Panther Creek State Park Campground

We enjoyed our brief stay at Panther Creek State Park. A rather small campground, offering some updated sites and brand-new shower houses.

We camped here a couple of years ago, right before the campground went through renovation. We were looking for someplace fairly close to our house to camp overnight, so we decided to try Panther Creek. We liked the campground last time we were there, but it's really nice with the renovations.
All of the sites are paved and flat. Some sites are longer than others, so make sure you check the length before reserving.
All sites have water & electricity, some have full hookups. They also have fire pits and grills. There are trails for hiking and mountain biking.
The bathhouses are unisex: there are individual, spacious bathrooms that include toilet & shower. The lower bathhouse has 3, the upper has 4. There is a small pavilion in the lower section; the upper section has a large pavilion with a fireplace & picnic tables. There was a birthday party going on the night we were there, but around 9:00 they were gone and it was quiet.
We didn't have a reservation but checked the night before to see what sites were available. They don't hang tags on posts, so reservations are highly suggested so you don't snag someone else's reservation.
There is supposed to be wifi, but we couldn't get it to connect.
Panther Creek is within an hour of Knoxville. There is a WalMart & Aldi's down the road, just in case you forget something or need to get some groceries.

Heading north along the I-81 corridor and looking for a public campground to stopover for the night.

Found this one listed and it was a reasonable distance from the highway. We arrived just before the office closed and found the staff helpful and friendly. You check in at the visitor center and the only issue was there was not enough parking space to accommodate RVs pulling in to register. Just be aware of that!

I asked for a level spot that might allow us to stay hitched up, and she gave us a perfect spot. I think all sites are paved and they vary in length. The staff match your overall rig length to a site. As mentioned in the previous review, they do not give you any tag for a post at the site. So, I'm unclear if you can arrive after hours and just grab an extra site since they are all reservable.

We did not use the bath/shower facility but it looked great from the outside. I had good AT&T coverage and noticed that there was park WiFi once we got to our site, but was not given the password and did not think to ask when checking in.

It appeared to be a well-used park by the local rural community. And I mean that in a positive way! Looked like hiking, biking and horseback riding options available and the locals really liked their park.

What was really nice are the discounts available to everyone - not just in-state residents. We had a E/W site and got the senior discount since my husband is 62. I think the site would have normally cost $24.00. Other discounts included military and persons with disabilities.

At first glance the campground looks very nice, spacious sites and clean. Once we got to our campsite we noticed our site was VERY unleveled. There was garbage left at the campsite as well, empty pop cans & paper towels etc. The picnic tables are not nearby the sites, and the fire rings are quite aways too- both are centered in the grass. Overall we would camp here again, just not site 47. Also at this site there were several mud dauber nests; especially nearby the picnic/fire ring area.

The location of this campground definitely worked in our favor as it was relatively close to the smoky mountains & Knoxville both of which we wanted to visit on our trip in Tennessee.

Panther Creek is a beautiful park with miles and miles of trails. There are a number of pavilions and spaces to reserve is the park. With nice weather, the playgrounds and pavilions were full for Easter. For the few days we were there, the trails were virtually empty, however.

The camp ground is a solid B+. The rangers and staff were friendly and accommodating. The sites vary in size so be sure to reserve for your size. We are a 27’ Class C so we could fit any site but some of the big guys were restricted. The bathrooms are unisex singles, toilet, sink, shower in each. It is a nice set up compared to other ‘community’ type bathrooms. They were cleaned multiple times a day.

The only reason I didn’t rate a five star is the lack of privacy or foliage from site to site. On the side where site 23 is located, the sites are fairly close without much to separate you from your neighbor.

You need to request WiFi password from the visitors center or campground store. You are not given much data so general surfing worked fine (no streaming). We had excellent Verizon reception.

I'm a full time RV traveler. I made reservations through their website and payment is due upon checking out. With reservations already made there is no check in. Just drive to your site number and set up. The park is very clean, very peaceful, has a swimming pool and very close to the city for grocery shopping and restaurants. I would stay here again if in the area for the great price that they offer.

Had breakfast with the deer. Didn't get one of the few sewer hook ups butyhe dump station is close and has water. Very quiet and peacefull store was open very sparsely but plandemic ya know

With online reservation, we just went to our site. Road to park is twisty in spots with not much of a shoulder, so that was a minor challenge with our 36' plus toad (we are about 57' overall in that configuration). The person working the store didn't have the wifi password and said it didn't work - wasn't connected to the internet. Lots of hiking trails at the park, lots of folks in the park (no entrance gate, no fees collected) with nice weather. Many sites are unlevel, and for us, not many to choose from due to our length. There is practically no foliage between sites (see other photos posted), so no privacy - you will be looking at the side of your neighbors rig/site. The sites at the loop end are up the hill. No rowdy campers during our stay. Dump station was good, we hooked up our toad there on the way out. We didn't use the bathhouse/s. TN state parks give 25% discount for seniors regardless of residency.

I wish to share the non-resident discounts that I found to be available during the reservation process! This park, and, I suspect, the entire Tennessee State Parks system, offers a non-resident handicapped and a non-resident senior's discount of 25% on the camping fee of, in my case, $200 less 25% ($50) for a total of $150 fee, plus taxes and reservation fees equaling $169 and change, as opposed to well over $200 without the discounts! There are also TN resident discounts available as one would expect! A delightful surprise!
Please understand that I am rating the reservation fee policies, not the park as my stay is not until 10/21.

Common shelter is wonderful with a great fireplace. It’s a highlight. Nice bathrooms. Plenty of enjoyable areas to stroll with kids and or dog. Great playground.