National Park Service · Tennessee
Look Rock Campground
National Park Service · Tennessee, United States · in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Sites
- 69
- Hookups
- 10 electric, 65 with water, 58 no hookups
- Season
- May 8 to October 25
- Max RV length
- 48 ft
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- No
- Dump station
- Yes
- Laundry
- No
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 2,585 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 4
- Cell coverage
- AT&T weak · Verizon weak · T-Mobile none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Lake
- Great Smoky Mountains National Park
- Nearest town
- Townsend
- Address
- 10042 Campground Drive, Townsend, TN, 37882
- Phone
- 865-436-1261
- Activities
- Biking, Birding, Camping, Hiking, Lookout Tower, Photography, Picnicking, Scenic Drive, Wildlife Viewing
63 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Overview
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.
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.
Facilities
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.
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.
Contact Info
For facility specific information, please call (865) 448-4103.
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
Fees
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. Customers that check out early or do not plan to use their reservation MUST contact the campground office the day they leave or are due to check in, in order to receive a refund. Refund requests for early departure or non use of the site made AFTER the reservation has ended will be denied. Office phone numbers are given in the Facility Contact information for each campground.
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 25° | -10° | 62° | 10 of 11 |
| February | 51° | 31° | 13° | 66° | 10 of 11 |
| March | 59° | 40° | 2° | 75° | 8 of 11 |
| April | 66° | 45° | 29° | 79° | 2 of 11 |
| May | 74° | 56° | 39° | 84° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 79° | 62° | 51° | 90° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 82° | 66° | 58° | 90° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 81° | 66° | 58° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 77° | 61° | 49° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 64° | 45° | 31° | 80° | 1 of 10 |
| November | 56° | 37° | 14° | 69° | 5 of 10 |
| December | 48° | 30° | 14° | 65° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Abram's Creek Campground · National Park Service · 2 mi · 16 sites
- Cades Cove Campground · National Park Service · 9 mi · 164 sites
- Cades Cove Group · National Park Service · 10 mi · 4 sites
- Anthony Creek Horse Camp · National Park Service · 10 mi · 3 sites
- Bear Creek Hunter Shelter · USDA Forest Service · 15 mi
All public campgrounds in Tennessee · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-08-14. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.