We Had A Good Time At Smoky Mountain Premier RV Resort

Last week, as winter swept across the country, my husband and I found ourselves driving from Nashville, Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina.

It’s straight highway in between the cities, which usually means a not-so-pretty drive, but the fresh snow made the view out the windows much more beautiful.

The drive took longer than we thought. As the sun was setting, the Smokey Mountains began to feel more treacherous. We opted to spend the night rather than risk the icy roads.

Besides, there are worse places to stop than just outside The Great Smokey Mountains, America’s most visited national park.

I hopped on Passport America and found a cluster of RV parks off I-40 near Pigeon Forge, TN. The first one, although cheap and conveniently close, had terrible reviews – including the dreaded comments about “poor ownership” and being “rundown.”

Then I came across Smoky Mountain Premier RV Resort, located about a half hour east of Gatlinburg, TN.

Anything that claims to be “premier” is usually a good, but expensive stop.

The newly-built park claims to be the only “Big Rig Friendly” RV park in the area and is ranked #1 on TripAdvisor, so we decided to give it a try.

According to the RV resort’s website, you can book your stay online, but I gave them a call instead.

A nice woman answered the phone (but I first had to press 0 to talk to someone) and helped me book a site. She answered all my questions about free WiFi, directions, and if there would be ice on the roads.

The RV park is about 15 miles off of the interstate, but the roads are dark with sharp corners and no shoulder. Our rig is 29 feet and I was nervous, so I’m not sure how easily big rigs can navigate these mountain roads.

When we arrived after dark, the owner, Kelly, was standing outside with a flashlight ready to guide us to our site. We were able to pull straight through to a level, gravel site, despite the RV park sitting on a steep hill.