Cherokee NC KOA Review: Excellent for Families!
The beautiful Smoky Mountains surround the Cherokee KOA campground
Conveniently located near Cherokee, North Carolina, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the Cherokee NC KOA is an excellent choice for your next family camping vacation.
In this campground review, we will share why we recommend this KOA, what you’ll find at the campground, and how you can make the most of your visit.
We are KOA Rewards members, and our family has stayed in a lot of KOAs across the United States.
While the KOA brand does ensure some consistency in the quality of campground that you’ll have, some of the properties shine a bit brighter than the others.
The Cherokee KOA Holiday campground is one of our favorites in Western North Carolina, and I hope you’ll be inspired to visit soon.
This post contains affiliates. I will receive a small commission if you purchase through the links.
Check-in Process
After you make your way down the winding, 2-lane Big Cove Road, you’ll turn into the entrance of the Cherokee KOA next to a large pond.
NOTE: The entrance can come up quickly as its just after a curve, so slow down and be ready to turn.
If you miss the entrance, there’s not an easy place to turn your rig around nearby.
PIN ME!
Once inside the KOA property, you’ll see the main building, which houses the office and small store.
There’s a large area for vehicles checking in right next to the front doors. If you’re traveling with separate vehicle, there are also normal parking spots nearby.
Check-in during our stays has been easy if a bit slow. The campground does a wonderful job communicating in the days leading up to your check-in via email and text, so you know what to bring to the check-in desk: your driver’s license, RV license number, and confirmation number.
When we’ve visited, there have been 2 staff members working. However, the line of people checking in didn’t move super quickly, and the process (including waiting) has averaged around 15 minutes.
Once check in is completed, you’ll be escorted to your site via a staff member on a bright yellow KOA golf cart.
I appreciate this touch as someone who gets overly anxious whenever it comes to parking—especially when I’m backing our travel trailer in.
Overall, the check-in process at the Cherokee/Great Smokies KOA is easy. Avoid crowds by coming mid-day rather than in the late afternoon.
CAMP LIKE A PRO: When researching a new RV park or planning a cross-country road trip, I can’t recommend the RV Life app enough.
I can plan out routes that are safe for my specific trailer, get recommendations on favorite gas station locations (hello, Buc-ees), see points of interest on my route, and get detailed reviews from fellow campers.
Best $59 I’ve spend on an app!
Setting Up Camp
Everyone that we’ve come into contact with at the campground was helpful, polite, and patient.
The man who helped us to our site after check-in was extremely kind to me.
I was traveling with just myself and the kids on our first visit, and I was still learning the ins and outs of pulling a pop-up trailer and hooking everything up.
He directed me into the pull-through spot, making sure that my camper hook-ups were even with the water, electric, and sewer in the spot.
Issues with Electric Hook-Ups
During this process, I discovered that we had a problem with the electricity hookups. When I’d booked the site, I’d purchased a site with “30/50 amp” hookups.
I took this to mean that I’d have BOTH 30 and 50 amp options, and I would be able to choose which was best for my pop-up trailer.
Instead, the hook-up had 2-50 amp plugs, and 1-30 amp plug, the entire box of which I had to share with my neighbor.
This meant that only 1 of us could use the 30 amp plug in…and my neighbor had already plugged into it, leaving me with the 50 amp hook-up.
When this issue occurred, I was very new to RV camping and had no idea that the electric hook-up I’d paid for somehow wouldn’t be able to be utilized.
We got the electricity to work! Yay!
I didn’t know that an electric hookup pigtail converter was a thing, so I was faced with the reality of camping for days in a spot without the electricity that I’d paid for.
When the KOA employee who’d led me to the spot realized why I wasn’t attaching the camper to the electrical panel, he said that the campground might have a pigtail converter I could borrow.
He looked but couldn’t find one, so he got one from his own trailer and let me use that one.
I was incredibly grateful for his kindness, and that 30 to 50 amp converter made our stay complete.
LESSON LEARNED: I now travel with a 30 to 50 amp plug adapter!
NOTE: the Cherokee KOA campground, I was told, is converting over to all 50 amp hookups to avoid the issue that I had.
My husband and our dog Holmes hanging out by the fire in our Cherokee KOA site
Individual Campsite Review
Once we were settled in, and had the electricity on, we had a wonderful time in our campsite (site 294).
While the standard pull-through spots aren’t particularly spacious, the layout isn’t any worse than at any other KOA that we’ve visited.
I’ve noticed that we can get either large lots with fewer amenities at state parks or smaller lots with tons of amenities at privately owned RV parks. It comes down to what we plan to do in each area we visit, so we like to rotate between them.
There are much larger spots in this KOA (with a larger nightly cost) closer to the front of the campground, but I was happy with what we had.
The campsite had a picnic table, a fire ring, and easy in-and-out thanks to the pull-through design.
Interesting in getting your own camper?
Campground Overview
The Cherokee KOA is large, but not so large as to be overwhelming.
Once you find your site, it’s easy to get your bearings on the entire campground.
Check our our other KOA campgrounds reviews:
Cherokee KOA Campground Layout
My son riding his bike near the bathhouses towards the back of the campground
On the side closest to Big Cove Road, there’s a large pond, stocked with trout.
Running nearly parallel to Big Cove Road on the other side of the campground is the Raven Fork River.
Sites 213-220 and 229-234 are directly on the Raven Fork River.
The trout pond empties into the river at the back of the campground behind the cabins.
Sites 31-36, 47-58 and 89-96 are front and center on the trout pond. (These sites are also closest to the road).
Because of these natural barriers, you can see and hear water from just about everywhere in the campground.
The remainder of the waterfront properties are devoted to more than 4 dozen cabins and around a dozen tent camping sites.
If you are tent camping this summer, check out our guide to staying cool while hot weather tent camping!
We opted for a pull-through site and were placed in site 294 near the back of the campground.
My parents later joined us on that trip in their pop-up, and they were placed in site 326, a row over from us.
Overall, we had no complaints about the section of campground in which we were placed as it was quite close to the playground—my kids’ favorite!—and away from any road noise.
Note: the long term workampers’ rigs are placed on the rows closest to maintenance and housekeeping, which is at the back right of the property.
Cabins at the Cherokee KOA
You can see one of the smaller camping cabins behind my daughter
We found that the mixture of cabins and campers wasn’t an issue as everyone on our stay was polite, considerate, and quiet.
The KOA has tried to keep the cabins grouped together and somewhat separate from the campsites, but there are a few seemingly random cabins mixed in with the campsites.
Across from our campsite (294), we had 2 of the camping cabins, which are the smaller layouts without any river access or bathrooms.
Each of these cabins has an outdoor space and porch, grill, and small indoor living area.
While we haven’t stayed in the camping cabins here at the Cherokee KOA, we have rented them at other locations.
While the camping cabins are basic, they are clean and comfortable.
They provide a great glamping experience for those who’d like to experience more of the outdoors than a hotel room can provide, but aren’t ready to commit to tent camping.
The more luxurious deluxe cabins are located elsewhere in the park along the river, and they come with larger sleeping areas, water views, and private bathrooms.
Cherokee KOA Activities and Amenities
The Camping Kiddos on the campground’s jumping pillow
The on-site playground that my kids couldn’t get enough of!
If you did nothing else on your trip to Cherokee other than stay in the campground, you’d have a wonderful time!
We had to make some difficult decisions on how to divide our time between the fun line up of activities at the campground and the best things to do elsewhere in Cherokee NC.
Onsite, the campground offers a wide range of incredible activities for families, including:
Crafting sessions to tie-dye t-shirts
Outdoor movies
Campfire sing-a-longs
Trout fishing (tribal permit required)
Seasonal activities such as trick-or-treating and a haunted trail
Other amenities include a giant jumping pillow, golf cart and bike rentals, and an on-site cafe.
NOTE: An upgraded pool area is coming in summer 2023 to include a larger pool deck and hot tub.
Other Camping Kiddos KOA Reviews:
Santa Fe KOA and Alamogordo/ White Sands KOA, both in our list of best campgrounds in New Mexico
What to Do in and around Cherokee NC
If you can bring yourself to leave the campground, there’s SO much more to do in this area of Western North Carolina.
In fact, we named it one of the best towns near Great Smoky Mountains National Park for its rich history, beautiful outdoor adventures, and proximity to the park.
My daughter at the Museum of the Cherokee
Town of Cherokee, NC
Head into the town of Cherokee, where you should visit the Museum of the Cherokee.
This excellent museum walks visitors through the tribe’s accomplishments, trials, language, and history, and it’s a must visit while you’re here.
You’ll come away with a newfound respect for the people who gave this area its name and who shaped the culture here.
The town also has plenty of shopping if you’re looking for a great souvenir.
Walk along Tsali Boulevard to check out local pottery, jewelry, t-shirts, and more.
If you’re visiting during the summer months, don’t miss a production of Unto These Hills, which is a beautifully done dramatic retelling of the Cherokee tribe’s struggles with European colonization and the Trail of Tears.
Great Smoky Mountains Railroad
Time to ride the rails at Bryson City, NC
My kids adored the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad, which leaves from Bryson City and takes passengers along one of 2 routes.
We chose the Bryson City to Dillsboro route, which allows time to grab lunch and shop in the quaint town of Dillsboro before completing the return trip.
When you’re back in Bryson City, visit the model railroad museum if your kids can’t get enough to trains.
The downtown area also has plenty of adorable shops and restaurants, all within easy walking distance of the train depot.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
The entrance nearest Gatlinburg has an easy parking area.
Another great day trip from the Cherokee/Great Smokies KOA is the most visited national park in America!
This park spans two states—North Carolina and Tennessee—and one of the southern entrances to the park is around 20 minutes from the KOA.
You can visit just the areas of the park closest to the campground, or head further into the national park to explore the Tennessee side.
A great day trip is to the highest peak in the park and one of my favorite trails: the Clingman’s Dome hike.
This short but steep trail takes you to some of the most amazing long range views in the Smokies.
If you’re looking for a more complete itinerary on what to do here, check out my 1 week itinerary for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
NOTE: I strongly recommend purchasing the Great Smoky Mountains National Park tour in the GuideAlong app.
For less than the cost of dinner, you’ll get hours of commentary as you drive to various areas in the park.
We love the GuideAlong tours as they are GPS-based, meaning that the tour audio automatically starts whenever we hit one of the viewpoints, trailheads, or interest areas.
You’ll learn about each park area’s history, geology, wildlife, and more.
It’s just like having a live guide in the car with you for a much more reasonable price.
Pigeon Forge, TN
Pigeon Forge is only about an hour from the Cherokee KOA through the national park, and it would make a great day trip if you’re looking for non-stop activities.
If you only have 1 day in Pigeon Forge, I’d suggest the excellent Titanic Museum tour, which my kids and I found captivating.
The Island shopping center is also a lot of fun for the family!
We had lunch, shopped, and tried out the ropes course.
Even our 5 year old was able to do the little kids version of the ropes course while I did the full height course with our 9 year old.
Explore elsewhere in North Carolina with an Asheville tubing trip on the French Broad River or a 4 day itinerary for Asheville!
Cherokee/Great Smokies KOA FAQs
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These categories are a quick way to understand what is available at a particular KOA.
The KOA Journey locations are basic campgrounds with full hookups, back-in and pull-through lots, and a small shop.
The KOA Holidays offer many more amenities including pools, mini golf, jumping pillows, onsite food, and organized activities. The Holiday locations also offer cabins.
The KOA Resort locations offer everything that the Holiday locations offer as well as Deluxe camping spots and an atmosphere akin to a summer camp. These locations also tend to be the largest.
Learn more about the 3 types of KOA locations here.
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The Cherokee/ Great Smokies KOA is a KOA Holiday location, which means that it offers up standard camping sites as well as small cabins.
While the Cherokee KOA offers SO many amenities and activities, it isn’t large enough to be classified as a KOA resort, nor does it have the upgraded Deluxe campsites.
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The Cherokee KOA is located about 5 miles from the town of Cherokee.
In Cherokee, you’ll find a Food Lion at 16 Cherokee Crossing. The Food Lion is a well-stocked grocery store with all of your basics, fresh produce, and essential pharmacy products.
If you need clothing, RV items, home goods, or electronics, you’ll need to drive into Sylva, about 35 minutes from the Cherokee KOA.
