Johnny Molloy - Best Tent Camping: Southern Appalachian and Smoky Mountains: Your Car-Camping Guide to Scenic Beauty, the Sounds of Nature, and an Escape from Civilization

Best Tent Camping: Southern Appalachian and Smoky Mountains

Copyright 2019 by Johnny Molloy

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

Published by Menasha Ridge Press

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Fifth edition, first printing

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data for this book is available at catalog.loc.gov.

ISBN 978-1-63404-149-2 (pbk.); ISBN 978-1-63404-150-8 (ebook); ISBN 978-1-63404-294-9 (hardcover)

Project editor: Ritchey Halphen

Cover and interior design: Jonathan Norberg

Maps: Steve Jones and Johnny Molloy

Photos: Johnny Molloy, except where noted

Proofreader: Vanessa Lynn Rusch

Indexer: Meghan Miller Brawley/Potomac Indexing

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Front cover: Footbridge and autumn leaves in Great Smoky Mountains National Park; photo: kurdistan/Shutterstock. Cover inset and opposite page: Tent site at Cosby Campground (see ); photo: Chloe Kenning

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Id like to thank the following people for their help in completing this book: Margaret Albrecht, Angie Bell, Laura Burgess, John Cox, Bryan Delay, Deal Holcomb, Steve Grayson, Tom Lauria, Bill Mai, Nancy McBee, Molly Merkle, Francisco Meyer, Michael Molloy, Tom Rogers, Karen Tate, and Deborah Turpin.

Along the way I met a lot of helpful public servants. I would like to acknowledge the contributions of personnel from the following public lands and agencies: Chattahoochee National Forest, Cherokee National Forest, Georgia State Parks, Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina State Parks, Pisgah National Forest, Sumter National Forest, South Carolina State Parks, and Tennessee State Parks.

Thanks also to all the tent campers who shared their thoughts and a cup of coffee.

Johnny Molloy

PREFACE

Before there were cars, TVs, computers, and smartphones, life moved at a much more manageable, intimate pace. But in the age of text messages and social media, folks just cant seem to find the time to be togetherand when they do, the results can be disappointing. Traditional vacations to worn-out tourist traps minimize the companionship we seek in such outings.

A tent-camping excursion is the answer to this quest for companionship. Theres no dragging from attraction to attraction or fighting over where to eat. A tent-camping trip can be a time of bonding on the trail and around the fire, where experiences and sights are shared. Its a chance to experience the unique loveliness of the out-of-doors and enjoy a little fun along the way.

As we make our way through this digital age, camping allows time for introspection not found in our rush-rush world. To commune with nature is a rewarding experience for young and old alike. It is healthful for the mind and body to return to the land from which we came. Tent camping is a true vacation for all if you choose the right campground.

Thats where this book can help. Once youve made the commitment to go tent camping, finding the right campground can make or break your adventure. Campgrounds range in character from roadside, RV-infested cities to secluded hideaways nestled deep in the bosom of the mountains.

Over more than two decades, Ive coursed through the Southern Appalachians and Smokies searching for the best campgrounds in the mountains of Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. The best of the best are those nearest to a wilderness experience and not overrun by RVs. Now its up to you to glean your favorites from this book, get back to nature, and make some memories of your own.

J. M.

BEST CAMPGROUNDS

BEST FOR SCENERY

BEST FOR HIKING

BEST FOR PADDLING

BEST FOR BICYCLING

BEST FOR WATERFALLS

INTRODUCTION

The Southern Appalachians. The very words give rise to images of misty, tree-topped mountains; clear whitewater streams; lush woodlands; and a biodiversity unmatched in temperate climes. At the heart of the Southern Appalachians are the Smokies, the 500,000-acre master mountain chain containing the highest, wildest country remaining in the eastern United States. The crown jewel in the chainGreat Smoky Mountains National Park, straddling Tennessee and North Carolinajustifiably attracts millions of people per year.

The allure of the national park, however, often overshadows adjacent special areas. Encircling the park are millions of acres of state-park and national-forest land that expands the range of Smoky Mountain country. This book covers not just the Smokies but also the highlands of eastern Tennessee, western North Carolina, western South Carolina, and northern Georgia.

The Southern Appalachians are a region steeped in human and natural history. These mountains played a significant role in the formation and westward expansion of our country, an expansion that oftentimes came at the expense of the Cherokee, who battled settlers and lost but eventually managed to hold on to some of their ancestral lands.

Aside from a few Civil War skirmishes, this land became a forgotten backwater, the land of do withoutthat is, until logging interests discovered its magnificent forests and began to cut them down. Thankfully, some stands were left intact; the Smokies still contain some 125,000 acres of old-growth woods. After the tree harvest in the early 1900s, the U.S. Forest Service took over the fire-scarred and eroded lands, protecting and managing the area for commercial and recreational purposes. Other special mountain places came under state protection, creating a nucleus of fine state parks.

A trip into the Southern Appalachians is sort of like a thru-hike along the Appalachian Trail. The elevation risefrom 700 to nearly 6,700 feetcreates climate zones that foster plant and animal life found from Georgia all the way to Maine. These conditions create the biodiversity that makes the Southern Appalachians special.

Generally speaking, spring takes six weeks to climb the mountains; conversely, autumn descends the mountains six weeks earlier than in the surrounding lowlands. All of this adds to the biodiversity and makes for varying weather conditions to suit your whims as you seek the wildflowers of spring, the lushness of summer, the colors of autumn, and the snows of winter. Luckily for us, we can find plenty of campgrounds tucked away in and near Smokies country.

HOW TO USE THIS GUIDEBOOK

Menasha Ridge Press welcomes you to Best Tent Camping: Southern Appalachian and Smoky Mountains. Whether youre new to camping or youve been sleeping in your portable shelter over decades of outdoor adventures, please review the following information. It explains how we have worked with the author to organize this book and how you can make the best use of it.