The best big rig friendly campgrounds in Norris Lake

A 34,000-acre reservoir on the Powell and Clinch rivers, Norris Lake is 30 miles northwest of Knoxville. Campgrounds and marinas surround the lake, so access to watersports and fantastic bass fishing is a breeze for campers, while surrounding state parks spotlight East Tennessee’s mountain-and-river terrain and its Appalachian culture. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed several of these state parks during the Great Depression, and CCC-built facilities are still in use today. Glamping options include farm sites, canvas tents, and tiny homes—and birdwatching and hiking are popular no matter where you stay nearby.

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Top-rated campgrounds near Norris Lake

A 34,000-acre reservoir on the Powell and Clinch rivers, Norris Lake is 30 miles northwest of Knoxville. Campgrounds and marinas surround the lake, so access to watersports and fantastic bass fishing is a breeze for campers, while surrounding state parks spotlight East Tennessee’s mountain-and-river terrain and its Appalachian culture. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) developed several of these state parks during the Great Depression, and CCC-built facilities are still in use today. Glamping options include farm sites, canvas tents, and tiny homes—and birdwatching and hiking are popular no matter where you stay nearby.

97% (173)

Top-rated campgrounds near Norris Lake

1. Camp LeConte

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(14)

36 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Gatlinburg, TN

Welcome to Camp LeConte Adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains and only 4 miles to downtown Gatlinburg you can't get a better location than Camp LeConte. Camp LeConte is a family owned and operated campground since 2013. Ian and Linzy Nicely, and their three children, are happy to have a family business where they can share the love of nature, mountains and Gatlinburg with all their guests. Ian is a lover of all things outdoors. Mix that with Linzy's style and love of decorating and that's Camp LeConte. A glamorous camping destination where you can stay in a luxury tree house, European safari tent or a 1960's retro camper. Bring your own RV or camper and stay in one of our full -hook up sites with 20, 30 and 50 amp service, water, sewer, cable and free wifi. Maybe you are wanting your kids to pitch a real tent (just like you did when you were their age!). We offer primitive tent sites for those of you who really want to rough it!

2. Appalachian Springs Outdoor Resort

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(13)

57 sites · RVs · Pigeon Forge, TN

At Appalachian Springs, we envisioned a serene campground in Pigeon Forge, offering unparalleled beauty, quality amenities, and unbeatable convenience. Our RV campground serves as a gateway to exploration and rejuvenation. From cozy campfires under the stars to thrilling adventures in the great outdoors, Appalachian Springs is your ultimate destination for camping in the Smokies. Join us and discover the essence of outdoor hospitality like never before. Discover unparalleled amenities at Appalachian Springs Outdoor Resort, your premier choice for a campground near Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, and Gatlinburg. We are an RV park in Pigeon Forge, nestled amidst the stunning beauty of the Smoky Mountains. We have top-notch facilities tailored your comfort and vacation memories. Our Pigeon Forge RV resort ensures your comfort with spacious RV campsites with modern hook-ups to our luxurious amenities. Take a refreshing dip in the pool, go shopping, or explore nearby hiking trails for a taste of Smoky Mountain RV camping at its finest. With Appalachian Springs, your adventure begins right at our doorstep.

3. Foggy Bottom Farm

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(19)

15 sites · Tents, RVs · Wildwood, TN

11 acres nestled in a valley at the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, ponds and creek run through property, with flat rolling farmland located between Rockford and Wildwood. 50 amp and 30 amp pull through sites. Float the Little river from Perry’s Mill back to within a mile of camp. Swim at the wye, trout fish, Tube the Little river in Townsend. Ft. Louden, Douglas, Cherokee, Melton Hill, and Norris lakes all within 30 minutes. 20 minutes to Walland, Maryville and Knoxville. 30 minutes to SMNP, the tail of the Dragon, Foothills Parkway, Sevierville, Louden, Townsend, Oak Ridge.

4. Sun Outdoors Pigeon Forge

241 sites · RVs, Lodging · Sevierville, TN

Experience a Tennessee vacation at the gateway of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when you stay at Sun Outdoors Pigeon Forge. Enjoy gorgeous scenery with warm Southern hospitality for a great family vacation at one of the best resorts in the Pigeon Forge area. We offer an outstanding location near exciting local attractions and wonderful accommodations and amenities to complete your getaway to the great outdoors. Cool off on a hot summer day in our swimming pool with a lazy river. Play a game of basketball, let the kids enjoy the playground, or let your pooch roam in the fenced-in bark park.

5. LAKESIDE GETAWAY ON DOUGLAS

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56 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Dandridge, TN

Lakeside Getaway is a seasonal peninsula on Douglas Lake of primitive camping sites in historic Dandridge, Tn just 30 min from Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. Come enjoy your boat, jet ski, or kayaks from our 75 foot boat dock and new concrete boat ramp for launching. Our pavilion is a nice commons area with a charcoal stove and can be reserved for private parties. We rent out Kayaks to parties or individuals. Our quite cove is about 2 miles long and very secluded... Great for Kayaking! Call for more details and questions: 423-231-9399 or 423-231-4094

6. Knoxville Campground

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51 sites · RVs · Clinton, TN

Welcome to Knoxville Campground! We are your premier Clinton, Tennessee Campground, family-owned and operated by Kiefer Campgrounds. We are part of a collection of RV parks and campgrounds that spares no expense to ensure your stay with us is nothing less than the BEST! We are conveniently located 10 miles north of Knoxville, TN, off I-75 and we are open year round. We are also a golf cart friendly campground. Give us a call at 217-342-1111 for more details.

7. Mountain Ranch RV Park - Smokey Mtn

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4 sites · RVs · Newport, TN

We are a Fulltime RVing Family. We built this small 4 FHU RV Park with everything we look for when RVing. Full hookup sites with plenty of room to get your RV in & out of. The Full hookups placed where they need to be. Not in the way of a slide. All sites have 50/30/20amps. So you don’t need to bring an adapter. Tree cover & shade are all at great locations to stay cool in the summer heat.Learn more about this land:Brand New RV Park. Built by a Fulltime RVer for Fulltime RVers. FHU (50/30/20amp, water, sewer) and Big Rig Friendly. $225 Week. $550 a Month (Message for discount code). 2.4 miles from I-40. 2 miles from Walmart/Lowe’s. Close to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Smokey Mountain National Park. 1hr away from Asheville, NC

Camper favorites in and near Norris Lake

Top-rated campgrounds reviewed by the Hipcamp community.

Sun Outdoors Pigeon Forge

241 sites · RVs, Lodging · Sevierville, TN

Experience a Tennessee vacation at the gateway of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when you stay at Sun Outdoors Pigeon Forge. Enjoy gorgeous scenery with warm Southern hospitality for a great family vacation at one of the best resorts in the Pigeon Forge area. We offer an outstanding location near exciting local attractions and wonderful accommodations and amenities to complete your getaway to the great outdoors. Cool off on a hot summer day in our swimming pool with a lazy river. Play a game of basketball, let the kids enjoy the playground, or let your pooch roam in the fenced-in bark park.

LAKESIDE GETAWAY ON DOUGLAS

97%

(139)

56 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Dandridge, TN

Lakeside Getaway is a seasonal peninsula on Douglas Lake of primitive camping sites in historic Dandridge, Tn just 30 min from Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area. Come enjoy your boat, jet ski, or kayaks from our 75 foot boat dock and new concrete boat ramp for launching. Our pavilion is a nice commons area with a charcoal stove and can be reserved for private parties. We rent out Kayaks to parties or individuals. Our quite cove is about 2 miles long and very secluded... Great for Kayaking! Call for more details and questions: 423-231-9399 or 423-231-4094

Knoxville Campground

94%

(8)

51 sites · RVs · Clinton, TN

Welcome to Knoxville Campground! We are your premier Clinton, Tennessee Campground, family-owned and operated by Kiefer Campgrounds. We are part of a collection of RV parks and campgrounds that spares no expense to ensure your stay with us is nothing less than the BEST! We are conveniently located 10 miles north of Knoxville, TN, off I-75 and we are open year round. We are also a golf cart friendly campground. Give us a call at 217-342-1111 for more details.

Mountain Ranch RV Park - Smokey Mtn

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(39)

4 sites · RVs · Newport, TN

We are a Fulltime RVing Family. We built this small 4 FHU RV Park with everything we look for when RVing. Full hookup sites with plenty of room to get your RV in & out of. The Full hookups placed where they need to be. Not in the way of a slide. All sites have 50/30/20amps. So you don’t need to bring an adapter. Tree cover & shade are all at great locations to stay cool in the summer heat.Learn more about this land:Brand New RV Park. Built by a Fulltime RVer for Fulltime RVers. FHU (50/30/20amp, water, sewer) and Big Rig Friendly. $225 Week. $550 a Month (Message for discount code). 2.4 miles from I-40. 2 miles from Walmart/Lowe’s. Close to Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, and Smokey Mountain National Park. 1hr away from Asheville, NC

Recent reviews from the Hipcamp community

A

Alyssa

2 weeks ago

20 ft campervan

1 night at Foggy Bottom Farm

Great spot and host! Very grateful to have stayed here.

J

Jon

November 2025

30 ft travel trailer

With kids

4 nights at Camp LeConte

Clean property, very convenient trolly stop, full hook ups, great amenities.

A

Ashwani

November 2025

With kids

1 night at Camp LeConte

Nice campsite, clean, drivable, the tree house experience was amazing

Amy

October 2025

35 ft Class A

With pets

1 night at Foggy Bottom Farm

Bryan was already outside ( in the rain) to greet us before I even contacted him. He has great overnight sites and the electric hookup makes it nicer than many quick stops! We relaxed and were ready to hit the road again the next morning.

D

Dylan

October 2025

17 ft travel trailer

Weekend Trip to Appalachian Springs Outdoor Resort

One of the newer campgrounds in Pigeon Forge, in a great location right in the middle of everything. Staff were very friendly and helpful with everything. Bathhouse was immaculate and spacious. Everything has been well maintained and still looked and felt brand new after 2 years of business.

I

Ian

October 2025

Tent

1 night at Foggy Bottom Farm

Beautiful location, Bryan’s an awesome host as well. Highly recommend a stay there at Foggy Bottom Farm

B

Brent

October 2025

20 ft campervan

With kids

3 nights at Appalachian Springs Outdoor Resort

Very well maintained campground. Exceptionally clean and quiet. Excellent base camp for everything Pigeon Forge. Highly recommend!

L

Leslie

October 2025

20 ft campervan

With pets

1 night at Camp LeConte

We had full hook-ups but used the shower and bathrooms (nice, clean with lots of hot water). Close to town -- realized over all that this area is too Disneyish for us, but overall a solid place to stay. The little glamping units looked totally adorable and fun!

b

brad

October 2025

15 ft pop-up camper

With pets

Weekend Trip to Foggy Bottom Farm

Such a great location: open, quiet (other than some noisy dogs), flat, spacious. Host was very pleasant, checked in on us, placed us in a more advantageous spot over near the barn, and even brought us firewood and had a nifty ignition system for it. Highly recommended, just bring a radio and roll those windows up if those neighbor’s dogs get a wild hair.

R

Ronald

October 2025

24 ft toy hauler

With pets

7 nights at Foggy Bottom Farm

Bryan was a top notch host with a beautiful pieace of land that was close to everything. I highly recommend staying with him. We will return in the future for sure! A+ all the way

S

Samantha

September 2025

1 night at Foggy Bottom Farm

Beautiful property and views! Nice, flat lot for our pop up. Owners or someone always nearby and offered fired wood if needed. Truly lived up to its name with a really pretty evening and morning fog. A couple farm dogs were with owner, very friendly and well behaved, follows owner, not guests.

A

Alexi

September 2025

With kids

Weekend Trip to Camp LeConte

Soooo cute! :] definitely hope to be back next time we visit the area. Everything was absolutely clean. great indoor showers, bathroom, and even laundry right by the campsite. Electric fireplace to keep warm. We even received our key to lock the door to our glamp tent. Play area for kids, pool, and a little shop. So many of those things and more that we did not expect. It was much better than advertised. Thank you for all the attention to detail! We had a great comfy trip!

M

Melana

September 2025

26 ft travel trailer

Weekend Trip to Appalachian Springs Outdoor Resort

Very clean bathroom, laundry and park. Quiet other than 1 camper. Good quiet location close to almost anything you need.

P

Patrick

September 2025

41 ft fifth wheel

Weekend Trip to LAKESIDE GETAWAY ON DOUGLAS

I loved the proximity to the water and the friendliness of the hosts. The sites all had a lake-view and the facilities were clean and well maintained. I will definitely be stay here again!

Basavesh

September 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to LAKESIDE GETAWAY ON DOUGLAS

The location is awesome and the host is very friendly and checked on us a couple of times in a day. The washrooms are good, however there is no light and can get really hot during sunny days. Our place was close to the lake and we made sure to enjoy it.

Azka

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Camp LeConte

We spent our labor day weekend in one of the primitive tent sites. Highly recommend to someone who is new to camping or someone who likes the quiet of camping but want a perfectly operational toilet / shower nearby. The camping sites are at the far back end of the lodge so it feels isolated but all the amenities, which are well-maintained, are nearby. Camp Leconte is a very short drive to downtown and most trails on the North side. My only heads up would be that Camp Leconte is right on the highway, so its not a fully secluded, in-the-woods experience that some people might be seeking. But it is what we needed so overall 10/10 excellent experience :)

T

Topper

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Foggy Bottom Farm

Great tent camping with a more than gracious host. Will be back if in the area.

K

Karen

August 2025

16 ft travel trailer

With pets

7 nights at Mountain Ranch RV Park - Smokey Mtn

Great little spot in the countryside to listen to nature and get a good nights sleep. The incoming road is a bit steep so be prepared for that, but it doesn't alter the peace and quiet around you!! Easy access to get set up and settled I . All connections are quick access and ready to go. Great hosts.

T

Tiffany

August 2025

Tent

With kids

Weekend Trip to LAKESIDE GETAWAY ON DOUGLAS

Beautiful dock!!! Nicely manicured sites, plenty of water raft and kayak rentals. So peaceful and quiet.

K

Kenny

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to LAKESIDE GETAWAY ON DOUGLAS

So many things I could say, but a short list could describe the stay. The View Cleanliness Peaceful Hospitable

More campsites in and near Norris Lake

Sun Outdoors Pigeon Forge

241 sites · RVs, Lodging · Sevierville, TN

Experience a Tennessee vacation at the gateway of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when you stay at Sun Outdoors Pigeon Forge. Enjoy gorgeous scenery with warm Southern hospitality for a great family vacation at one of the best resorts in the Pigeon Forge area. We offer an outstanding location near exciting local attractions and wonderful accommodations and amenities to complete your getaway to the great outdoors. Cool off on a hot summer day in our swimming pool with a lazy river. Play a game of basketball, let the kids enjoy the playground, or let your pooch roam in the fenced-in bark park.

Happy farmer sitting in a truck in a grassy field

The best big rig friendly camping in Norris Lake guide

Where to go

Anderson County

Campgrounds are scattered along the shoreline beside Norris Dam, which sits at the southwestern edge of the lake in Anderson County. Small towns with camping, glamping, and RV sites include Rocky Top, Norris, and Andersonville.

Norris Dam State Park

The 19 cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps at Norris Dam State Park merge Depression-era history with modern amenities. The sprawling lakefront park also has two campgrounds, both with tent and RV campsites. A marina and a Southern Appalachia museum are bonus highlights.

Big Ridge State Park

Lakeside campsites accommodate tents and RVs at Big Ridge State Park, another Depression-era park constructed by the TVA and the CCC. Watersports are popular here, but hikers have plenty of options too, with 15 miles of trails exploring the forests, hollows, and ridges. Campgrounds are also scattered across the towns of Maynardville and New Tazewell.

Knoxville

Tennessee’s capital and the home of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville is a convenient launchpad for campers looking to mix urban adventuring with paddling and fishing at Norris Lake. In Knoxville, ride the elevator to the observation area atop the soaring Sunsphere, then check out the quarry and the nature center inside the Urban Wilderness, a network of parks and multi-use trails scattered across the city. Campgrounds surround the downtown area.