Raccoon Mountain Campground near Chattanooga, TN

[whitecastleman]

Just about a mile off I-24 west of Chattanooga, TN, this campground has several unique features including a go-kart facility and a popular cave attraction. Added fees are charged for each. I camped here overnight on March 20. I did not explore the cave, but will probably go back and take one of the tours. Several options are offered.

The cg is divided into two section sections separated by a private paved road. The big rigs needing full service are on one side and the other side is for the tent campers, pop ups, and smaller trailers. The bathhouse and the outdoor pool are also on this side. The bathhouse has been remodeled and was better than most that I have seen. The men's side had one urinal, two stalls, and three individual showers, and several sinks. The shower curtains are in need of replacing. Trash cans are located throughout the park and were emptied twice by the staff during my brief visit. Laundry facilities are at the bathhouse. Others were using them, but I did not.

Just down the road is a Wal-Mart and several restaurants. Look for Hillbilly Willie's BBQ. I ate dinner there and it was great. Best fried okra I've had in a long time. Home-made food with generous portions. It gets a "thumbs up" from me.

The campsites were close together. The cg is surrounded on two sides by a housing subdivision and the houses are visible. I looked past those, however, and enjoyed the mountain views. A nice, family-run cg.

 

[Grizzly_Wayne]

I remember camping there as a kid, I think I was maybe 8 or 9 (1983?). We stayed 4 days, went to Ruby Falls, Lookout Mountain, etc. Me and my brother almost made my dad broke riding the go carts. There was an alpine slide there next to the go carts. That was a blast. You can still make out part of the track on Google Earth. My wife also camped there when she was in college with some friends(early 90's). We drove down to Chattanooga for a weekend after we moved to Knoxville a few years back, and drove thru the campground. Was surprised to see the housing all around. None of that was there back in the 80's. Still looks like a decent campground. The caverns were pretty cool too.

Thanks for the trip down memory lane!

 

[Dweeb]

We just stayed here over Thanksgiving. Giving the time of year the pool was closed. We did the cavern tour (discounted price for campers) which was pretty cool. The go-cart track is no longer open nor is the slide mentioned above (I saw no signs of that).

Overall the CG is nicely maintained, staff was friendly and helpful, and the scenery is beautiful. The staff hosted a "bring your own cake" I found the sites to closely spaced for my liking but I'm used to usually staying in National or State parks. The bathhouse was cleaned daily and they picked up trash at your site twice a day. The bathhouse has a pushbutton code lock on the door which I found annoying but whatever. Probably existed since they would get a lot of outside visitors for the go-carts and cave stuff.

Anyhoo, we enjoyed our stay here. It is very close to the Interstate, downtown (awesome in my mind!), and other attractions. Racoon Mntn power facility is one mile up the road. Pretty park, great mountain biking, and interesting visitor center.

 

[roybraddy]

I bet I have passed that camp ground too many time to count. Never visited it... We are either heading for Smokey Mtns for ELKMONT Camp or Lookout Mtn for CLOUDLAND CANYON Camp...

Need to make a side trip huh???

Roy Ken