Staying at Raccoon Valley RV

Staying at Raccoon Valley RV

We stayed for two months at Raccoon Valley RV Park, an Escapees park just 15 minutes from Knoxville in the beautiful Smoky Mountains. We understand this park used to be an old KOA, but Escapees filled in the pool and expanded the club house. Like many older parks, the sites are tight, especially since there are many permanent residents with extra cars and trucks.

 Price: We paid for two months, which with the Escapees discount, was $325 a month. There is a hotel tax, so the final cost was about $12/day. Our site was a pull through; with sewer, water, and 30/50 amp service.  During the hottest days in July, the park's electrical system was clearly struggling to keep up with summer loads.

Dog Friendly: This is a great park for dogs. There is a large dog yard, as well as 3 short walking trails behind the park. 

Caution! This park is in East Tennessee, which does have a very serious tick problem in the summer.

Motorcycle Friendly: The RV park is hard-packed gravel, so the surface is adequate but bikers need to be careful. There are often pockets of loose gravel, since park staff regularly fill ruts and pot holes. When we stayed, there were often kids with bicycles riding through the park at all hours.

Cell Service/Wifi: Verizon was 2-3 bars, without a booster. The park does not have free wifi, but there is internet available at the clubhouse.

Amenities: Each campsite has a picnic table. There are two bathhouses, with bathrooms and showers, and a small laundry room. There is also a club house; with a social hour at 4pm each day, an awesome old-fashion band jam on Thursday, and ice cream on Sunday ($1 a scoop). While we were there, several musicians also got together on Monday night to practice and teach guitar. The facilities are very clean and the staff often organizes other events, like potlucks. Of course, the best thing about this park is getting to hang out with other Escapees!

Getting There: This park is easy access from I-75, on Raccoon Valley Road. Make sure to  approach this park from the I- 75 exit, because there is an RV-unfriendly bridge on the other side of Raccoon Valley Road!

Local Stuff: There are tons of things to do in the area. The park is only 10 minutes from Clinton and 15 minutes from Knoxville and Oakridge. The park is also only about an hour from Pigeon Forge and Gaitlinburg. If you love nature, don't forget to check out the local parks, too!

Click for a list of free stuff we found in the area

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Chilling in Raccoon Valley

Chilling in Raccoon Valley

Rain, Rain, and More Rain!

Remember the thunderstorm we drove through on Friday? It shows up Sunday, and then decides to hang around for most of the week. Some our neighbors complain about the rain, but after spending 9 days in Texas, we are totally OK with it being in the 70s for July!

Raccoon Valley is a Great Park - Especially on Thursday Nights!

Every Thursday night, there is a two hour acoustic jam at the community room; mostly gospel and country, with a fiddle tune thrown in for fun. The first Thursday we are at the park, a fiddler absolutely nails 'Battle of New Orleans'.  Great music, great fun  - and it's free!

The Park Also has a Private Walking Trail 

We spend most of the week exploring the walking trails behind the park. The entire trail system is about a mile and yup, the only map we can find is in the laundry room. Apparently this blog now has a recurring theme...

Isn't this an awesome way to spend a rainy day - ambling up and down these beautiful trails?

We have obviously lived in Texas for too long. Every time we cross this bridge, we stop and marvel at how full the creek is. We aren't used to seeing this much water in a creek in mid-summer!

Oh, and in case you are wondering, this park? Is Husky-Approved!

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