The Cherohola & Blue Ridge Parkways

[SeaDawg]

We've spent the last week or so camping in East Tennessee & Western North Carolina. A small delay in a project we were working on actually turned into a bonus... We drove the Cherohola Skyway from Tellico Plains through the Cherokee & Nanatahala Forest into North Carolina... It's only about 40 miles long, but amazing views at every corner... Topping out at a little over a mile high.... lots of windy little turns and 7-9% grades... The Oliver trailed along behind so happily!

Coming back into NC, we got on the south end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and continued onto Asheville where we're spending about a week in the mountains. We camped on the Blue Ridge at Mt. Pisgah, the highest campground on the Blue Ridge, about 5000 feet. There's an inn & restaurant across the road from the campground, along with a tiny campstore. The restaurant's floor to ceiling windows afford an amazing panoramic view of the valleys below and layered mountains beyond.... and only about 30 miles from Asheville. Well worth the climbing drive.... the top of the Parkway here is about 2500 above Asheville's elevation....

 

This is a tiny part of the view from the dining room at the inn... you absolutely feel like you're sitting on a cloud....

And this is one tiny slice of the view from the inn porch....

Unfortunately, we discovered that the camera battery was dead, so all I have to share are a few pix from my camera phone, which don't begin to give the views justice... but you get the idea.

We're planning to leave the Asheville area soon and continue up the Blue Ridge, then on to the Skyline Parkway... The weather here has been a welcome change from Florida's heat, too!

Camping on the Parkway.... Campground sites at Mt. Pisgah are paved, but no hookups. There is a dumpstation and water fill station at each campground, but bathrooms are cold water only and no showers. I believe this is the same in all of the Blue Ridge campgrounds. ($16.00) Glad the Ollie is well equipped to enjoy the trip!!!

I'm enjoying the wifi at a little coffee shop outside Asheville today.... Happy 4th of July!

Sherry

[dougi]

Happy forth of July to you folks. I wish my wife and I were there to enjoy the view and the company.

 

We will go see this area after we pick up out trailer in late Sept.

[SeaDawg]

Tom,

the mountain roads can be very interesting, can't they? But the Oliver has done very well... It really is an easy tow... So glad the footprint isn't wider than the truck on so many of these narrow roads...

We too are very disappointed, but we'll catch up with you and Karen on another trip soon... Have a great time next week.

Sherry & Paul

[SeaDawg]

I got a message from one of the members asking me about the Mt. Pisgah Campground, so I brought this old post back up to the top. Though the pictures are old, and small, the view is still magnificent. We haven't camped there lately, but have been up with visitors several times for breakfast. The views are best at the Inn in the morning (breakfast) hours.

 

Later on that year (or was it the following year?), we drove the entirety of the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Skyline Drive through the Shenendoah National Park. That's a trip I'll never forget. Simply beautiful.

 

Sherry

[SeaDawg]

I got another pm from a member about this campground today. I love this place. And, we continue to take friends and family to the lodge for breakfast for the amazing views. (Go early in the day... view at lunch and dinner is not as good even with the floor to ceiling windows....)

 

If you're thinking about driving and camping the Blue Ridge, this is one stop to not miss. In my opinion. The campgrounds are basically all the same along the Blue Ridge, lots of rhododendrons separating the sites, plenty of privacy, no servces, which is part of the joy, honestly... Lots of quiet, and amazing scenery.

 

Here's a link to more info on Mt. Pisgah cg:

http://www.recreation.gov/camping/mount-pisgah-campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=75021

 

Though this is the reservation website, we did not make a reservation anywhere on our tour of the Blue Ridge. We just went. Never had a problem finding sites. Most of the sunblockers want services, and we don't.

 

This site says that showers are now available at Mt. Pisgah. That would be nice. http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/v.php?pg=19

 

And, finally, here's a link to the National Park Service info on the Blue Ridge.

http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/camping-on-the-blue-ridge-parkway.htm

 

If you do camp at Mt. Pisgah, spend a few days and visit Asheville. Our favorite city, honestly, for food, fun, music, and well, just a lot of energy and old time feel. Along the Blue Ridge, you'll want to stop at the visitor's center near Asheville, where you can enjoy a fifteen minute movie of the building of the parkway, a lot of info on the area and the construction, and tour a very green, modern building on an old, wonderful site. The Craft museum, just a few miles away, is awesome. The Craft guild has rotating and permanent exhibits, showing some of the best of woodworking, quilting, glass blowing and other Highlands crafts. Definitely worth a stop ad an hour or two,

 

Sherry

 

Sherry

[topgun2]

If you are looking for a camp that is at a bit lower elevation and/or you would like to fish for some mountain trout then head down the mountain on route 276 to the Davidson River Campground. They have hookups and showers and it is located right on the Davidson River. Also, just down the road a couple of miles is a WalMart, various restaurants and other services, and, about five miles west is the nice little town of Brevard, NC. Going back up the mountain be sure not to miss the State fish hatchery - approximately 500,000 trout being raised here - plus tons of hiking/mountain biking trails and Looking Glass Falls.

 

Bill (aka Topgun2)