Elkmont Ghost Town - Tennessee

35°39'8" N latitude, 83°34'52" W longitude


The Elkmont Ghost Town is the unoccupied remains of the Appalachian Club settlement, just behind the Elkmont Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Most campers are unaware of the ghost town, as the Park Service doesn't advertise it and there are no signs that point to it. This is an undeveloped part of the park, but you can go there to see it. The ghost town has over 70 abandoned structures. The Park Service is planning to demolish most of it, so you better hurry to see it while you can! The best time to see the ghost town is in the early evening just before the sun sets, while the light in the forest is dimming. Be sure to bring a flashlight.

View of houses in the Society Hill section:
Photo credit: Image courtesy of Brian Stansberry. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.

Getting there:

To get there, use the maps and directions for the park, and make your way to the Elkmont Campground. Camping registration is not required to visit the ghost town. Turn left onto a side road 200 feet before the campground entrance station. Follow the side road around the east edge of the campground and across the Little River. After crossing the river, take the second right onto a gravel road to get to the Society Hill section. However, to get to the Millionaire's Row section, continue straight following the river, park at the Little River trail head, step around the gate, and follow the gravel road a bit further on foot.

Feel free to drive along any road not blocked by a gate. You may drive or walk anywhere along the roads of the ghost town. No trespassing signs are posted to warn you to stay out of the buildings.

Note: The road up to the Levi Trentham Cemetery is steep and will require 4 wheel drive; and the road from the ghost town up to the Jakes Creek trailhead may flood during or after a heavy rain.

Explore the Elkmont Ghost Town:

• Google Image Search - Elkmont+Ghost+Town
• Wikipedia - Elkmont, Tennessee