Chilhowee Campground

Loved the secluded location. Nice, big campsites. Plenty of shade.
Trails were all the same scenery except for Benton Falls. That is a must see!!
Signage getting to the campground could be better. There was a sign in the middle of a fork in the road that just said “Chilhowee Recreation.” There wasn’t an arrow to tell you which way to go. We chose the wrong way and ended up on a one lane gravel road. Luckily we found a spot to turn our little travel trailer around and head back down. Note for newcomers, stay on the paved road and head towards the Benton Falls trailhead (that was the only sign nearby with an arrow.

Rules should be enforced. Everything was fine until three families moved into one campsite right next to us, which isn't a big deal either. They automatically took up every single parking spot. They were also up until 5 AM blasting music and drinking alcohol. We could not reach the camp host or rangers, as the rangers' office was closed.

Very disappointing! We booked this trip more than two months in advance. Check in time was 3 PM, we arrived on time at 3 PM and found someone fully set up on our site. We went to the section host they told us they were only a recreational host, sent us to the host at another area of the campground. Once there we could not approach this hosts door because of a Pit Dog fenced in around their camper. We finally had to blow the truck horn to get someone to come out. They said they didn't know where the people were that were on our site. They told us they didn't have another site for us and asked us to just park somewhere in an open site until they called the other camper. We parked in a site across the road from our site. About 45 minutes later the host showed up and said they contacted the other camper but he was about an hour away. at the same time the camper coming into the site we were parked at arrived and got mad because I was parked in his site. So we spent the next 2 hours driving around the campground, towing a camper, parking in the road until a car would come, that drive around some more. When the man showed up at about 5:30PM he took another 45 minutes packing his stuff up, shook his head several times at me because I was parked in the road in front of the site waiting. At 6:15 I finally got into our site! At about 6:30 PM the host came by to ask if we got settled in. That was the last time we saw the host. We were right beside the bathroom, we never saw anyone ever clean it or even check on it. Empty soap bottles all over the sink trash scattered around the floor. We never saw a host ride through, we never saw a ranger ride through. We couldn't enjoy the peacefulness of nature that we were looking for because of all the dogs barking constantly day and night. We loved the location but someone needs to look into how this place is run. We camp in many places and this is the first negative review I have ever had to make. we won't be back. More 2 say out of word

Spacious and clean camping spots. Clean restrooms. Lots of trails for hiking and exploring.

Overall everything was a 10 out of 10! Campground was super clean including shower houses & campsites. Plenty of fish in the lake!! Big area for swimming & beautiful hiking trails to Benton waterfall 💜 Our family will definitely be back!

Chilhowee is the perfect place to relax, unwind, and enjoy nature! There was a lot of firewood available due to trees that had previously fallen, which was a nice perk. And, bathrooms were kept very clean in Loop A!

Excellent Camping spots.

Perfect experience.

If you’re a mega redneck who likes to party and stay up all night screaming, this is the place for you. Horrible experience.

I loved camping here!