0
Pull-thru
NPSGreat Smoky Mountains National Park · Tennessee
Cosby Group Camp
Overview Tucked in the mountains under a canopy of cool shade beside Cosby Creek.
Sites3all reservable
Elev.2,369ft
Comf.Mar-Nov9 months
Max rigtents
Electricnonesites
From Knoxville1h24real 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 2,369 ft, Cosby Group Camp has a 9-month comfortable window (Mar-Nov). Winter nights average around 31°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 3 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Of the sites, 1 walk-in. 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 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-Nov
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
66%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 16
Last spring frost; first fall frost Nov 1.
65°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Knoxville
52 mi
1h24
02
Chattanooga
163 mi
3h32
03
Nashville
231 mi
4h43
04
Memphis
443 mi
8h33
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 2.7 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 3 SITES
Color byShow only
3 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
1
Walk-in
0
50-amp
1
Accessible
3
Prime
3
Sites
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
2.7 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.