The Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited National Park in the United States with over 10 million visitors each year and one of our favorite destinations. It provides a wonderful backdrop for anyone looking for the perfect destination for camping in the mountains. The Smokies 521,000 acres in both Tennessee and North Carolina and contains many hiking trails, historic buildings, areas for fishing and spotting wildlife.
The Smokies derives its name from the fog that is created when it rains. The rain is common in this area and one of the most important things to be prepared for when you are camping in the Smokies is sudden storms. They are a common occurrence in any season and you want to make sure your tent is ready for these storms and that you are not caught hiking in them.

Campgrounds:
There are many campgrounds in Smoky Mountain National Park and many more in the cities of Pigeon Forge, TN and Gatlinburg. Those who want to car camp in the Smokies can use one of the 10 front country campgrounds. These campgrounds provide restrooms with cold running water and flushable toilets, but unfortunately, no showers. Each campground has its own fire grate and picnic table. There are also many areas where you can go backcountry camping and a few campgrounds for those who are camping with horses.
You can reserve campgrounds in the Smokies, but currently only Cades Cove, Cataloochee, Cosby, Elkmont, and Smokemont are available to reserve this way. The other campgrounds are first come, first serve.

Front Country Campgrounds that are maintained by the National Park Service:

Abrams Creek
Balsam Mountain
Big Creek
Cades Cove
Cataloochee
Cosby
Deep Creek
Elkmont
Look Rock
Smokemont
There are lots of hiking trails in the area and the book above,Best Easy Day Hikes Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Best Easy Day Hikes Series)
, can give you some great ideas on some easier day hikes that the family will enjoy. One of the biggest problems of the Smokies is due to being so popular. Traffic can get backed up for miles especially in the fall when people are trying to view the leaves changing colors. It is a spectacular sight and well worth dealing with the extra congestion.

Cabins

Also due to high demand there are many different cabin rentals in the Smoky Mountains. They have very basic ones to ones with indoor swimming pools so you can find a mountain cabin rental easily. Most of them have pool tables, hot tubs, big screen TVs, and amazing views. For those who do not want to camp but still want to visit the Smoky Mountains this is a great option! Yes, we have done it and recommend it. We used the Timber Tops cabin rentals.

Bears

In fact, it is one of the best places to spot bears. It is not uncommon to come across a “bear jam” in the park. One bear near the road can halt traffic for miles, which is great if you are the one getting to see the bear, but not as much fun when you are in the back of the traffic jam. On one of my trips to the Smokies I was fortunate to come across one of these scenes and was in the front of the line. It was a cub right off the main road and climbing up a tree.
Due to the fact that there are 1500 bears in the park you need to remember to take caution as you camp and hike in the area. The park allows you to carry “Bear Pepper Spray” while hiking, but they have very specific requirements about how you can use it and how it is made. So make sure you check with the park before carrying any. They do not want the spray applied to people or any of your belongings; this includes your camping tents!!
This also means you need to take proper precaution with your belongings and make sure you do not tempt any bears by leaving any wildlife.

Other Insects And Wildlife To Be Prepared For

There are many different species of wild life living in the smoking mountains but anyone camping in the mountains here or even just hiking, horseback riding or fishing needs to be on the look for two things in particular: Snakes (copperheads and timber rattlesnakes) and yellowjacket wasps which are the most common pests that you will run into in the area. Make sure if you are allergic to the wasps that you have your medication with you and also it is a great idea to understand what to do if for some reason you were bit by a snake. Get some common information on what to do if you are bit, it is always good to have some first aid instructions printed out and with you because you never know what you will remember in an emergency.

Any of the National Parks are great areas to visit if you are closer to the West you may want to check out Oprah Camping In Yosemite which she featured on two of her recent shows.  The 2nd part gave a lot of history and showed some of the activities you can do. 

Other Resources

Tips to find the right campground

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm- the home page of Smoky Mountain National Park