Elkmont CG in SMNP

[fowl8717]

My wife and I will be staying 5 days at the Elkmont Campground in the smokies during the second week of August. No water, elec, or sewer. Do not want to haul a full load of water from Birmingham AL. Does anyone know of a good place to fill up with water before entering the park. I will be traveling up 59/24/75 through Chatanooga and getting off the interstate at Cleveland to go up US 411 through Marysville to Townsend and enter the park there. Would like to fill up in Marysville or better Townsend. Pulling a Jayco 27.5RKDS 5th wheel with a F250. Did not see any truckstops along 411 on my Pilot app. If this sounds like a dumb question, just chalk it up to me being a newbie at this.

Charlie
Retired Army Green Beret

[fowl8717]

Thanks for the route advice. I will modify to come in via I40 and then cut over to veterans blvd to miss some of the traffic.

Charlie

[jayco304]

Yes you can fill water at sugarland visitor center with no problems...lucky me has F008 this 4th of July week

[ken56]

River rd. from the Townsend end all the way to Elkmont is very twisty with quite a few tight blind curves. Towing something 30+ ft. long
might present a challenge....... but it can be done.... take your time and pray no one is coming the other direction on those turns. At some places the rocks extend a little bit over the road so a 5th wheel could scrape them if you are not careful. good luck.

[DwnSth]

Not sure if it was specifically mentioned in earlier post but there is potable water at the Sugarlands dump station. Very tight turns through the dump station road but manageable if taken slow. I'm not so sure I would enter Little River road at Townsend and drive to Elkmont with that size trailer. It's doable but pretty tight in spots. I always go through Knoxville and come down through Gatlinburg bypass. There may be a better way traffic wise but much easier to negotiate. When not towing I much prefer the route you described.

[RoyB]

Think that happens in June would have to look it up... I got caught in that area one time when it was happening. Traffic everywhere... Cars lined up and down inside the park as far as you could see...

Got a great light show haha...

[Johno02]

Probably too late to get reservations for the campground, but try to hit the Synchronous Fireflies events. It is one of the most impressive things in the park. Only happens once per year.

[RoyB]

Charlie - I ham all the time down there... I think the repeater is 146.82 but don't quote me on that...

That repeater bunch loves to rag chew late at night. My kind of hams haha...

I have 2m/440 antenna on the rear of my POPUP trailer and a mount for a IC-706MKII. have same thing on my truck... I also carry two fold up 3-inch triangle alumimun antenna that goes up to ten feet above my rear bumper. Then I run out a OFF CENTER all band wire antenna and throw the ends up in the trees... The F8 site has a couple of tree 150-feet apart that is prefect for that and doesn't get into anyone elses space there...


we run all of our stuff usually from 6PM to 11PM drawing about 20AMPS DC Current from our 255AH battery bank. This holds up until 8AM the next morning and then we will run our 2KW Generator tied to the shore power cable for three hours to get my battery bank back up to the 90% charge state level. Then we good to do all of this all over again the next day/night run on the batteries...

Like camping close to the water and it does make alot of noise there... The second tier in is probably the better site for less roaring water noise... Kids like to come up near the F8 spot and put in their tubes and go all the way to the last cuve in the ELKMONT access road and hike back into the F8 camp spot area haha. They have a good time tubing... I have aired up a few tubes for them in my days haha...

We use the VERIZON MIFI Hotspot for our internet but its pretty spotty there. I can fashion up an antenna and usually pick VERIZON up. Once I get the hotspot going then everything else works for internet... Just hard walking around and have your cell phones working...

We always try to get their in late SEP time frame. Our family bunch always gets together at Myrtle Beach that time of the year and all roads go through Gatlinburg haha. Our other favorite spot is CLOUDLAND CANYON at the Trenton GA Lookout Mtn Exit before you get into ALA on I59... We camp in the West Rim side...

You guys have a fun trip in August...

Roy Ken

[fowl8717]

Thanks Roy,
You let me know what I needed to know. I am a Ham, KJ4AUQ and will have both 2m and HF with me. Have a hamstick dipole I use via some push up poles. Works great. Normally carry my Kenwood TS 2000 along.
73's

Charlie

[RoyB]

ELKMONT has water close by at an outside spigot at the several bath room buildings around the camp... I always carry a couple of water jeri-cans and use a folding two wheeled tote. We have the cassette potty so I will make a tote run to the bathroom bldg and dump down their toilet. Doesn't take very long to make a few of 5-gallon jeri can runs to fill up the fresh water tank.

There is a dump site at the main entrance to the park at Sugarlands Visitor Center but I'm not aware if they have potable water there to use or not.

We always try to get the F008 Site (F8) on the point right next to the river... Note that some sites don't allow use of generators...
ELKMONT MAP

Our favorite place to camp in the area...

Firewood and ICE is available at the camp ground... We always go to Townsend to do our grocery shopping just to keep out of all the goings on in the Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge areas... ELKMONT also is a Trolly stop for Gatlinburg. CELL PHONEs is very spotty inside the campground. We usually have to go out on the main drag inside the park up to a close-by pull off over looking Gatlinburg for cell phone service. HDTV is great there using OTA antenna. Ham radio is also great as they have a close-by repeater site there which allows use of handheld radios in the area if you guys are Ham Radio types...

Been coming here for years since the 70s... Also visit the CADES COVE motor drive in the late afternoons and maybe get a friendly bear sighting...

Roy Ken