Openings · last 7 days
7
Booking reality
Campsite Sniper detected 7 site openings here in the last 7 days
01 · Detected Opening History · the openings record · file CS-232482
When Cataloochee Horse Camp reopens
Cataloochee Horse Camp's openings record: every site-date Campsite Sniper detected turning available, logged and time-stamped. Refreshed hourly.
Openings · last 30 days
7
Openings · last 90 days
11
Only 11 openings in the last 90 days: not enough recent activity for a reliable pattern. A free Campsite Sniper alert watches around the clock instead, and pings you the moment one opens.
02 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18 – Oct 25, 2026 · of 7 monitored sites
Of the 266 tracked site-nights (Sep 18 – Oct 25, 2026): 154 open for online reservation · 112 reserved.
Where the open windows are
42.1% of tracked site-nights are not currently open for online reservation. 154 of 266 remain open; here is where they are.
Load status
Sep 18 – Oct 25, 2026Not open online42.1%
Open site-nights154 / 266
Reserved (of online inventory)112 / 266
Weekday openings103
Weekend openings51
Of the open site-nights on mapped sites, 103 fall on weekdays and 51 on weekends (Fri–Sun).
Open dates by month
Sep 2026 – Oct 2026September holds the most room. 78 of 91 site-nights are still open there.
Holiday windows
Sites open per night · of 7 sites| Window | Night | Sites open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | SAT Sep 5 | 0 | None open |
| SUN Sep 6 | 0 | None open | |
| MON Sep 7 | 0 | None open |
Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked night.
Best-availability sites
Most open site-nights · tracked window| Site | Open site-nights |
|---|---|
| 2 | 28 |
| 4 | 23 |
| 6 | 23 |
| 1 | 22 |
| 5 | 22 |
The 5 sites with the most open site-nights in the current snapshot. Pair a bookable date with a free alert to cover everything else.
Next windows
As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshotNext open dateFri · Sep 18
Next open weekendFri · Sep 18
The next bookable night is Sep 18; the first open weekend starts Sep 18. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.
Stays and site detail
154 open site-nights across 7 sites at Cataloochee Horse Camp, from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.
Multi-night stays. 27 2-night, 21 3-night, 8 7-night openings where a single site is free for every night, per Campsite Sniper's current snapshot — soonest Sep 18 at site 1.
RV length. Longest recorded site here is 30 ft. 7 sites take 25 ft.
All 7 sites with current availability
| Site | Max RV | Hookups | Open site-nights | Longest run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 30 ft | None | 28 | 15 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +16 more |
| 4 | 30 ft | None | 23 | 7 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 6, Oct 7 +11 more |
| 6 | 30 ft | None | 23 | 14 nights | Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30 +11 more |
| 1 | 30 ft | None | 22 | 15 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 +10 more |
| 5 | 30 ft | None | 22 | 13 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +10 more |
| 7 | 30 ft | None | 20 | 8 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2 +8 more |
| 3 | 30 ft | None | 16 | 7 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +4 more |
About Cataloochee Horse Camp
Overview
Located in the scenic Cataloochee Valley, tucked in a cool and shady canopy, this campground offers the best that the Great Smoky Mountains National park has to offer, including some of the most coveted horseback riding trails in the park.
World-renowned for its diversity of plant and animal life, the beauty of its ancient mountains and the preservation of Southern Appalachian culture, the Great Smoky Mountains is America's most visited national park.
You MUST have a HORSE to camp at Cataloochee Horse Camp!
Recreation
With access to some of the most popular trails in the area, including the Rough Fork and Caldwell Fork Trails, this site is a favorite for horseback riding enthusiasts.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park is also a hiker's paradise. Boogerman Trail, accessed via the Caldwell Fork Trail, provides a 3.9 mile detour through a beautiful, densely forested terrain, allowing visitors to stretch their legs and explore the area.
Campers can enjoy high-quality backcountry fishing in the cool waters of the countless streams and rivers that snake through the mountains, with wild trout available in abundance.
Wildlife viewing is a popular pastime, and with around 1,500 bears living in the park, it's not uncommon for a visitor to spot one. The Cataloochee area is also known for an elk herd that populates the valley, making for an impressive display of wildlife.
The park also holds one of the best collections of log buildings in the eastern United States. Over 90 historic structures, including houses, barns, outbuildings, churches, schools and grist mills, have been preserved or rehabilitated in the park. A handful of these buildings are nearby the campground, including the Palmer House, which offers a self-guided museum.
Facilities
Cataloochee offers primitive-woods camping. A canopy of trees provides adequate shade, while a few open areas let in the sunlight and allow for pleasant group activities. There is no potable water provided at the campground, so visitors must bring their own.
The nearby Cataloochee Campground offers additional camping space for those visitors without horses, and the Cataloochee Group Camp provides a larger space for group trips.
Each site at Cataloochee has four horse stalls with hitching racks.
You MUST have a HORSE to camp at Cataloochee Horse Camp!
Natural Features
Cataloochee Horse Camp sits in along the gentle waters of Cataloochee Creek in the remote Catalooche Valley, surrounded by some of the park's most picturesque and rugged mountain ranges. Whether blanketed in wildflowers in the spring or vivid colors in the fall, the scenery at Cataloochee never disappoints.
Nearby Attractions
A number of Great Smoky's famous historical buildings, including cabins and churches, are located close to the campground. The nearby towns of Maggie Valley or Waynesville offer groceries and other supplies.
7 monitored sitesRVs up to 30 ftNo hookups7 shadedFire pitsMax party 6
Getting there
Take I-40 east from Knoxville, TN or west from Asheville, NC. Exit I-40 at NC exit 20, twenty-five miles west of Asheville (87 miles east of Knoxville). Turn right onto Cove Creek road 1/10 miles from I-40. Follow Cove Creek road approximately 11 miles to Cataloochee horse camp.
3576 Ranger Station Road, Waynesville, NC 37876828-497-9270
CampingFishingHikingHistoric & Cultural SiteHorseback RidingWildlife Viewing
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗
03 · Field Photos · roll CS-232482 · facility + sites
Photo gallery
Roll CS-232482 · Cataloochee Horse Camp · Waynesville NC12 frames · facility + sites
FAQ
How do I get a reservation at Cataloochee Horse Camp?
Reservations for Cataloochee Horse Camp are made through Recreation.gov. 154 of 266 tracked site-nights are currently open (57.9%). Campsite Sniper has also detected 11 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick a site on the map to see its calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.
Does Campsite Sniper book this campground for me?
No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.
How current is this availability data?
Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Sep 18, 2026 16:19 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.
How often do new openings appear at Cataloochee Horse Camp?
Campsite Sniper detected 7 site-date openings at Cataloochee Horse Camp in the last 7 days, 7 over 30 days and 11 over the last 90.
Can I get a multi-night stay at Cataloochee Horse Camp?
21 three-night openings are showing, counting only runs where the SAME site is free for all three nights. The soonest starts Sep 18 at site 1. Confirm and book on Recreation.gov.
Which sites at Cataloochee Horse Camp fit a 35-foot RV?
No RV-analyzable site here has a recorded maximum of 35 ft or more; the longest recorded is 30 ft.
Which month has the most availability at Cataloochee Horse Camp?
September 2026, with 78 open site-nights in the current snapshot of 91.
When is the next open date at Cataloochee Horse Camp?
As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Fri, Sep 18 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 18. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.
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