Tumbling Creek Campground

Its sites are first-come, first-served (no reservations), and camping is free. Tumbling Creek Campground is a National Forest campground near Polk, Tennessee.

First-come, first-served

National Forest · Polk, Tennessee

National Forest
Managed by

Tumbling Creek Campground sits inside Cherokee National Forest. Its dispersed-camping rule, ranger offices, and boundary are on publiclandsdb.com. It sits 0.4 miles outside the boundary of Big Frog Wilderness; its permit and camping rules and boundary are on publiclandsdb.com.

Getting a site

Managed by: National Forest
Reservations: None, first-come
Fee: Free

Source: apps.fs.usda.gov, accessed 2026-09-30

Access and cell service

Elevation: 1,462 ft

35.0174, -84.4664 in Polk. Open in OpenStreetMap. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Open in Google Maps Directions

Common questions

Do you need a reservation at Tumbling Creek Campground?

No. Tumbling Creek Campground is first-come, first-served: there is no reservation system, so arrive early to claim an open site.

How much does it cost to camp at Tumbling Creek Campground?

Camping at Tumbling Creek Campground is free.

Who manages Tumbling Creek Campground?

Tumbling Creek Campground is managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

Around Tumbling Creek Campground

Public land · within 15 miles

Public land within 15 miles: Big Frog Wilderness (3.2 miles to its center) , Cohutta Wilderness (4.8 miles to its center) , Little Frog Mountain Wilderness (5.2 miles to its center) , and Cohutta Wilderness (8.9 miles to its center) ; publiclandsdb.com has each unit's camping rules and boundary.