Campsite #27 at Balsam Mountain Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, NC

Make a Reservation
$30

Tent Site #27

11 reviews
Walk-In 6 people
17 ft Back-In
1 good
27
5/15
Campsite #27 Features: Walk-In access, Back-In parking, Fire ring, Food Storage Locker, Picnic Table, Tent Site, Pets Allowed

Campsite Reviews (12)

4.0 out of 5

5 star
25%
4 star
58%
3 star
8%
2 star
8%
1 star
0%

@BarbaraAC76D20 · Camped on Sep 11, 2025 at Campsite #27
This is a lovely campground. I inadvertently reserved a group tent site and would have preferred a single. Otherwise my visit was perfect.
@CecilRacA85000 · Camped on Jun 23, 2024 at Campsite #27
Quiet, clean and peaceful.
@JosephH2807051 · Camped on Aug 5, 2023 at Campsite #27
The camp host was friendly and diligent in managing visitor scheduling and information. The NPS ranger in charge of keeping up the camp did an awesome job. He is doing outstanding work, is an excellent source of information, and a steady hand with a professional demeanor and a friendly disposition. All around, Balsam Mt. is being well serviced and our family had a great experience there. Thanks.
@TimothyD312193 · Camped on Oct 2, 2022 at Campsite #27
Quiet, nice campground. Because of the cold weather they winterized our fresh water supply a week before the campground closed, leaving the campground with only 1 spot for fresh water. Other than that, I strongly recommend this campground.
@DavidB5075483 · Camped on Jun 20, 2022 at Campsite #27
I love this campground. The key features are that the weather is cool even in July and it is the quietest place I know. If there is no wind, the nights are completely silent. That's the way it used to be, anyway. The attraction to Balsam Mountain Campground now is that it has excellent cel service for many and a good view of the sky for satellite tv. Campers were running generators all day to charge their phones and tablets. I heard news blaring from campers. SMS notifications from neighboring tents late into the night. There are rules about this in the National Park but, sadly, most everyone I talked with had never heard of John Muir. One family had music playing all the time which, if I am not mistaken, is against the rules. I even met people on the trail blaring music from their phones way up on ridgelines where it is supposed to be quiet. There should be an outreach program to give presentations at different campgrounds about the purpose of the National Park system. I, for one, would love to help with that.
@ShaunS4348815 · Camped on May 21, 2022 at Campsite #27
A nice, quiet, remote place to commune with nature. It is quite a ways into the park by car, taking more than an hour from the Tennessee border, but worth it if you have the time, as you will climb the mountain on an upward trajectory for about 30 minutes, to over one mile in elevation. There are many great hiking trails nearby, and it is not that far from whitewater rafting (one hour) and seeing the central part of the park to the west. The campsites are a bit close together, so you will be close to your neighbors. It gets quite cool at night, around 50 degrees in late Spring, warming up a bit in Summer. Daytime temps are about 68 in the same time frame. And there is lots of free firewood on the ground around the site!
@MarkR9967928 · Camped on May 18, 2022 at Campsite #27
During our camp there was a couple of larger groups of very noisy young people. They had fun but kept us awake til the middle of the morning. The 'quiet after 10' idea was recognized by them.Second the restroom facilities were pretty grubby. Of all the great sites we have camped in I would rate our experience of this one as pretty low.
@TomP3330669 · Camped on Aug 24, 2021 at Campsite #27
clean tent only sites and clean restrooms
@TomP218 · Camped on Aug 22, 2021 at Campsite #27
tent only sites in great shape and the restrooms were clean
@SonaliM255 · Camped on Sep 25, 2020 at Campsite #27
My boyfriend and I stayed for two nights at this campground in the tent-only area. We absolutely loved it. Since the elevation is so high it's significantly cooler which is nice. The scenery is lovely, and the hosts plus our neighbors were friendly and helpful. The only thing to note is that some sites are quite close together, our second night a large group was camping near us who were very loud, but the campground was so lovely it didn't ruin our trip. On the whole, absolutely recommend!
@SonaliM9335294 · Camped on Sep 25, 2020 at Campsite #27
My boyfriend and I stayed for two nights at this campground in the tent-only area. We absolutely loved it. Since the elevation is so high it's significantly cooler which is nice. The scenery is lovely, and the hosts plus our neighbors were friendly and helpful. The only thing to note is that some sites are quite close together, our second night a large group was camping near us who were very loud, but the campground was so lovely it didn't ruin our trip. On the whole, absolutely recommend!
@AndyB1366086 · Camped on Sep 20, 2019 at Campsite #27
Very nice, clean and picturesque campground. First time visiting and it was great. We are tent campers and the sites were well maintained. A little close to your neighbors but not too bad. Bathroom facilities were very nice. Campground is within easy driving distance for hiking and other outdoor activities. We loved our stay and are looking forward to returning very soon!

Campsite Photos and Videos

Map Settings
Reset
Satellite View
Satellite
Wildfires
Wildfires
National Forests
National Forests
National Parks
National Parks
Air Quality
Air Quality
Bureau of Land Management
BLM
Motor Vehicle Use Maps
OHV MVUM
Love's Travel Stop
Love's
D
Dump Stations
W
Water
LP
Propane
P
RV Parking
Walmart Supercenter
Super Walmart
Cracker Barrel
Cracker Barrel
Bass Pro Shop
Bass Pro Shops
 
Rating:
Price*:
Length:
Amps:
Elev:
feet
Temp:
°F
Down:
Up:
*Earn our Leave No Trace badge to see our free camping sites.