4
Pull-thru
NPSBig South Fork National River & Recreation Area · Tennessee
Bandy Creek
Overview Bandy Creek is a spacious and modern campground, situated in The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area--a vast and scenic expanse of land that offers visitors countless recreation
Sites145144 reservable
Elev.1,581ft
Comf.Mar-Dec10 months
Max rig73 ft4 pull-thru
Electric9635×50-amp
From Knoxville1h52real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 1,581 ft, Bandy Creek has a 10-month comfortable window (Mar-Dec). Winter nights average around 30°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 145 sites total: 144 reservable and 1 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 4 pull-through, 35 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 73-ft rig. This is bear country, and food-storage lockers are provided. Within about 4 miles: lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Sep
Mar-Dec
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
66%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 12
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 30.
68°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Knoxville
75 mi
1h52
02
Nashville
147 mi
3h13
03
Chattanooga
134 mi
3h14
04
Memphis
359 mi
7h03
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 8.5 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 145 SITES
Color byShow only
145 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
35
50-amp
7
Accessible
0
Prime
145
Sites
★ The standout
Site D001
Loop D · good location · shaded.
To neighbor
168 ft
Location
Good
Max rig
56 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
169
Viewpoints
6
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
8.5 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.