Great Smoky Mountains and Blue Ridge Mtn Parkway

Just know that some of the areas of the BRP and inside GSMNP the roads are NOT RV friendly. If you are not used to traveling 2-lane roads that are curvy and mountainous, you do not need to pull your RV through them. Use some of the major highways, find the campground, drop the RV and take the pickup along some of the narrower roads.

Start here with planning

This should get you started and then you can determine where to get on/off the BRP and then you can start planning what/where/when in the GSMNP.

We usually stay in Pigeon Forge and drive into the park during the day. (We like to have amenities like power, water, AC, etc.) We stay at Pine Mountain RV Park if we are on that side. We also will stay at Smoky Bear RV Resort in Cosby, TN. There are many, many campgrounds, so use RV Park Reviews to determine which ones are recommended wherever you decide to enter GSMNP.

sdianel wrote:
We like to stay in Sevierville TN and drive into Smoky Mountains NP. Very touristy area but convenient for parking the RV and sightseeing. We stay at the River Plantation RV Resort. There are places to park your vehicle and take the trolley. Don't miss Cades Cove. I would not drive our RV on the Blue Ridge Parkway. After Sevierville I would move down I-40 to Maggie Valley. See some of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We like Creekwood Farm RV Park in Waynesville. then get back on I-40 to Asheville. Bite the bullet (price) and visit the Biltmore House. Worth every penny. We stay at the KOA Asheville East in Swannanoa. Alto Mama Gertie's is nice but too hilly for us. Boone NC would be a good next stop. Several campgrounds in the area. There is a KOA. We like the town of Mt Airy NC. We stay at the Mayberry Campground. (TV Show Mayberry was filmed there). Pilot Mountain State Park is a nice day trip. Don't have any recommendations for the rest. Enjoy your trip!

Actually The Andy Griffith show was filmed in California. Mount Airy is Andy's home town.

there are a few private CGs just off the BRP. You can see them from the Parkway. they do have full hookups.

As for what to see on the Parkway. there are endless overlooks. Waterfalls are scattered out along the BRP as well. To see much of anything else besides Cone Mansion, You will have to get off the Parkway

Tweetsie Railroad is just off the Boone exit of the BRP. Mount Mitchell is also just off the BPR, the highest peak on the East Coast. Linville Caverns is also just off the BRP. Little Switzerland is a very cool place to visit. Many people like Blowing Rock.

Of course the BRP ends in Cherokee NC, and there is a lot to see there. The Smoky Mountain Railroad is near there as well. And from there you can drive deeper in to the Smokeys, to Gatlinburg, and Pigion Forge, and DollyWood

We like to stay in Sevierville TN and drive into Smoky Mountains NP. Very touristy area but convenient for parking the RV and sightseeing. We stay at the River Plantation RV Resort. There are places to park your vehicle and take the trolley. Don't miss Cades Cove. I would not drive our RV on the Blue Ridge Parkway. After Sevierville I would move down I-40 to Maggie Valley. See some of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We like Creekwood Farm RV Park in Waynesville. then get back on I-40 to Asheville. Bite the bullet (price) and visit the Biltmore House. Worth every penny. We stay at the KOA Asheville East in Swannanoa. Alto Mama Gertie's is nice but too hilly for us. Boone NC would be a good next stop. Several campgrounds in the area. There is a KOA. We like the town of Mt Airy NC. We stay at the Mayberry Campground. (TV Show Mayberry was filmed there). Pilot Mountain State Park is a nice day trip. Don't have any recommendations for the rest. Enjoy your trip!

I've not been North of the Sky Drive section in Virginia. have made the trip South from Virginia to Smoky Mtns down the Blue Ridge a few times. Neat run for us with lots of pull outs to view and check out. There is a camp ground about every 50 miles and only a few gas stops. The major road crossing is the best place to get on and off of the parkway. The back road entrances to the Parkway usually are very winding and steep... Be sure to plan your gas stops with a major road crossing...

The speed limit is most often 25MPH so don't plan on going very far in one day haha... There are some section up to 45MPH..

The Parkway is full of motorcycles and wild life at dusk... Also when you come up on a bunch of cars off to the side of the parkway usually means a Bear sighting...

The camp grounds are small and originally built for Tent Camping from back in the 50s I guess... They do accommodate the bigger trailers... The camp ground will only have a rest room facility with a water spigot and no hookups anywhere else. No Electric at the pads...

We have done the trip both Tent camping and with our POPUP trailer to Gatlingburg TN going this way a few times and had a lot of fun...

You can download a entire trip map PDF with MP markers and items of interest to see...

My favorite camping places is LOFT MTN on SKYLINE DRIVE (which has an entrance fee), Sherando lake and Otter Creek. My favorite camp place in the Smoky Mtns is ELKMONT also with no hook ups Just a bath room building and water spigot... Plenty of nice camp grounds around the Smoky Mtns in Gatlinburg, Pigeon forge, and Townsend TN. My pick would be Townsend to keep away from all the tourist things...

The real high country section is in the NC run

Roy Ken

Went there on motorcycle. Biltmore estate was cool. Bit pricy but worth it. Stay away from some of the more twisty roads like the Tail of Dragon.