Best Tent Camping: Southern Appalachian and Smoky Mountains. Johnny Molloy
sites. There is one water source here. Too close together, the sites are neither spacious nor private, but campers make the most of it because of the numerous recreational opportunities nearby.
Want to take a hike? You won’t have to go far from camp. The Azalea Trail begins in Loop F, climbing the ridge above the campground then making a 2-mile loop back. Or keep going on the Clear Creek Trail to the northern rim of the Rock Creek Gorge Scenic Area. Benton Falls Trail starts near McKamy Lake and travels 1.6 miles to end at the 65-foot falls. Be careful: it gets steep at the very end. Bicyclists can stretch their legs too. Pedal the Red Leaf Trail to Benton Falls or ride the Arbutus Trail or additional mountain biking trails.
If all that exercise gets you steamed up, take a dip in 3-acre McKamy Lake. At the swimming beach on the northern end, sunbathers lie in the sun then cool off in the water. Anglers may try to catch bream and bass from the shore or toss a line from a small nonmotorized boat. Visible from the mountain along US 64 is the famed Ocoee River. For years, the water was diverted from the streambed into an old wooden flume to generate power. When the flume began to leak, the water was again let loose into the Ocoee riverbed. Paddling enthusiasts realized that the long-lost rapids would be a wonderful challenge in a canoe, kayak, or raft, and the new recreational opportunity has been an economic boon to the area ever since, with paddlers coming from all over the world to test the waters. A bevy of outfitters will guide you down the crashing whitewater on a hair-raising raft ride.
GETTING THERE
From I-75 near Cleveland, take Exit 25 (Cleveland/Dayton). Turn onto TN 60 South, and drive about 4.2 miles; then use the right lane to merge onto US 64 East (Ocoee). Drive 15.1 miles; then turn left onto Oswald Road/Forest Service Road 77 (just past the Ocoee District Ranger Station). Drive about 7.3 miles; Chilhowee Campground will be on your right.
GPS COORDINATES N35° 09.004' W84° 36.267'
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Cosby Campground
Beauty:
KEY INFORMATION
CONTACT: 865-436-1200, nps.gov/grsm; reservations: 877-444-6777, recreation.gov
OPEN: Loop A, late March–October; Loop B, late May–October
SITES: 157
EACH SITE HAS: Picnic table, fire pit, lantern post
ASSIGNMENT: First-come, first-served or by reservation (26 sites)
WHEELCHAIR ACCESS: Some sites
REGISTRATION: At campground entrance hut
AMENITIES: Water, flush toilets
PARKING: At campsites only, 2 vehicles/site
FEE: $17.50/night
ELEVATION: 2,459'
RESTRICTIONS:
PETS: On leash only
QUIET HOURS: 10 p.m.–6 a.m.
FIRES: In fire pits only
ALCOHOL: At campsites only
VEHICLES: 25' length limit
OTHER: 6 people/site; 14-day stay limit
Located off the principal Smokies tourist circuit, this cool, wooded campground makes an ideal base for exploring the virgin forests and high country of the Cosby–Greenbrier area.
You can hike to Mount Cammerer via Low Gap from Cosby Campground.
Set on a slight incline in what once was pioneer farmland, this attractive terraced campground is surrounded on three sides by mountains. The large camping area is situated between the confluence of Rock and Cosby Creeks. On my trips to the area I have rarely seen Cosby Campground crowded, whereas other equally large Smokies campgrounds are sometimes cramped, noisy, and overflowing. Several loops expand the campground, and bathrooms are conveniently located throughout the site.
Now beautifully reforested, this area is rich in Smoky Mountain history. Cosby was one of the most heavily settled areas in the Smokies before Uncle Sam began buying up land for a national park in the East. The farmland was marginal anyway, so, in order to supplement their income, Cosby residents set up moonshine stills in the remote hollows of this rugged country. As a result, Cosby became known as the “moonshine capital of the world.”
In remote brush-choked hollows along little streamlets, “blockaders”—as moonshiners were known—established stills. Before too long they had clear whiskey, or “mountain dew,” ready for consumption. Government agents known as revenuers, who were determined to stop the production and sale of “corn likker,” battled the moonshiners throughout the hills. It is doubtful that any stills operate within the park boundaries today; however, in other areas of Cocke County, someone is surely practicing the art of “feeding the furnace, stirring the mash, and judging the bead.”
Its past is what makes Cosby so interesting. Trails split off in every direction, allowing campers to explore the human and natural history of this area. Follow the Lower Mount Cammerer Trail 1.5 mile to Sutton Ridge Overlook. On the way to the overlook, watch for signs of homesteaders from bygone days: rock walls, springs, and old chimneys. At the overlook you’ll get a good lay of the land: Gabes Mountain to your east, the main crest of the Smokies to your south, the Cosby Valley below, and the hills of East Tennessee on the horizon.
Another hiking option is the Gabes Mountain Trail. Along its 6.6-mile length, this trail passes picturesque Hen Wallow Falls and meanders through huge old-growth hemlock and tulip trees and scattered old homesites. Turn around at the Sugar Cove backcountry campsite.
Don’t forget to explore nearby Greenbrier. The 4-mile Ramsay Cascades Trail traverses virgin forest and ends at a picturesque waterfall that showers hikers with a fine mist. The Brushy Mountain Trail winds its way through several vegetation zones to an impressive view of the looming mass of Mount LeConte above and Gatlinburg below. Grapeyard Ridge Trail is the area’s most historical and secluded hike. Walk old country paths along Rhododendron Creek and count the homesites amid fields slowly being obscured by the forest. At 3 miles, just before the Injun Creek backcountry campsite, look for the old tractor that made its last turn in these Smoky Mountains.
The crown jewel trek from Cosby Campground is the 6-mile hike to the restored Mount Cammerer fire tower. Built on a rock outcrop, it was formerly called White Rock by Tennesseans and Sharp Top by Carolinians. It has since been renamed Mount Cammerer, after Arno B. Cammerer, the former director of the National Park Service. Restored by a philanthropic outfit called Friends of the Smokies, the squat, wood-and-stone tower was originally built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Depression. The 360° view is well worth the climb. To the north is the Cosby Valley and the rock cut of I-40. Mount Sterling and its fire tower are to the south. The main crest of the Smokies stands to the west, and a wave of mountains fades away on the eastern horizon.
Cosby Campground is a real winner. Where else can you set up your tent in the middle of history? In the summer, naturalist programs in the campground amphitheater offer campers a chance to learn more about the area from rangers and other