Little River — Elkmont & Tremont

The park’s fishing rules in the park’s words, Elkmont’s site count and season dates read directly from the source, and the seven backcountry campsites above the Wye.

THE LITTLE RIVER INSIDE THE PARK NPS campsite & USGS coordinates · boundary point GIS-derived

The park’s rules, from GRSM’s Fishing page

Rule	What the page says (summarized; quotes are exact)
When	Year-round, “30 minutes before official sunrise to 30 minutes after official sunset.”
Tackle & bait	One hand-held rod. Artificial flies or lures, single hook only, up to two on a leader. No bait or liquid scent, no double/treble/gang hooks.
Size / limit	Brook, rainbow, brown trout & smallmouth: 7-in minimum. 5 fish a day combined, plus 20 rock bass.

A stricter 1983 federal text differs from the page above — hours, brook trout, the rock-bass allowance. Nothing we read says which governs. Confirm: (865) 436-1297 / (865) 436-1294.

Water safety — the park’s own warning

“Drowning is the second cause of death in the park. Water currents are swifter than they appear, and footing is treacherous on wet and moss-covered rocks.” (NPS Fishing page)

LIMESTONE DRIFT

LITTLE RIVER Elkmont & Tremont campsites

Getting there

Little River Road (Sugarlands to the Townsend Wye) reaches Elkmont, Metcalf Bottoms and the Sinks — paved, open year-round, weather permitting. Laurel Creek Road and gravel Upper Tremont Road reach the Middle Prong and West Prong trailheads from the Wye. Parking tag required everywhere for stops over 15 minutes.

Elkmont Campground & licence

Elkmont: 211 sites (25 tent-only, 22 walk-to/boat-to, 4 group), read directly from the park’s page. Closed 29 Nov–3 Apr. $30/night (Recreation.gov), 6 mo. ahead. Licence: NC or TN — TN 13+, NC 16+, no trout stamp. Parking: $5/$15/$40. Calls: backcountry (865) 436-1297; dispatch (865) 436-1294.

Campsites above the Wye — NPS GIS layer (data 25 Aug 2026)

Site	Elev	Cap	Cables	Status
#30 Three Forks	3,387 ft	12	2	Unverified
#24 Rough Creek	2,853 ft	15	2	Unverified
#23 Camp Rock	3,299 ft	12	3	Unverified
#21 Mile 53	2,625 ft	12	2	Unverified
#27 Lower Jakes Gap	3,603 ft	12	2	Unverified
#26 Dripping Spring	4,543 ft	10	2	Unverified
#20 King Branch	2,495 ft	12	2	Unverified

Unverified = last recorded by NPS’s campsite layer (25 Aug 2026), not reconfirmed by the current closures page — none of these seven is named on it either way. Recreation.gov permit required, $8/person/night + $6 fee, up to 6 months ahead.

What we don’t have

Not verified: exact trail mileages beyond the round-trip figures on the guide page; TDEC’s consumption-advisory substance and limit for smallmouth bass from this river.

Sources: NPS — Fishing (incl. license accordion, read directly), Current Cautions & Closures, Superintendent’s Compendium, Elkmont Campground (read directly), GRSM Backcountry Campsites GIS; 36 CFR 7.14 and 2.3.
Conditions change. Verify closures and campground status before you travel. Revised September 2026.

limestonedrift.comAlerts and the water page

Water alerts. Monitoring for Little River is not active. Check the official sources before your trip. limestonedrift.com/alerts/?w=little-river