The River Life

This was a perfect stopping point in between a work site and my return trip. The river location was beautiful and I was very grateful to have had the opportunity to stay. Tent site was clean and easy to access. The fire pit was well kept and worked great, and the view of the river on a brisk morning was wonderful to wake up to.

Not recommend

· October 2026

Tent ·

Site 3 - The River Life

**Bee allergy warning European killer hornets on premises** It saddens me to have to give a negative rating for this Hipcamp, the property is next to a river and very nice. The Hipcamp owner fails to disclose important and even life-saving information to the campers. Within 20 minutes of checking in, myself and those with who my was traveling, were attacked by three European killer hornets, literally the size of your thumb. I ended up being stung, and had an allergic reaction although I have never had an allergic reaction to a bee sting, my entire life. Later research revealed that these bees release far more venom during the sting than conventional base, so even people who do not have allergies to these can have reactions. My throat was swelling, and I was feeling a bit lightheaded. The Camp Host had full knowledge of these bees because a 1/2 full bottle of hornet spray was found at the bathhouse, yet fails to disclose this campers, which could be lethal for a camper who has an actual Bee allergy. The Camp host's response to my reporting the bee sting was her saying "I am not a medical professional," nor offering to do anything about the bees. After several hours, I was feeling a little bit better, but was close to going to the local ER. I tried to put that behind me to have a good time, and then found that the bathhouse was completely out of order. There was no water, there was dirt and debris in the sink and showers, where they had obviously not been used for sometime nor cleaned or kept up. I reported this to the Camp Host, who told me that she couldn't get anyone out there until the next day to look at it, which was conveniently when I was supposed to check out. We ended up putting up our own shower/toilet tent, and using that instead. Because of the bee situation, we moved our camp away from the tree line, from where the bees were coming. We stayed an additional day, and I did not want to stir up any bees so I asked to stay in the same place I was at. I was informed that I needed to move to campsite number 2, which contained brush and was unusable, since the space I was in had been reserved by someone else, although large enough for two camps. Thankfully, the camper in the campsite was gracious enough to share the large campsite for one night, and I gave him an extra $20 for his troubles. This Camp Host is uncaring, and does not keep up this Hipcamp, while trying to expand it to several more sites in an obvious money grab. It's a beautiful area, but poorly managed, and I would not stay here again and I recommend you do not stay here, either. **Bee Allergy Warning**

Recommends

· August 2026

Tent ·

Site 3 - The River Life

Nice view, most of the sites are right on the bank of the river.

Recommends

· August 2026

Wonderful people and great camping

Tent ·

Site 6 - The River Life

I loved just about everything about this campsite. From the disconnect from life and work, to not being so far out it’s scary if anything were to happen. Genuinely had a wonderful time with my partner and I. The host was wonderfully kind alongside the caregiver. Ill admit my only complaint is a lack of updated pictures for every site. For any campers i recommend site 1 & 2 they are fully ideal and wonderful all around, hurricane Helene affected the other tent sites really badly. Feels like a desert around mid day and i recommend going to the hammock, the tree covered sites, or even the river to cool off. My husband and I were warned of no tree shade but didn't fully realize how much this place was affected. The owner was wonderful and accommodating to us switching sites due to how the sun had affected us. Then even had the caregiver come check on us a while later that same day. So i recommend going to this camp for how amazing the river is, how amazing the host is, and support her and her ability to fix and maintain this wonderful place.

Not recommend

· July 2026

Not As Advers

Tent · With kids ·

We showed up to campsite number 7. It was completely different from listing. All the trees are gone. The flat area and fire ring are up away from river. The area has been cleared and still soft and messy. So its no longer shaded, private and directly on river. Host never responded to our messages. We left and found something else. When confronted customer service they left it to host to decided how much to refund. We got a partial refund even though it was not as advertised. Hope this helps someone else.

Mixed feelings

· July 2026

Tent ·

I would like to preface this review with, I'm not angry or disgruntled. I had an enjoyable time at this site. I will even go back. I am also very familiar with the damage this area of Tennessee suffered from hurricane Helene and I'm sensitive to that. The issues I have are as follows: When I booked the site, it listed 48 photos of the camp ground prior to being totally devastated by Helene. A few days before our stay, I checked the site to see two new photos showing a field vs shaded / tree area. This drastically changed what I would need for rustic camping. Had I not seen this we would have had to abort the entire trip if we showed up for the "old" camp site. The site lists only one vehicle allowed although there is plenty of space and after request the owner said two were fine. The area is sparse with mulch and dirt. No shade, no picnic table. The gravel road is barely 2wd accessible. As we were leaving the road damaged the front bumper of our vehicle. Id highly recommend SUV's vs sedan / cars. With that said, the river is stunning. The swimming hole is cool, tranquil and peaceful. Its a quiet area and the stars are stunning. The campground host was sweet, caring and helpful. This area has been through it and I always want to choose grace and hope. I will come back here because we really enjoyed our time. The expectations just need to be set early and new updated photos would be really helpful. A picnic table would be the primary thing I'd add.

Recommends

· July 2026

Lovely and remote, be prepared

Tent · Group trip ·

Site 6 - The River Life

Let me caveat my recommendation with this specifically: if you are not prepared to rough it then don’t come here. If you’re willing to do all the preparation necessary (bring your own water, bring your own latrine, be prepared for the fact that Helene took all of the trees past section 1 and you need to bring your own shade, there aren’t any lights), then it is a wonderful place. The swimming home is great. It’s quiet. It’s reserved. It’s beautiful. The river is lovely so yeah, I’d go back again, but just be informed of what you’d have to work with to go.

Mixed feelings

· June 2026

Property Has Changed Since Photos

Tent · With pets ·

We stayed at Site 7 in June 2026. The river was beautiful, peaceful, and one of the highlights of our trip. We enjoyed swimming, relaxing by the water, and appreciated the privacy of the site. However, future guests should be aware that the current condition of the property differs significantly from many of the listing and review photos. Much of the tree cover shown in the photos is no longer present around Site 7, resulting in very little shade during the day. Our tent became extremely hot during the afternoon hours. The property appears to have experienced significant flooding at some point, possibly related to Hurricane Helene, as there are large debris piles throughout portions of the campground and visible flood debris mixed with trash in some areas. Site markings beyond the first 3 campsites were nonexistent, making it difficult to locate our site upon arrival. We did not receive any arrival instructions or site information prior to check-in. During our stay, the bath house also experienced a water outage that left the toilets unable to flush for an extended period of time. I’ve included current photos from our June 2026 stay so future guests can see the present condition of the property. While we enjoyed the river and our time exploring the Smokies, updated listing photos and more communication from the host would help set accurate expectations for future campers.

Recommends

· June 2026

Beautiful.

Tent · With pets ·

It was beautiful. We lucked out on having no one else at the other 2 spots, so it was very quiet. It was right on the river, perfect access to the water. Very peaceful definitely appreciated the lady who lives nearby coming in and checking on us, seeing if we needed anything. Thank you to the host for a beautiful spot. Also super quick access to town if you need anything!

Recommends

· June 2026

Sydney’s Spring Villa

The camper was very nice and clean. Very roomy. Check in and out very easy. My son and his family were at campsite one so it was easy for us to spend time with him there next to the river.

Recommends

· June 2026

Tent · Group trip ·

This site was perfect for a get away weekend! Definitely coming back in the future.

Recommends

· April 2026

Great place to relax

Beautiful camp site! Great facilities! 10/10 would recommend!

Recommends

· April 2026

Best staycation ever!!!

Tent ·

My wife and I spent three nights here for a little get away, and it was amazing! Wood was available on site for purchase, the bath house was in good shape and the campsites were clean and easy to find! The host was INCREDIBLE! We had an issue with our vehicle battery, and they came to save the day! We will be returning in the future and we highly recommend camping here!

Recommends

· April 2026

Stunningly beautiful.

Tent · With pets ·

Amazing place, beautiful view. Felt very safe. Kelly was an amazing host.

Recommends

· April 2026

Tent ·

Had a great time camping here. Being right on the river and near the woods was great. The site was clean and has conveniently located bathrooms a very short walk from the sites. You can hear some cars at night but not bad at all. Hopefully will return in the future!

Recommends

· November 2025

Tent ·

It was a Beautiful River and very good location!it worked out great for me because I was traveling on I40.

Recommends

· October 2025

Mountain View on the water

Tent ·

We booked 2 nights and extended an extra night. It’s a beautiful spot on the river and we loved going to sleep to the sound of it. It was so peaceful & beautiful. Great place to get away and reset. Our dog loved it too! Kelly was very nice & responsive. The fresh eggs were delish! We will definitely come back.

Recommends

· October 2025

Tent ·

Beautiful, peaceful spot right on the river. Kelly was very kind and accommodating. Super glad I stayed here!

Recommends

· September 2025

Eagles & Otters, Oh my!

Tent ·

Site 9

We had another amazing experience camping at The River Life & Kelly was great! Kelly was super responsive to messages, let us know areas to explore, & even with the damage from Helene, the site was beautiful. Kelly met with us the next morning to chat & let us know to look out for a bald Eagle & possibly otters. We saw both! We'll def be going back & excited to see how the place evolves as they work to repair the damage from Helene.

Recommends

· September 2025

Relaxing spot with great views

Tent · Group trip ·

This was my 2nd time on this campground and I loved the river view from campsite 2. Definitely see myself coming back for a 3rd time!

Recommends

· September 2025

Tent ·

We enjoyed our quiet spot next to the river. We appreciated the picnic bench, firepit, and nearby washhouse.

Recommends

· August 2025

Campsite 1

Tent · Group trip ·

This campsite hit all the marks. Easy to get to, plenty of room to set up, super peaceful with an amazing view of the river. I’d recommend it to anyone who likes the outdoors. Campsites 1-3 are very close to the bath house. Kelly and her husband are super nice and a pleasure to meet. One of my favorite HipCamp spots! Check it out! You won’t be disappointed!!

Recommends

· May 2025

Tent ·

Great place to camp i would recommend to anyone to camp at

Recommends

· September 2024

Site 1

Tent · Group trip ·

Peaceful, beautiful and convenient place to camp. Would totally recommend and will be back.

Recommends

· September 2024

site 1

Tent ·

Perfect spot!! We gotta there after dark and we were still able to easily find the site. site 1 is very private and right next to the water :)

Not recommend

· September 2024

Not Maintained

Tent ·

Mixed feelings. I came during a high bug time of year. Which was my fault. If it would have been mowed back and trash picked up at my campsite it would have helped. There was an old bed pad or something laying there and a few pieces of metal. My issue was the place wasn’t very well maintained. I wouldn’t call it much of a bath house either. It was dirty and I couldn’t figure out how to work the water. Lots of cobwebs and lacked cleaning and maintenance considering people pay to use the place. I ended up staying at a motel and eating the cost of the campsite. I do agree that site 1 has a nice view.

Recommends

· September 2024

Nice chill spot

Tent · Group trip ·

Site 8

This was a great location right on the pigeon river— very relaxed nicely wooded spots. Next time we’ll plan to kayak all the way down to the campsite.

Recommends

· September 2024

Tent ·

Site 6 - The River Life

Can’t beat a few couple nights in the river ! Great hosts!

Recommends

· August 2024

Best spot on the river

Tent · Group trip ·

Ample space and a really awesome spot on the river. We were able to get our 21-ft fifth wheel in the site. YMMV especially dependent on recent weather. We were at site 1 two weeks prior and will keep coming back. Kelly is so friendly and enjoys being able to share her beautiful property with others that appreciate the gem that it is.

Recommends

· August 2024

Tent ·