Chattanooga TN campground advice please

[cnlmom]

We are venturing away from Disney and going to spend 4 or 5 days in Chattanooga over Spring Break. Does anyone have any experiences good or bad with Raccoon Mountain Campground or Cloudland Canyon State Park in GA.
We are partial to the stateparks, but see it is a bit of a drive. For convenience it looks like Raccoon Mountain is a better choice, but to be honest I am leary of some private "campgrounds" some we have stayed at looked good on the website but when we got there were very seedy and franlkly downright scary. I checked out reviews and Raccoon Mountain's were mixed which worries me. If it were a overnight, that would be one thing, but we are looking for a 4-5 night destination campground if that makes sense. I know a DISer will give me the real scoop.

 

[WizardLarz]

I stayed there on my way home from Disney in '08 but just over night, got in late and left early. There was a lot of open space, did not seem to have many shaded spots.

On the way down I stayed at KOA capmsite in Cordele, GA. These grounds had tons of shading from big trees all throughout the site. I think there is a KOA site near Chatanooga. You might want to check it out!

 

[mnsprk]

There is a KOA in/near Cleveland TN called Chatanooga North also there is a Best Holiday Travel Park right at the GA/TN border, it is at exit 1 off of I-75, same exit as Camping World only on the other side of the expressway and about a mile from the exit off of Mack Smith Road. http://www.chattacamp.com/

Very nice park, overnight or a couple days. We actually did our Chatanooga site seeing from there (3 days).

 

[DaveInTN]

We have camped in Chattanooga several times. I've stayed at both the Best Holiday Trav'l Park and at the Lookout Mtn West KOA.

Best Holiday is a very nice basecamp, but a terrible campground. By that, I mean that if you want a nice, clean place with full hookups and wifi, conveniently located to use as a base for exploring the area, it is great. But if you want a campground to hang out at, let the kids play and have a campfire at night, it might not be a good fit. It's basically a parking lot with hookups.

The Lookout Mtn West KOA is ok for camping, but we really did not like our last visit there as it appeared the sites needed some maintenance. It's actually not too far from Cloudland Canyon, and from the KOA we could be in downtown Chattanooga in 15 minutes.

So, back to your stated options. I drove through Racoon Mtn once, and decided that I would never stay there. It looked pretty run down to me. The location was great, but I'd rather drive an extra 10-15 minutes to stay at a nicer place. I have not stayed at Cloudland Canyon but have read MANY positive reviews of the place and plan on staying there on our next visit to Chattanooga. From what I've seen, you can get up Lookout Mtn from the back way, or you could hop the interstate to get into Chatt itself. If it were me, I'd give it a try. Unless the Best Holiday sounds like your kind of place and then I'd recommend that for what it is.

Hope this helps.

 

[freshlybarked]

We stayed about 3 nights at Raccoon Mountain in July on the way to a family reunion. Don't compare it to FW because it's not and nothing is. Having said that we liked it. There is no shade, but the views are beautiful with mountains all around. There is also a wonderful cavern to tour. They have great tour guides and it is much more natural that Ruby Falls. I thought it was nice enough and we met several people from our area there. It was our first time there and if in the area again we would stay there again.

 

[2goofycampers]

Can't speak for the campground but Raccoon Mountain Caverns are awesome.

 

[Lyndria]

We stayed about 3 nights at Raccoon Mountain in July on the way to a family reunion. Don't compare it to FW because it's not and nothing is. Having said that we liked it. There is no shade, but the views are beautiful with mountains all around. There is also a wonderful cavern to tour. They have great tour guides and it is much more natural that Ruby Falls. I thought it was nice enough and we met several people from our area there. It was our first time there and if in the area again we would stay there again.

I second this post. We stayed over the Fourth of July last year and really enjoyed it. It is NOT Fort Wilderness, but it compared nicely to other campgrounds we have stayed at. The bath houses were clean and nice. The pool was clean as well. Laundry machines were typical.

The views were absolutely gorgeous.

The caverns were very cool. Also, they sell ice cold coke in bottles in the gift shop.

Have fun!

 

[DaveInTN]

These posts are great to read. I am going to have to give Raccoon Mtn another look next time we are in Chattanooga. We may have hit it at a bad time, as I remember the grass being overgrown and other maintenance issues. You guys are convincing me it's worth a second look!

 

[freshlybarked]

The office building and cabins are very "rustic" looking and not in a Disney way. The grass was short, and grounds were clean. DH has never been to the mountains so I was glad we had mountain views all around. We never made it in the pool, but it was well attended by others. They have a nice tent camping are that is very shaded. Lots of places to walk the dogs.

 

[cnlmom]

Thanks for the info, it is very helpful. We realize it will not compare with Fort Wilderness (we agree nothing does). No shade should be ok as we will be there in April and it may be colder at that time. I am even ok with some grass being long....I am more concerned with it being "scary". A few places we have been to have had a lot of permanent campers with residents who did not look like outstanding citizens.

 

[freshlybarked]

I'm not sure they had any permanent residents. Most were travelers for a day or several. We are from Clearwater. The people next to us were from Tampa and about 4 spaces down there was a lady from Palm Harbor who was staying there until her house was finished as they had just moved to Chattanooga. We were there in July and people came and went using it as a stop for area site seeing. If I can make a suggestion and you go, just up the road is the Raccoon Mountain Pump Station. Doesn't sound like a tourist attraction, but it was one of my favorite things we did. It is a pump station that pumps water from the Chattanooga River up the mountain to a lake on top of Raccoon Mountain. Drive up. It is a very interesting place and the views of the river and surrounding area is breathtaking.

 

[we3peas]

I've stayed at both campgrounds. Go to RVReviews.com and check my posts for September 2007. We liked both places for what they are. Raccoon Mtn is a private campground and I rated it as such. They had a pool, playground, go karts, and caverns and wifi. All of which we liked and they were close to shopping. Cloudland Canyon is a state park and it is beautiful and woody. Lots of hiking, frisbee golf, tennis courts, playgrounds, and the MOST FANTASTIC RESTAURANT 1 mi down the road: The Canyon Grill. I would definitelty stay at both again if in the area.

 

[Stinkerbell1973]

Cloudland Canyon is so beautiful. Lots of great hiking. We haven't been there in a while, now I want to go back!

 

[Lyndria]

I've stayed at both campgrounds. Go to RVReviews.com and check my posts for September 2007. We liked both places for what they are. Raccoon Mtn is a private campground and I rated it as such. They had a pool, playground, go karts, and caverns and wifi. All of which we liked and they were close to shopping. Cloudland Canyon is a state park and it is beautiful and woody. Lots of hiking, frisbee golf, tennis courts, playgrounds, and the MOST FANTASTIC RESTAURANT 1 mi down the road: The Canyon Grill. I would definitelty stay at both again if in the area.

How could I forget about the go karts?????

 

[YensidCamper]

You may want to try Harrison Bay State Park or Chester Frost Park. They are on the north side of the city about 10-15miles from downtown. Both are on the lake and are usually more of a summer destination but each has some excellent campsites. There are not year round campers here and both patrolled by rangers. Unfortunately neither of these take reservations and could be busy that time of year. You can google them and find their websites for more information and pictures. Good Luck.