I'm very surprised a reviewer would say the campsites are not "private". Au contraire. I've experienced campsites where you felt as if you said one word, (or made a personal private noise --- you know what I mean) someone would be listening. 10 feet apart, at the most. Blazing sun, no ambience.
Grindstone (and Beartree) at Mt. Rogers are the MOST private places you could ever go to. Each site is nestled into the trees, and a lot at Grindstone have a babbling brook behind. Each site has its own picnic table and most have outdoor grills - or at least a rock-ringed campfire setting. Beartree has a beautiful lake, with roped off areas for swimming with a sandy "beach" , well-maintained restrooms and showers, lots of water for small boats (no motorboats or jetskis, thank goodness), and a lovely hiking trail around the lake. (NOT a "pond", an actual pristine LAKE.)
In my opinion, you will NEVER find a more peaceful, friendly, cool-in-the-heat-of-summer camping site, and at a REASONABLE PRICE. Our family LOVED it. I don't believe we had electrical hook-ups, although the campground hosts (who live there all season long) did. The dump station is at the entrance, so you wouldn't want to over-use your camper unless you have one large enough to hold the waste. But, hey, there are great showers and restrooms (you're CAMPING, folks...this ain't the Hilton!) and water spigots are closely available for filling jugs. There are several throughout the campground.
At Grindstone, on weekends, there are movies shown at the amphitheatre. Mostly National Geographic stuff, but fun anyway. You get to meet the other campers and their families. Our kids loved being able to ride their bikes around and playing in the creek and "pool" area. Everyone was friendly and they made friends while there. We felt very safe.
This is a great place to experience the Great Smokey Mountains. There are nature trails and you can learn about the flora and fauna. A fairly short drive away is Shatley Springs, known for homemade family-style cooking. Gotta get there early, 'cause there's usually a waiting line. But it, too, is nestled into a mountain valley, and there's a gift shop you can browse. Bring clean water jugs to fill with mineral spring water....free!
All in all, I would highly recommend Grindstone and all of the Mt. Rogers campgrounds. If you love the mountains, getting out of the flatland heat in high summer, and enjoy being with friendly people (and, yes, you have PRIVACY), then you'll love it there!!! read more