Cardens Bluff Campground in TN -- Campground & RV Camping
Cardens Bluff Campground in TN
CampgroundUSFS
3.9 mi from Hampton
Official campground & reservations ↗
Road Access
- All 1.2 miles of this road are fully maintained, paved the whole way.
Rig fit
- Maximum published vehicle length: 30 ft.
- Longest published RV site: 30 ft.
- Longest published trailer site: 30 ft.
- Driveway grade: severe.
Campground details
Setting
Cardens Bluff Campground sits at nearly 2,000 feet elevation on a peninsula overlooking Watauga Lake, across from the Big Laurel Branch Wilderness. The campground contains 43 sites primarily intended for tent camping, with direct water access for canoes, kayaks, and motorboats. Facilities include an eight-stall accessible shower house and flush toilets in each section. No electrical hookups are provided. Nearby access points include the Rat Branch Boat Launch, Shook Branch Swim Area, and the Appalachian Trail within Big Laurel Branch Wilderness.
Getting there: From Elizabethton, TN take US 19E/321 south 5 miles to Hampton. Turn left on 321/67 travel approx. 4 miles to the campground entrance on the left.
- Little separation from through roads or other sites here, a 43-site campground with the nearest through road 0.1 miles off.
- The Watauga Lake shoreline is 0.1 mi off.
- Pond Mountain stands 2,264 ft above the map pin, 2.5 miles southeast.
- Estimated night sky: Bortle 4, a rural sky with a glow on the horizon.
- Mostly tent-only sites, with 14 on the water.
Climate averages
October normals 45–69°F, 2.8″ precipitation. Monthly averages, PRISM 1991–2020.
Starlink Radar
Open sky · Terrain & buildings · Tree canopy
Estimated horizon in eight compass directions, using 10 m USGS elevation. Sky clearance 96 of 100.