Tennessee hammock friendly campgrounds

[Nojack]

I will be visiting TN for 2 weeks and will be traveling throughout the state and would like to hammock camp more than stay in hotels. Any information that a local can provide would help me to plan for my visit. Thanks.

[cjayflo]

I've been in the state since last fall and have had zero issues with hammocking in state parks. From the cumberland plateau east is amazing scenery. Middle TN has some nice hiking and state parks. I have no experience to the west of Nashville.

[Nojack]

Hey, thank you for the reply.

My wife and I will be touring East Tn. around the 15th of Sept. We are flying in to Nashville on the 11th and have not made any reservations yet. Most of our time will be spent trying to find real estate for our relocation.

[oldbiker]

I emailed the state park head quarters once & asked about hammock use with straps to protect the trees & LNT practices. They told me there was no problem in using the hammocks in any state park in TN as long as I used the straps. I suggest to do the same email & print the response in case you run into a Barney Fife. I kept mine for a long time but finally misplaced it. Never had a problem & hung @ several. If your through middle TN touring the Natchez Trace Parkway, they have 2-3 free campgrounds that are hammock friendly.

Robert from TN

[Nojack]

Thanks Robert! I will be looking into the area. We will be making our way through the, state mostly East of Nashville and are planning on staying in the Smokies.

[Les Rust]

Thanks Robert! I will be looking into the area. We will be making our way through the, state mostly East of Nashville and are planning on staying in the Smokies.

GSMNP has no shortage of trees. If you plan on staying along the AT you have to use the shelters. There is also a backcountry reservation system and permits are required. There are a few backcountry sites that are closed due to bear activity at the moment--Gregory Bald, CS 24 on Little River Trail, and CS 41 in Cataloochee. September is a great time to be in east Tennessee.
Are you planning on backpacking or base-camping? If you're checking out real estate, do you have particular areas you're exploring? I grew up in Gatlinburg, so if you've got other questions you could PM me.
Good luck with the trip and welcome from Tennessee.

[lazyboy]

check out Fall Creek Falls State Park if you get a chance, no problems with hammocks and very beautiful.

[printgeek]

Flying into Nashville and heading east, I assume via I-40, you'd hit:

Cedars of Lebanon SP (http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/cedars-of-lebanon)
Edgar Evins SP (http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/edgar-evins)
Cumberland Mountain SP (http://tnstateparks.com/parks/about/cumberland-mountain)

and the hanging is very good at each of those parks, IMHO

Anything past Cookville is going to be pretty far off from I-40, so you may have to start looking at Hotels at that point.

Have fun, the weather should be great the whole time you are here!

[barbermike]

All the information above is great. I'll just say I've never had any issues with hanging at any of the many parks i've visited in middle and east Tennessee.

[Nojack]

GSMNP has no shortage of trees. If you plan on staying along the AT you have to use the shelters. There is also a backcountry reservation system and permits are required. There are a few backcountry sites that are closed due to bear activity at the moment--Gregory Bald, CS 24 on Little River Trail, and CS 41 in Cataloochee. September is a great time to be in east Tennessee.
Are you planning on backpacking or base-camping? If you're checking out real estate, do you have particular areas you're exploring? I grew up in Gatlinburg, so if you've got other questions you could PM me.
Good luck with the trip and welcome from Tennessee.

Thanks for all the info. PM sent.