Camping in or Near Blue Ridge Mountains
We are working on plans for our summer trip. We will be spending several days in the Gatlinburg, TN area in mid June. After that we'll be making our way toward Cleveland, OH. We will have several...
Forum Discussion
huachuca wrote:
Nantahala National Forest is roughly a 1.5 hr drive from Gatlinburg and has a number of recreational activities that may be of interest. One route you could take would be via the Cherohala Skyway which, to us, is more scenic than the BR Parkway. Take a half day (or longer) rafting trip on the Nantahala River (Nantahala Outdoor Center is our outfitter of choice but there are several options). Possibly combine the rafting with a train ride from Bryson City - the route where the train wreck from The Fugitive was filmed. Hike to the Big Trees in Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.
Several campground options within the NF. Cheoah Point, Tsali, Cable Cove and our favorite Horse Cove. You may be too large for most of the sites at Horse Cove but it might be worth the ride over without the camper to see if the area has any interest for you. FS81 is a Forest Service road just off the eastern end of the Skyway that is gravel but easily navigable by a passenger car which we enjoy driving.
Have fun and post back with your experiences and recommendations.
Al & Cindy
Double ditto. Santeetlah, Fontana and Cheoah lakes with those majestic mountains are great. There's a great Elec/Water HU campground for RVs at Fontana Village which is in the same area. Right near the dam and the fishing's great. On the lake and beautifully natural. After you're done camping there you can take US129 (Tail of the Dragon); or Cherohala Skyway; or US441 to Gatlinburg.
Fontana Village Campground
