Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg KOA

I cannot understand why anyone would give this campground a rating of more than two.
Upon arrival were were assigned a site that was terrible. There is no way one can get level in that site. In fact, this should never had been made into a campsite as it is very difficult to back into and is downhill from the road with a drop off. When we complained, the manager said there was only one other site available but it was a 50 amp site so we would have to pay more even though we only use 30 amps — total ripoff.
We got to the site and it was not level at all. We had to use many leveling blocks just to get somewhere level, as did other campers in this area. The road noise was terrible. It seems as though perimeter sites and the gravel sites near the office are not level, while those in the center are.
On the positive side, the bathroom at the office were clean as were the showers. The WIFI worked reasonably well. The campground is located close to attractions, as others have said. We had to leave a day early and were refunded the cost of that night which we appreciated.
A word to the wise when booking a reservation at this campground. Our credit card was charged on August 17, 2015 for the full amount of our stay even though we did not arrive until August 29, 2015. If one does not pay their credit card in full each month, this practice is costing the customers of this campground more than they should be liable for. Furthermore, if one does pay all charges monthly, then the credit card issuer is absorbing the cost. While the amount may be small per stay, the annual amount is likely significant.
We made reservations at another KOA campground in the same state and on the same date. We were only charged for one night which has been our experience for over twenty years.
We likely will not return to this campground.

This place is great! It is close to everything, and the trolley even stops out front. The place is clean and the jumping pillow and pool area is nice. We had a ball.

Great place for kids — many family friendly amenities (pool, jumping pillow, planned events). The kids had a great time, as it’s very family oriented and they made many friends and had a lot to do. Others have reported the staff was unfriendly but I found them very accommodating (even when I was mistaken on my check out date — they quickly rebooked me on the same site for the additional day). I found the restrooms to be clean, but ran low on hot water for the shower one day. No problem as it was summer, but can see why in the winter this would be a problem. Only «fault» is the WIFI access — very unreliable. Its not something I value much when camping but it is an advertised benefit.

Convenient location to rent a camping cabin with the usual KOA amenities. Disappointed in my cold shower, poorly cleaned men’s restroom, noisy location with crashing dumpsters at 5 AM, & people playing music too loud after midnight. Staff was friendly, but dismissive regarding restroom comments.

DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU ARE TENT CAMPING. It is a trailer park. Only RV’s, no privacy or respect for privacy. Woken up for 2 nights straight from trash trucks or various 4−6am construction. Still unsure. Placed by water. So beautiful except for the apartment complex directly across the way with all balconies facing the campsites. People walked through our camp at all times, multiple occasions. Pretty much nonstop. No grills or really access for cooking, it’s clearly assumed everyone is in an RV. Seems fine if in RV. decent bathrooms. Nice pool situation. But so many children, do not expect to relax at the pool. Constantly splashed by children going unsupervised for hours. Friendly staff.

Terrible impression! When we arrived, the staff was less than accommodating. Then after 15 minutes of having our RV hooked up, the sewage backed up on our site and 6 others. They sent someone to snake the drain and he blamed us for the problem! After I argued he then blamed the campers that were here before us. He never apologized, just complained about having to deal with it.
We went back to the front office. The owner heard our entire conversation with the front desk staff and never apologized or even came out to speak with us! This may be a convenient location in Pigeon Forge but we’ll never be back!

This campground is SMACK in the middle of Pigeon Forge, and just a stone’s throw away from Dollywood and its accompanying water park. If you have kids, definitely go here. And the cabin rental is quite cheap.
They had the best facilities of any of the KOAs we stayed at during our trip. A great camp kitchen in the different loops, complete with a stove and sink. There were great facilities close to all the different loops.
And we were just a five minute drive into Pigeon Forge, which the kids loved.
The staff was amazingly kind (we actually showed up at the wrong place), and helped us get settled after a long day driving. Definitely heading back here again.