Camping

Camping in Middle Tennssee

Camping & Conservation

Camping and Conservation go hand in hand. Campers know, first hand, how important and fragile our natural environment can be. "Leave No Trace" is their motto. Campers help with conservation by "Packing out what they pack in" to the campsite. Besides the three "R's" (reduce, re-use, recycle) campers can adopt a camp site, perform a mini "enviro clean" while camping, record & report enviro damage, and help protect wildlife & habitats!

It's mid autum, the trees are vivid with reds, yellows and greens. The trail you're hiking on has been fairly level for the last hour as you trek across the gorge rim in Fall Creek Falls State park. Late afternoon approaches and the primitive campsite you've been headed for all day is now in sight. It's a small clearing on the edge of the rim with a grand view of the gorge. You drop your pack, grab your camera and water bottle then walk to the edge for a gander. The fall colors are magnificent, you take atleast 50 pictures before the setting sun meets a cloud, tinting the sky a rusty orange. You snap another 20 pictures, take a deep breath, take a mental snapshot, then join your friends. Claire, a 3rd year student at MTSU majoring in philosophy, has started a camp fire, while Jill, a second year student at Vanderbilt, majoring in music, has unpacked the tent and you start assembling the tent poles. Camp is pitched in no time and the three of you gather at the fire for some backpack dining. It's actually pretty good and you thank Claire for insisting on the MRE's. It's dark beyond the light of the fire, there's a light wind keeping the mosquitos at bay and Jill breaks into a tune on a wooden flute she had tucked away in her backpack. You open one of two bottles of Stonehaus Wine you picked up in Crossville just for this trip and fill 3 plastic cups. The music flows from within Jill as she seems to have gotten into rythym with the wind. You and Claire share a silent toast to Jill as she sways slowly with the breeze, filling the air with magic. You know the animals within hearing distance must be listening and enjoying this sweet sound. She played for a good 20 minutes before she stopped to sip her wine. After several laughs & gossips, Claire points out that the rising moon is nearly full as she opens the second bottle of wine. Then, in a voice of a 21 year old philosophical angel, she entertains you and Jill with a poem she's written. As the fire burns out and the last bit of wine is savoured you make your way to your sleeping bag to get cozy. Wondering what adventures tommorrow will bring, you fall into a light sleep to the sounds of crickets and cicadas. Life is Good!

The song of crickets and cicadas, the call of a wipperwill, the dancing flames of a campfire and good people to share it with, it's hard to beat camping in Tennessee! There are thousands of campsites in middle Tennessee. From island camping on Percy Priest or Caney Fork River, to the RV campsites in the State parks there is something for everyone. A camping adventure will provide memories for years to come. Pick your next camping adventure using the info below or converse with other campers in our camping forum!

Primitive Camping in Tennessee

Primitive camping describes the art of wilderness survival using only what you can carry. A tent, a sleeping bag, water, food, etc. tucked away in your well packed backpack. There is somewhat of a rush as you leave civilization and step off into your camping adventure, totally self sufficient and against the elements. If nothing else, you will appreciate your home a bit more when you return. Leaving all the hussle & bustle in your life behind for a few days is very theraputic. So get out there and enjoy some Tennessee Camping!

Camping Resources

FORUM

NashvilleOutdoors.net

Camping/Tennessee

Know Before You Go!
Know the weather before you go. Know the risks & prepare. Let someone know where you are going. Be Safe! Have Fun!

Do you or somebody you know recycle? Re-use? Reduce? Composte? Ride a bike everywhere? Drive a hybrid? Carpool? Use toxic free cleaners? LET US KNOW!
We would like to thank them and enter them in the Green Tennesse Registry.

Need some inspiration?

Watch the latest videos on YouTube.com

Fall Creek Falls
Pikeville, TN 423-881-5298
228 campsites (3 primitive)
Unbelievable Scenery! *****

South Cumberland
Monteagle, TN 931-924-2980

Standing Stone
Hilham, TN 931-823-6347
36 campsite hook-ups

Tims Ford
Winchester, TN 931-962-1183
52 campsites

Mousetail Landing
Linden, TN 731-847-0841
24 campsites

Montgomery Bell
Burns, TN 615-797-9052

Edgar Evins
Silver Point, TN 931-858-2446
60 campsites

Henry Horton
Chapel Hill, TN 931-364-2222
72 campsites

David Crockett
Lawrenceburg, TN
931-762-9408
107 campsites

Cedars of Lebanon
Lebanon, TN 615-443-2769
117 campsites

Bledsoe Creek
Gallatin, TN 615-452-3706
26 campsites

Rock Island
Rock Island, TN 931-686-2471
60 campsites

Natchez Trace
Wildersville, TN 731-968-3742
208 campsites

Pickwick Landing
Pickwick, TN 731.689.3129
91 campsites

Cumberland Mountain
Crossville, TN 931-484-6138
147 campsites

Pickett
Jamestown, TN 931-879-5821
40+ campsites

Big South Fork National Park
Bandy Creek Campground
180 campsites

Natchez Trace Parkway
MERIWETHER LEWIS (NPS)
mp 385.9 No Reservations/Fees
32 sites. On the Parkway.

Multi-Adventure Camping Trip

Now this is an adventure! Every year Julius, aka Catfish, and a bunch of his friends go camping along the Buffalo River. "I look forward to this trip every year" says Catfish, "we cram all kinds of fun into this event. Canoeing, camping, swimming, fishing and sometimes horsback riding, followed by a campfire, "find" dining and many laughs! This trip has become a highlight of the year, every year."

Imagine

Green

Over 1500 Campsites!