Paint Creek Campground
October 2026
About
Overview
Paint Creek Recreation Area (elevation 1760 feet) is located in Greene County in a mountain cove along Paint Creek. A majority of the widely-spaced campsites have streamside views and are screened by a variety of native plants, including rhododendron, hemlock and laurel.
Be Bear Wise: Food storage compliance is strictly enforced. Store all food and trash in hard-sided containers and vehicles while not in use. Never have attractants in your tent. Violations of the food storage order are ticketable offenses and subject to fines. Food and trash left unattended will be impounded by campground staff.
Recreation
Recreation opportunities abound along the Paint Creek corridor. Paint Creek is a popular stream for swimming, wading and fly fishing. TWRA stocks Paint Creek with Rainbow trout throughout the summer. Warm water fishing is a short drive away at Paint Creek Pond. Two hiking trails begin within walking distance of the campground: Paint Mountain Trail (#7) and Paint Creek Trail (#10). Bike riding along the Paint Creek corridor to Hot Springs, NC is becoming a favorite pastime. Several scenic auto loops can begin at Paint Creek campground.
Facilities
- 20 total campsites
- All single occupancy
- 3 sites (13, 14, and 16) are tent-only
- 2 vault toilets, one in each loop
- Drinking water available at the center of the campground
- Paint Creek Campground Map
Natural Features
- Waterfalls: Kelly, Dudley and Ricker Falls can be seen from Forest Road 41 along Paint Creek. Cascades: 15 feet each.
- Paint Creek Pond: Among the cattails and other aquatic plants, watch for beavers and listen for frog calls. In the early morning, watch mist rise from the placid surface of the pond. The pond is an easy drive or bicycle ride from Paint Creek Campground.
Contact Info
Nearby Attractions
- French Broad River: Class I-III rapids. A popular commercial section runs 13 miles from Hot Springs, North Carolina, to Del Rio, Tennessee, with local rafting services.
- Scenic drives along Paint Creek Corridor with Hot Springs Loops - Meander along 5-mile Paint Creek Corridor to historic Paint Rock. Stop for a picnic, check out scenic waterfalls or splash in the ripples along the way. Extend your trip by travelling along French Broad River via River Road to the community of Hot Springs, North Carolina. Two overmountain routes will bring you back to Paint Creek:
- From Hot Springs, take US 25/70 west to TN 107 to Forest Road 54. Catch scenic mountain vistas along this winding gravel road that intersects Forest Road 41 near Paint Rock.
- From Hot Springs, take US 25/70 east to Forest Road 467 and wind through Pisgah National Forest to Hurricane Gap. Forest Road 31 brings you back to Paint Creek at Moses Turn trailhead. Take a side trip at Hurricane Gap to Pisgah National Forest’s Rich Mountain Firetower or catch the Appalachian National Scenic Trail #1.
Amenities
Phone: 423-638-4109
Is Paint Creek Campground fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches Paint Creek Campground in Greeneville, TN for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching Paint Creek Campground for cancellations is the paid part.