Quiet side of the Smokies

Lots of campgrounds in the Maggie Valley area. Great location and MUCH quieter than the north side of the NP; unlike PidgeonForge! We like it in that area and is a great point to drive out to the park. Maggie Valley is an awesome place to visit by itself.

They're usually referring to the area around Townsend TN. The area has been marketing itself as the "quieter side" for years now and they generally are as compared to Gatlinburg and Cherokee areas. Still all the marketing is working and leading to more people and growth so I'm not sure how many more years the "quieter" will apply. It is close to the park and Cades Cove. Several good RV parks in the area. Convenient to lots of other stuff.

We always stay at ELKMONT CAMP inside the Smoky Natl Park... Nice camp but has no hookups... Just water from a spigot at one of the many scattered around bath room buildings... Some camp spots allow generator use but has run time restrictions. We do just fine with our battery bank and then recharge batteries the next morning running our small 2KW generator the next morning during breakfast... Usually stay a whole week doing this...



Can go visit Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Cherokee NC anytime you want. There is a Gatlinburg shuttle that turns around at the camp. We go to Townsend for grocery shopping etc to stay clear of all the tourist things going on up and down the strips.

Works great for us - Nice and peaceful stay. The River that runs through the ELKMONT is pretty loud at night tho hehe...

The big thrill of the day for us is to do the late afternoon CADES COVE Motor trail run. Lots of wildlife comes out at dusk...

Works for us...

Roy Ken

Townsend, TN area. Nice town, minimal glitzy stuff. Nice campgrounds in Townsend with hook-ups or not far to 2 campgrounds inside the Park with no hook-ups. WAY quieter than either Gatlinburg or Cherokee.

I would recommend Moonshine Creek on the NC side near Waynesville, NC. Very quiet and secluded. We stay there a week every October. Easy to get to everything but not in the middle of it,