Find solution
Best camping in North Carolina?

Good car-camping spots in W. North Carolina or E. Kentucky?

  • Can anyone recommend good car-camping spots in western North Carolina or eastern Kentucky for next weekend? My four-year-old daughter and I will visit my mother in the Raleigh-Durham area next week. We're planning to see friends in Asheville, then probably head into the mountains for a night or two of camping. Both daughter and mother are fairly adventurous, but long hikes aren't in the cards. Where should we go?

  • Answer:

    The campground in http://www.nchotsprings.com/ is one of my favorites. There is car-camping, primitive cabins or actual rooms at the spa across the road where they have, you know, actual hot springs. The Appalachian Trail runs through the town of Hot Springs, so there are a few good outfitter stores and restaurants serving delicious hiker-friendly food and pleasant beverages within walking distance of the campground. The campground is situated on the French Broad river, but do be aware that there is a train track immediately adjacent to the other side of the campground. Late night freight trains aren't frequent but they are loud.

Etaoin Shrdlu at Ask.Metafilter.Com Visit the source

Was this solution helpful to you?

Other answers

I was going to say http://www.nps.gov/cuga/planyourvisit/camping.htm, but it looks like some (maybe all) of the camping is down for renovations for about another month. Maybe look at http://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/dbnf/recreation/camping-cabins

deezil

Do you mean you drive to a campground and pitch a tent, or are you talking about driving an RV/camper in? If it's the first, and if Cumberland Gap isn't an option, you might try http://www.kingdomcome.org/kcsp/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingdom_Come_State_Park State Park over in Harlan County. Note that I have been to the park but haven't camped there.

dilettante

http://www.nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/cataloochee.htm in the Great Smokey Mountains National Park sounds like a great option. I traveled there about a year ago and it's secluded without being too secluded. There are limited camp sites, so might want to reserve a spot. I parked my car at my camp site and set up a tent. Was a very quiet night and beautiful. The elk are amazing and the valley is breathtaking. Dotting the valley are interesting historical homes and other sights. Great easy hikes as well as some moderate. The town nearby, http://maggievalley.org/activities.html, is also fascinating. Some describe it as a "time warp" since it's full of roadside motels from the 1950s.

Cwell

Do you mean you drive to a campground and pitch a tent, or are you talking about driving an RV/camper in? Yes, I'm talking about driving a car in and pitching a tent nearby. Thanks for the answers so far!

Etaoin Shrdlu

I'm a bit confused about the geography here, because Asheville isn't particularly close to KY. That said, one of my fav places is Carter Caves State Park just outside of Olive Hill, KY. Great campground, beautiful area, just off I-64 in eastern ky.

griffey

If you've never driven in Eastern Kentucky, I want to point out that that particular part of the state is not well-served by interstates. So, NC and KY might be geographically close, but you will definitely want to add in time if you want to drive all the way to KY. Then when you cross into in KY, it will be slow-going. If you plan on using the interstate, which would be 40 to Knoxville, followed by 75 into Kentucky, you are talking about a 3 to 4 hour trip.

dirtmonster

http://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/!ut/p/c5/04_SB8K8xLLM9MSSzPy8xBz9CP0os3gDfxMDT8MwRydLA1cj72BTn0AjAwgAykeaxcN4jhYG_h4eYX5hPgYwefy6w0H24dcPNgEHcDTQ9_PIz03VL8iNMMgycVQEADoWIdk!/dl3/d3/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS9ZQnZ3LzZfME80MEkxVkFCOTBFMktTNUJIMjAwMDAwMDA!/?ss=110811&navid=110000000000000&pnavid=null&cid=FSE_003741&recid=48114&ttype=recarea&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&position=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&pname=National+Forests+in+North+Carolina+-+Pisgah+National+Forest is very close to Asheville and has a lot of primitive campsites - I usually favor the ones around http://www.ncmountaintreasures.org/balsam-mountains-conservation-area/daniel-ridge/ That's not camping directly next to your car, though - it's about a quarter to a half mile in. If you want specific directions, memail me. You might also want to check out http://www.hotspringsnc.org/, which has a really http://www.nchotsprings.com/ right downtown by the river and another nice one up the mountain a bit near Max Patch - unfortunately I can't find any info on that one; I stayed there years ago.

mygothlaundry

reverend cuttle

http://www.metafilter.com/user/25633, 25E is a pretty good road from Corbin down into Tennessee. Not quite an Interstate, but decent.

dilettante

Related Q & A:

Just Added Q & A:

Find solution

For every problem there is a solution! Proved by Solucija.

  • Got an issue and looking for advice?

  • Ask Solucija to search every corner of the Web for help.

  • Get workable solutions and helpful tips in a moment.

Just ask Solucija about an issue you face and immediately get a list of ready solutions, answers and tips from other Internet users. We always provide the most suitable and complete answer to your question at the top, along with a few good alternatives below.