Cataloochee Horse Camp

Located in the scenic Cataloochee Valley, tucked in a cool and shady canopy, this campground offers the best that the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has to offer, including some of the most coveted horseback riding trails in the park. You MUST have a horse to camp at Cataloochee Horse Camp. Cataloochee offers primitive-woods camping. A canopy of trees provides adequate shade, while a few open areas let in the sunlight and allow for pleasant group activities. Each site has four horse stalls with hitching racks. There is no potable water provided at the campground, so visitors must bring their own. The nearby Cataloochee Campground offers additional camping space for those visitors without horses, and the Cataloochee Group Camp provides a larger space for group trips. With access to some of the most popular trails in the area, including the Rough Fork and Caldwell Fork Trails, this site is a favorite for horseback riding enthusiasts. Boogerman Trail, accessed via the Caldwell Fork Trail, provides a 3.9 mile detour through beautiful, densely forested terrain. Campers can enjoy high-quality backcountry fishing in the cool waters of the countless streams and rivers that snake through the mountains, with wild trout available in abundance. With around 1,500 bears living in the park, it's not uncommon for a visitor to spot one, and the Cataloochee area is also known for an elk herd that populates the valley. Cataloochee Horse Camp sits along the gentle waters of Cataloochee Creek in the remote Cataloochee Valley, surrounded by some of the park's most picturesque and rugged mountain ranges. Whether blanketed in wildflowers in the spring or vivid colors in the fall, the scenery at Cataloochee never disappoints. The park holds one of the best collections of log buildings in the eastern United States, with over 90 historic structures preserved or rehabilitated; a handful of these are near the campground, including the Palmer House, which offers a self-guided museum. The nearby towns of Maggie Valley and Waynesville offer groceries and other supplies.