camperforlife wrote:
You may also want to consider Townsend which is on the quiet side of the Smokies if you are more into nature and less into people.  You will still be withing 30 minutes of Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg  but much closer to Cades Cove and the  Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont which offers some of the prettiest hiking in the area.  Tuckaleechee Caverns is also near by and interesting.  Both Tremont campground and the KOA offer nice sites right on the river.
Yep, those campgrounds are a little farther in, towards GSMNP, if you happen to find a spot. All the others going to look at the trees might limit your choices.