0
Pull-thru
NPSGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · Tennessee
Cosby Campground
Overview Back country camping in a developed front country campground.
Sites157155 reservable
Elev.2,326ft
Comf.Feb-Nov10 months
Max rig30 ft
Electricnonesites
From Knoxville1h23real 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 2,326 ft, Cosby Campground has a 10-month comfortable window (Feb-Nov). Winter nights average around 31°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 157 sites total: 155 reservable and 2 first-come, first-served. This is bear country, and food-storage lockers are provided. Within about 4 miles: 2 named hiking routes, 19 peaks, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and shade. 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
Feb-Nov
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
66%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 15
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 1.
65°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Knoxville
51 mi
1h23
02
Chattanooga
163 mi
3h30
03
Nashville
231 mi
4h41
04
Memphis
442 mi
8h32
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 2.6 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 157 SITES
Color byShow only
157 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
2
Accessible
7
Prime
157
Sites
★ The standout
Site A14
A-Loop · prime location · shaded.
To neighbor
122 ft
Location
Prime
Max rig
20 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
2
Trail segments
62
Peaks
19
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
2.6 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.