Cades Cove Campground
Great Smoky Mountains National Park · Tennessee · 161 sites
Imagery: USGS The National Map
Overview
Cades Cove Campground is a National Park Service campground in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, with 161 sites in 2 loops. Very shady: nearly every site is under trees. No carrier reports coverage at any site.
159 of 159 sites shaded
0 of 159 sites in full sun
0 of 159 sites with clear sky
Map of the campground
Every site from the Recreation.gov listing. Choose a layer to see it across the campground; tap a site to open it in Roam.
Layers
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Questions
Which sites at Cades Cove Campground are the shadiest?
Nearly all of them. All 159 sites at Cades Cove Campground have good shade from the trees, including from the hot afternoon sun.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Cades Cove Campground get the most sun?
None are truly sunny; the sunniest still have trees over most of the site.
See the tree canopy in RoamWill Starlink work at Cades Cove Campground?
Hard. No site has a fully clear gap; 3 have a partial one where Starlink may drop out. Satellite texting on a phone needs less open sky, but still works best from the most open spot you can find. This is our estimate from tree heights — check with the Starlink app's obstruction check when you arrive.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Cades Cove Campground are the most level?
6 of 159 sites are flat, and 64 more have a gentle slope most RVs can level with blocks; 89 are steeper, better for tents. Sites that take RVs or trailers fit rigs up to 42 ft.
See the slope at each site in RoamDoes Cades Cove Campground have cell service?
Not really. None of T-Mobile, Verizon or AT&T reports coverage at any site at Cades Cove Campground, so plan to be offline here. That's the coverage each carrier reports to the FCC, not a measured signal, so under trees or below a ridge it can be weaker.
See the coverage map in RoamWhen is the best time to see fall color at Cades Cove Campground?
October. In a typical year the leaves around Cades Cove Campground are at their best in late October, though any one fall can run a week or two early or late. Roam’s fall foliage map shows how far the color has come this week, free every September through November.
See this week’s fall color in RoamWhat’s the weather like at Cades Cove Campground in October?
In October, expect highs around 64°F and lows around 44°F, with about 4.3 inches of rain over the month. Every month’s averages are in Roam Premium.
Open Cades Cove in RoamCampground facts
- Sites
- 161 in 2 loops
- Kinds
- 130 for RVs or trailers · 31 tent-only
- Hookups
- 2 with electric
- Longest rig
- 42 ft
- Accessible
- 9 sites
- Elevation
- 1,897–1,944 ft
- Amenities
- Drinking water, Dump station, Flush toilets, Food storage lockers
- Every site
- Drive-in · Picnic table · Fire ring · Tent pad · Pets allowed · Campfires allowed · Check-in 1 PM, check-out 12 PM
- Managed by
- National Park Service
- Booking
- Reserve on Recreation.gov
How we know Sources and limits
Shade, sun and Starlink are our estimates from Meta and the World Resources Institute’s canopy-height model (about 2 m pixels, from satellite imagery calibrated with space lidar; CC BY 4.0). From 2 m above each site we trace 72 lines out to 60 m and note the tallest tree in each direction. Shade counts trees overhead, the canopy within 30 m and how much of the afternoon sky is blocked. Sun counts how open the southern sky is. Starlink needs open sky above 35°, with the northern half counted twice because US dishes tilt north, and we keep the best spot within 8 m of the site’s post. The model sees tree heights only, not trunks, buildings or hills, so check with the Starlink app when you arrive.
Slope is the ground at each site’s post over about 4 m, from USGS 3DEP 1 m lidar: level under 2%, gentle to 4% (most rigs level on blocks), sloped to 8% (fine for a tent), steep beyond.
Cell coverage is from the FCC Broadband Data Collection (carrier filings as downloaded May 2026): each site is tested against each carrier’s modelled outdoor 4G/5G coverage. It is what the carriers report, not a measured signal.
Fall color is the typical peak from NASA’s MODIS satellite record of when leaves change (2001–2023), limited to deciduous and mixed forest with USGS land cover (NLCD), calibrated to the USA National Phenology Network’s ground reports of colored leaves (CC BY 4.0). It is an average of many autumns, so the page gives a window, not a date.
Weather is NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the campground. Sites and facts are from Recreation.gov’s open data (July 2026). Map imagery: USGS The National Map.
From the campground’s Recreation.gov listing: “Cades Cove Campground is open year round and combines the feel of primitive camping with the modern convenience of flush toilets and drinking water. During the off season, only sites C1-12 and C26-61 are open to camping by reservation only. Once B Loop closes for the season then generators will be allowed in Loop C, with restricted hours, UNTIL Loop B reopens for camping. During peak season (May - October) a camp store provides visitors with basic necessities as well as bike rentals. Events like Interpretive Programs in the nearby amphitheater and Bicycle Only Days on the loop road provide visitors with a fun and unique experience. Cades Cove is a broad, verdant valley surrounded by mountains and is one of the most popular destinations in the Great Smokies. It offers some of the best opportunities for wildlife viewing in the park. Large numbers of white-tailed deer are frequently seen, and sightings of black bear, coyote, ground hog, turkey, raccoon, skunk, and other animals are also possible. For hundreds of years Cherokee Indians hunted in Cades Cove but archeologists have found no evidence of major settlements.”
Page data as of October 15, 2026. Full source notes are in each layer’s info in the app.