By:
Submission
It was raining but we had a nice time. Plenty of room and near the creek.
Great campsite with a lot of room and shade. The campsite can easily hold 20-30 people I would say. Also, it's only about 2 miles in from the trailhead, and the hike is a breeze. There is a horse camp at the trail head, and this is a site that allows horses. We stayed at the top of the campsite and hung hammocks, plenty of trees for hammock camping, but plenty of flat to slightly sloping ground for tents as well. We stayed near the top of the campsite because there is a small stream that runs down the side of the campsite that makes for easy water access. We tried fishing the nearby creeks, but didn't have much look outside of about a mile hike up Palmer Creek trail. Overall a great easy access campsite with a lot of space and tree cover that I will definitely try going back to in the future!
This site is HUGE with plenty of space for lots of tents and hammocks. I think the capacity is around 30, but we only saw one other couple there on a Saturday night for a total of 5 people. We just about felt like we had the place to ourselves. It is right next to a decent sized stream so water should be easily accessible there at all times of year.
The hike there is relatively flat and easy at just 2 miles from the southern end of the Pretty Hollow Gap trail, but there wasn't much to see on the trail. Tons of Rhododendrons, and a few wildflowers but no spectacular views. With the larger trees, we were surprised by how open the whole area felt compared to the western side of the park.
We arrived at the site pretty early and spent a couple hours chilling in the stream and gathering firewood which was plentiful since this area doesn't seem to get as many visitors as the other side of the park.
We had to drive a few miles on windy narrow dirt/gravel roads to get to the trailhead so I would probably recommend something with AWD/4WD or a driver who is comfortable with that sort of road.
In summary, it was a nice place, but not particularly pretty. If you just want to get outdoors and not see anyone this might be a great place though.
If you're coming from Cataloochie then the campsite is a two mile hike, about a third of a mile past the point where Palmer Creek Trail turns off to the left over a half-log bridge. The hike is all uphill toward the campsite, but not obnoxiously so like some other local hikes. When I was there today there were about 12 tents and each had all the room they wanted, with plenty of prime spots still open. The area would easily hold 50 tents if everyone was friendly. There are maybe four or five fire pits. It's surprisingly flat and open considering the surrounding area. The grey dotted line trail on Google Maps is Palmer Creek Trail, but Pretty Hollow Gap Trail will take you right to the campsite. Since there was no grey dotted line on Maps once Palmer Creek turned off, I thought I'd have to watch out, but I was watching for a turn and then I was suddenly right there at the campsite. The most scenic part of the hike is the stream, which is gorgeous with several places to step off the path and enjoy. This particularly seems like the perfect place for a big group camp out. There's lots of room for people to spread out.
Went camping in the backcountry part of the Smoky Mountains (Pretty Hollow, Campsite #39) with friends. Ended up going during the Fall season and stayed for a weekend. Saw some beautiful scenery and loved the atmosphere it provided. We camped in the NC part, which allowed for us to experience the wild elk in the Cataloochee Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway on the way there. During part of our stay there, we decided to take a day trip (by car) to the TN side at Cades Cove. It was definitely an experience! We were fortunate enough to be able to encounter a wild and up close view of a mama black bear and her cubs (from a safe distance of course). Did not get to experience any waterfalls this time around, as we were more interested in seeing different wildlife. Loved that our campsite provided a peace and quiet environment, a beautiful stream, hiking trails, and a beautiful starry night sky. Would love to come back in the Spring time. Highly recommend this place!! Wish we could have stayed longer.
