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Tennessee Camping Today
Burn bans, fire weather and other National Weather Service alerts for Tennessee, plus campground closures posted by the managing agencies.
Photo: SweetCanadianMullet (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons
Burn bans and weather alerts in Tennessee right now
Burn bans
Currently, there are no active burn bans in the State of Tennessee.
Fire weather alerts
None active in Tennessee
All weather alerts
0 alerts active
Campfires during burn restrictions and burn bans in Tennessee
When wildfire risk is meaningfully elevated, TDF temporarily pauses the issuance of burn permits. Restrictions do NOT prohibit campfires, outdoor grilling, or burn barrels with mesh covers. Issued by the Commissioner of Agriculture, in consultation with the State Forester, for specific counties at the request of county mayors; the Governor may also issue a regional or statewide ban. Burn bans prohibit ALL open-air burning, including campfires, outdoor grills, and leaf/debris piles. Bans apply outside of municipalities where local ordinances apply. Per TDF FAQ: a county cannot issue a burn ban independent of Commissioner of Agriculture authorization; bans under 39-14-306 are issued exclusivel
From October 15 through May 15, a burn permit from the Tennessee Division of Forestry (TDF) is required for debris pile fires and prescribed fires. Division of Forestry permit page
Campground closures in Tennessee
19 campgrounds had a closure or suspension notice on its official page when checked on November 14, 2026. These notices are updated when the site is rebuilt, not every 30 minutes.
| Campground | Park | Notice | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Backbone Rock Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Site Closed: Backbone Rock Campground is closed for the season. Backbone Rock Pavilion is first-come, first serve only. Please pack in/pack out as there are no trash services at the end of season. The vault toilet in the day-use area is open until the third Mo | Source |
| Cardens Bluff Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Site Closed: Cardens Bluff Campground is closed for the season. Please familiarize yourself with the Food Storage Order located in the Passes/Permits/Restrictions section of the website. | Source |
| Dennis Cove Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Site Closed: Dennis Cove Campground is closed for the season. Please familiarize yourself with the Food Storage Order located in the Passes/Permits/Restrictions section of the website. | Source |
| Donley Cabin | Cherokee National Forest | Site Closed: Closed until further notice, due to damage to the bridge crossing North River, caused by flooding during the Easter Weekend 2020 storms. | Source |
| Jacobs Creek Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Site Closed: Jacobs Creek Recreation Area received damage to both bathrooms from Hurricane Helene. The bathroom near site 4 is demolished, and the showerhouse near site 19 has roof damage. There is still no timeframe on repair work. Because of this, the campgr | Source |
| Little Oak Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Site Closed: Little Oak Campground is closed for the season, and all bathrooms and dumpstation are WINTERIZED. Please familiarize yourself with the Food Storage Order located in the Passes/Permits/Restrictions section of the website. | Source |
| McNabb Group Camp | Cherokee National Forest | Temporarily closed (Current Conditions on agency page) | Source |
| Paint Creek Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Site Closed: Site is closed for the 2026 season due to extensive road damage leading to the campground. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. | Source |
| Parksville Lake Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Page shows Site Open; Ocoee River Flooding Damage alert (Nov 5, 2026) suspends all Forest Service access to the Ocoee River and Parksville Lake. | Source |
| Spivey Cove Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Site Closed | Source |
| Thunder Rock Campground | Cherokee National Forest | Closed due to flood damage per Ocoee River Flooding Damage alert (Nov 5, 2026); campground page still shows Site Open. | Source |
| Young Branch Horse Camp | Cherokee National Forest | Site Temporarily Closed: Young Branch Campground is open year-round. | Source |
| Elkmont Campground | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Open as of 2026-11-14; next scheduled closure 2026-11-29 to 2027-04-03. | Source |
| Cosby Campground | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Closed for the season as of 2026-11-14; scheduled closure 2026-10-25 to 2027-05-15. | Source |
| Abrams Creek Campground | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Closed for the season as of 2026-11-14; scheduled closure 2026-10-25 to 2027-05-08. | Source |
| Elkmont Group Campground | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Closed for the season as of 2026-11-14; scheduled closure 2026-10-31 to 2027-05-08. | |
| Look Rock Campground | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Closed for the season as of 2026-11-14; scheduled closure 2026-10-25 to 2027-05-08. | Source |
| Cades Cove Group Campground | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Open as of 2026-11-14; next scheduled closure 2026-11-27 to 2027-04-18. | |
| Anthony Creek Horse Camp | Great Smoky Mountains National Park | Closed for the season as of 2026-11-14 (2026 dates ended) | Source |
Fire restrictions on federal land in Tennessee
| Unit | Status when checked | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Cherokee National Forest | No active forest-wide fire restriction listed on the alerts page as of 2026-11-14. The only fire restriction alert listed (Roan Mountain) shows an end date of October 20, 2026. | Source |
| Great Smoky Mountains National Park | No fire restriction found on the park conditions page as of 2026-11-14. | Source |
| Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area | No fire restriction listed on the LBL alerts page as of 2026-11-14. The fire restrictions PDF linked from the rules page is a Stage 1 order dated October 14-30, 2022 (expired). | Source |
Questions about camping conditions in Tennessee today
Is there a burn ban in Tennessee today?
The burn ban card above shows the latest statement read from the Tennessee Division of Forestry burn bans page, with the time it was read.
Can I have a campfire during a burn restriction?
The Division of Forestry says burn restrictions do not prohibit campfires; burn bans do. Campgrounds can post their own rules.
Do I need a burn permit for a campfire?
No. From October 15 to May 15 a permit is needed for debris and prescribed burns; campfires are not on that list. Source
What is a Red Flag Warning?
A National Weather Service alert for weather that can spread fire quickly. Any active Red Flag Warning for Tennessee appears in the fire weather card above.
How often is this page updated?
Alerts and the burn ban statement are fetched every 30 minutes. Closure notices are checked when the site data is rebuilt.
Where do the weather alerts come from?
The National Weather Service public alerts feed at api.weather.gov, for the whole state.
Planning a trip?
See when bookings open and which campgrounds are open this season.