East Coast Suggestions for a late summer trip

GreenSalsa wrote:

Gjac wrote:
If you like NP camping out west you will like camping in White Mtn NF is NH. The camp sites are more secluded than the NP's. Hike Mt Washington or Mt Chorora, float the Saco river or visit some of the water falls. Arcadia NP in ME. is nice also.

Wow--you might have found our destination! We are LOVING the pictures we are finding on the internet! Where would you suggest staying in the area? Woodstock? Jackson?

Sorry it took so long to get back to you I was celebrating my 46 anniversary with my wife in Hawaii for several weeks, but I would stay in one of the campgrounds along rt 112 there are about 6 of them. Then go up to Dolly Copp CG on RT 16 if you want to do Mt Washington. Arcadia is a little harder to get into but if you go in the middle of the week you have a good chance of getting into Seawall CG right on the water Blackwoods is the other CG and is usually reserved. I like Seawall better because you can swim in the ocean, last year they gave you free firewood all cut to length. Have fun what ever you decide to do.

Big south fork national river and recreation area on the border of KY and TN. Also Cumberland Gap national park( VA TN KY) has a lot of history and pretty area.

GreenSalsa wrote:

Gjac wrote:
If you like NP camping out west you will like camping in White Mtn NF is NH. The camp sites are more secluded than the NP's. Hike Mt Washington or Mt Chorora, float the Saco river or visit some of the water falls. Arcadia NP in ME. is nice also.

Wow--you might have found our destination! We are LOVING the pictures we are finding on the internet! Where would you suggest staying in the area? Woodstock? Jackson?

Agree that you would enjoy the White Mountains in New Hampshire, along with the Green Mountains in Vermont. We combined that area with a week on Cape Cod last June, and really enjoyed it. We, too, are 'snobs' for the far western parks, and still enjoy that area very, very much. But, the experience in the Northeast is wonderful in and of itself, and it's a heck of a lot shorter drive if you don't have a few weeks to spend. All in all, a beautiful part of the country.

Not East Coast but a great vacation get-away. In North Arkansas in the Ozark Mountains.

Buffalo National River
Blanchard Springs Cavers Campground

Blanchard Springs Caverns

Petit Jean State Park

Mt Magazine State Park

Ozark Folk Center


Arkansas Hiking Trails

Camping:

Bull Shoals
Buffalo River camping
top 10 camping spots in Arkansas

Where depends on just when. Autumn starts late August in northern Maine, works its way down to where you are by November. Anywhere in the Appalachians (or whatever local name like White, Green, Adirondack, Smokies) will have the activities you seek. You can find wilderness, resorts, or theme parks, your choice.

Northern New England is nice for seeing small towns, upstate New York for lakes and woods, Eastern to central Pennsylvania for old fashioned farming country.

Another possibility would be beach and shoreline communities, from Wilmington up through the Outer Banks, beaches along the eastern route, people still making their living from the water on Pamlico Sound, though a lot of that is becoming vacation home communities. Same again for around Chesapeake Bay and up through the Jersey shore.

I've dealt with these areas more often as scenic road trips, moving every day, rather than setting up camp somewhere and exploring locally.

Suffolk, VA has a lot of great stuff including a nature walk & canoe tour of the Great Dismal Swamp
http://www.suffolk-fun.com/tour-and-explore/tours/ Before the tour, read the book Swamp Angel by Anna Isaac. My daughter said its a great book of a fun tall tale that they read to their children before going on a swamp tour at Great Dismal. The book made the tour much more exciting as they had the kids looking for

Angelica Longrider, aka Swamp Angel -- a sort of female Paul Bunyan. Born taller than her own mother, Angelica quickly became the greatest frontiers- woman in all of Tennessee, able to defeat a giant bear singlehanded, drink an entire lake in one big gulp, even lasso a tornado. "This valiant heroine is certain to leave youngsters chuckling." (Amazon).

One more vote for Acadia NP. We visit the western parks frequently, and Acadia ranks right up there with these parks. Bring your bikes or rent some and ride the Carriage Roads. There are 57 miles of these roads, a nice, leisurely way to visit the park without worrying about traffic.

buta4 wrote:

GreenSalsa wrote:

michigansandzilla wrote:
How about Acadia NP in Maine?

Thanks for the suggestion. We will do some research on this--looks promising but kinda small...

Small and charming.

Plus, where else in the world can you stop at one of the small lobster shacks with drums of boiling water outside to taste REAL lobster, not those over-sized crayfish thingies that are passed as lobsters elsewhere?

By the way I made history of sorts there once. The summit of Cadillac mountain in the Park is the first (as I understand it) point in the lower forty-eight where the rising sun touches at dawn.

On a date with my future wife we were overnighten at the summit. At dawn I woke her up to see me flying a kite about 100' above the summit. She watched as the sun hit the kite FIRST and then then the summit.

So, MY KITE was the first object that morning the the sun hit. :C

My girl then said that I was boring her to death and back to the camper bed. :R

Wonder why! :?

That story made me laugh. I could swear you are describing my parents!

I suggest Maine, NH, and VT as well for excellent hiking.

GreenSalsa wrote:

michigansandzilla wrote:
How about Acadia NP in Maine?

Thanks for the suggestion. We will do some research on this--looks promising but kinda small...

Small and charming.

Plus, where else in the world can you stop at one of the small lobster shacks with drums of boiling water outside to taste REAL lobster, not those over-sized crayfish thingies that are passed as lobsters elsewhere?

By the way I made history of sorts there once. The summit of Cadillac mountain in the Park is the first (as I understand it) point in the lower forty-eight where the rising sun touches at dawn.

On a date with my future wife we were overnighten at the summit. At dawn I woke her up to see me flying a kite about 100' above the summit. She watched as the sun hit the kite FIRST and then then the summit.

So, MY KITE was the first object that morning the the sun hit. :C

My girl then said that I was boring her to death and back to the camper bed. :R

Wonder why! :?

Veebyes wrote:
Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay: Wild horses strolling through your campsite at Assateague Nat Seashore, Maritime Museum at St Michaels, Tilghman Day workboat racing & docking competition, great SPs like Martinak, Tuckahoe, Killens Pond, Trap Pond..... then there is PUNKIN CHUNKIN.

Ah yes: that great American passtime of PUNKIN CHUNKIN! Great fun! Seriously!