating leaves. Another day we walked with our dog to the old ranger station and the Will Messer Barn with its new metal roof and had lunch. The Jarvis Palmer House was our lunch spot for the next day where we ate on the back steps of the house and watched 6 elk munching on the grassy field between the house and the barn. Two elk wandered into the "Blacksmith Shop" and licked something inside above the door frame. They paid no attention to our 10-pound barking dog.
We enjoyed our campsite. The fire ring was used for S'mores every night. The lantern post was used to tie up our dog with enough leash to explore some trees on our campsite. There was always room in the bear-proof trash recepticles, and the restroom were kept in good shape.
This our third year camping here and we'll be back because it's a wonderful get-away to part of God's creation we don't see often and where, unlike many other campgrounds, there is no internet to distract us from enjoying it.

If you take your time and use lower gears, the drive to the Cataloochee campground is fine; a lot of it is paved. The friendly campground host gave us the tag for our campsite and warned us about recent visits by a mama bear and two cubs. We never saw them. We have a small RV, and moving it would have been inconvenient, so we walked wherever we went. One afternoon we moved our chairs a little to watch the two bull elk and three cows wandering around the campground entertaining some children playing and eating leaves. Another day we walked with our dog to the old ranger station and the Will Messer Barn with its new metal roof and had lunch. The Jarvis Palmer House was our lunch spot for the next day where we ate on the back steps of the house and watched 6 elk munching on the grassy field between the house and the barn. Two elk wandered into the "Blacksmith Shop" and licked something inside above the door frame. They paid no attention to our 10-pound barking dog.
We enjoyed our campsite. The fire ring was used for S'mores every night. The lantern post was used to tie up our dog with enough leash to explore some trees on our campsite. There was always room in the bear-proof trash recepticles, and the restroom were kept in good shape.
This our third year camping here and we'll be back because it's a wonderful get-away to part of God's creation we don't see often and where, unlike many other campgrounds, there is no internet to distract us from enjoying it.

We've been camping at Cataloochee for years, so the unpaved section is not a surprise, but the condition of the road was. It did not seem that any work had been done to reduce the washboards and potholes in the road. This does need some attention, as it will only get worse. The only thing that kept me from scoring this as a 5 star was the condition of the road. Everything else was great, especially loved getting to see one our favorite campground host, Janet.

We've been camping at Cataloochee for years, so the unpaved section is not a surprise, but the condition of the road was. It did not seem that any work had been done to reduce the washboards and potholes in the road. This does need some attention, as it will only get worse. The only thing that kept me from scoring this as a 5 star was the condition of the road. Everything else was great, especially loved getting to see one our favorite campground host, Janet.

saw lots of elk. even four hogs that need to die.
lots of trails to walk

saw lots of elk. even four hogs that need to die.
lots of trails to walk

Fantastic campground! We've enjoyed camping at Cataloochee for ten years, it's a smaller campground with only basic facilities but the hiking and the wildlife are great! You could expect to see elk, turkey, lots of birds and an occasional bear. The drive in isn't for the faint of heart, just go slow.

Fantastic campground! We've enjoyed camping at Cataloochee for ten years, it's a smaller campground with only basic facilities but the hiking and the wildlife are great! You could expect to see elk, turkey, lots of birds and an occasional bear. The drive in isn't for the faint of heart, just go slow.

Wonderful small campground. The fireflies were amazing!!! Love how remote this campground is and love to go there.