Is Appalachia calling your name? Check it out!
Welcome to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a popular destination for tourists between the states of North Carolina and Tennessee. The Great Smoky Mountains are so aptly named after the natives saw the immense amount of smoke-like fog coming from the mountain range, and the name stuck. Many communities had settled with what are today's boundaries, resulting in controversial land purchases around the time of the Great Depression to create the park. Today, visitors are able to drive, hike, and camp within the park as weather permits.
The Great Smoky Mountains, although being a national park, does not honor the National Parks pass used in several other locations across the country. Similar to Mount Rushmore, it is dependent upon parking fees to fund the location while allowing visitors to drive through at no additional cost to them. One can enter along US Highway 441 from either Cherokee, North Carolina to the south, or Gatlinburg, Tennessee to the north. The Newfound Gap at nearly a mile high in elevation serves as the midpoint of the highway through the park, as well as the border between the two states. Stop to experience the wonderful views of the Great Smoky Mountains. While along the route, perhaps make a stop to view the elk from a distance. When at the southern end, you can also find the southern terminus of the Blue Ridge Parkway.
One of the features of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the BARK Ranger program, where your pup can become a sworn ambassador of the park. Completing this program is fairly simple, as you'll do a sort of scavenger hunt along one of the two pet-friendly trails near the visitors' centers of the park. Take a number of pictures of your dog along the way, and submit to the ranger on duty. They will help your dog to take the oath of BARK (Bagging waste, Always leashing, Respecting wildlife, and Knowing where to go), and receive a certificate with his or her paw print. As of the writing of this, Miles the Chug Terrier has become an official BARK Ranger at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We are proud of his accomplishment.
So the next time your Internal Compass takes you to the southern Appalachians, be sure to visit Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
For some, whether with or without the home along for the ride, the journey itself is the most gratifying part of a road trip. Sure, the destination can be a focal point, but why miss what you could otherwise see along the way? Enter one of the most famous drives in the country.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is an over 450-mile scenic drive through the Appalachian Mountains. Spanning through West Central Virginia and Western North Carolina, this road is maintained by the National Park Service, yet remains one of the properties that does not charge a fee to travel. Those towing a rig are permitted to travel this parkway, although caution is advised along this windy road with breathtaking views. If you wish to travel the entire length, give yourself a couple days to really soak it all in.
Those starting from the northeast can hop off Interstate 64 around Waynesboro, just a bit west of Charlottesville, and past the southern edge of Shenandoah National Park. Start heading south, and once you get used to the tight curves and lack of significant guard rails, a number of overlooks allow for views of incredible valleys and expansive wilderness. It's an easy going road, so take your time and soak it all in. If a break is ever needed from the parkway, the road visits the outside of Roanoke, or you could hop off just a little before that onto the US 501 and visit Lynchburg, the home of Liberty University. Campgrounds such as Otter Creek and Rocky Knob are found along the parkway in Virginia.
Mile marker 217 is reached, just past the Chestnut Creek Bridges, and a welcome to the Tar Heel State of North Carolina. Continue along the parkway seeing the peaks of Fodder Stack, Meditation Mountain, and Tomkins Knob. The campgrounds of Doughton Park, Julian Price, and Linville Falls will give you a chance to take a rest in North Carolina. A bit further down the way, make a stop in Asheville, made famous by the author Thomas Wolfe. Those continuing to travel to the southwestern end will eventually make it just outside Cherokee and US 441, at the border of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
If your internal compass tells you to be literally on the road, never fear in following it. The Blue Ridge Parkway may just be one of the options for you.
Our first trip found us staying at the Hidden Haven RV Park in Pine Level NC, situated on US Route 70 just outside Smithfield. Since we're new RVers, why not stay at a brand new campground? Reviewing Hidden Haven at this point is a bit difficult; not necessarily because of our level of RV experience, but because the park is so new (and being constructed while we stay) that we have to factor in potential for what this place could be. However, we'll give it a go.
First, the grounds itself. The park is presently accessible on one side of a divided highway requiring a U-turn when arriving from the interstate, or through a co-owned trailer park with several relatively high speed bumps that would do a number to a rig's suspension or underside amenities. Potential points are given as the beginnings of road clearing can be seen from the business route exit off the highway. In addition, the "main roads" within the grounds are not clearly marked to help someone around without potentially pulling through an unoccupied site, or what could be interpreted as a "main road" but is blocked by equipment. The new entrance would potentially change this layout, so we recommend keeping it in mind for then. A greenbelt surrounds the grounds, which greatly helps quell noise coming from both the highway and the trailer park.
Second, the sites. Numerous pull-through and an assortment of back-in sites are available (160 in total when this was written; no tent sites), with numbering on one side of the control box and a system that could prove confusing to a driver who didn't receive a map at the entrance without signs at "street" entrances. The sites are level yet unpaved with loose stone similar to the "streets" and "roads" in the park, and a level mixture of grass and sand for other things. Pull-through sites have limited shade, especially with the connections being on what looks to be the north side of the rig in the presently developed area, but there are potential points given for a tree being planted at many of the sites, and plenty of room remaining to place a trailer's awning. Electric and sewer hook-up was easy, with the water faucets having a very short spigot that proved difficult for some standard hoses and connectors to be attached.
Third, the staff. Anyone who has heard of, yet rarely experienced, "southern charm" will find it at Hidden Haven. The staff was friendly, courteous, and accommodating, with visible smiles on their faces that one would expect when visiting any sort of establishment. This is not only limited to the family of owners; it extends to the cleaning staff and maintenance crew. The one recommendation I would make is to try to have a night/weekend/holiday host on the grounds, whether permanent staff or a work-camping couple receiving a site, to help with check in/out, quick fixes such as toilet paper running out or internet going completely down for a couple days, and peace keeping if necessary.
Fourth, the amenities. Because it's a new park, these are very limited when we stayed. With 160 sites, there is one code-locked bath house with three toilet and three shower stalls, one of each ADA accessible, for each sex. The house could use some motion detectors by the showers, as the automatic lights could go off on you during a long shower, and it's difficult to figure out how to get back to the other side to turn them back on. There is also one pavilion with a patio fire table and a couple of patio chairs. A farm exists in the back. No fire pits were seen. The owner had mentioned a fishing pond, dog park, and pool would be constructed to add to the potential for amenities. Wireless repeaters exist at about every utility pole to help with internet service, although it is fully open and unencrypted, with peak usages as one would expect campground internet to be.
Finally, the atmosphere. Hidden Haven is, for the most part, a quiet, safe, and well lit park. They are also friendly towards all dogs that stay with their human owners. Occasionally a boisterous family will stay, but everyone is very respectful of the surroundings. A municipal deputy was seen patrolling the grounds on one night, speaking to the commitment of the local constabulary. Not very many sites were occupied, which was surprising for a holiday weekend, but potentially owing to the fact that the park is very new and still under construction, as we only heard about the park from some locals. We were very happy to be able to check-in at an early time, given the proximity from our "night dock" point to the grounds, and the owners were willing to allow us to choose a more suitable site given the present state of the grounds. There are the obvious marks for construction happening while we're here, but given the cost of building anything like this, it's completely understandable to want to generate income, and we're happy to help them out.
Overall, we would give Hidden Haven RV Park about a 6 rating out of a possible 10 at the time the article is written. However, this place has every potential to receive a 9 or even a 10 rating once everything has been completed. We would definitely look forward to returning to see how the park has improved, should our travels bring us back to this location. We would also recommend this park to anyone who is looking to bring the RV to this part of North Carolina. All you have to do is follow your internal compass.
We're here on the first trip of our RV adventure, in beautiful Johnston County of North Carolina. When many people visit this state, they're likely to go to the Outer Banks along the coastline, the Research Triangle of Raleigh-Durham, the Blue Ridge Parkway, or even Charlotte. However, there are some hidden charms here that you may find interesting.
Situated along Interstate 95, Johnston County is home to the cities of Benson, Clayton, Selma, and Smithfield. This is the same Smithfield that serves a brand for America's favorite pork, ham, and food products. North Carolina is historically famous for its tobacco crop, with several major brands of tobacco products bearing the names of cities in the state. If you head over to Kenly, you could visit the Tobacco Farm Life Museum, which pays tribute to not only tobacco, but farm life in the southeastern part of the country. Johnston County was also the birthplace of the famous mid-20th century film actress Ava Gardner, nominated for several film awards and once wife to Mickey Rooney and Frank Sinatra. Ms. Gardner lays alongside her family in Smithfield, and a museum in town pays tribute to her life and accomplishments.
If American history is your cup of tea, you could head down to the southern part of the county, to the town of Bentonville. This was the grounds for North Carolina's largest battle during the waning days of the American Civil War. As General Sherman marched north to meet up with General Grant after his famous "March to the Sea", it was in this town in March of 1865 where he attempted to merge with the forces of Generals Slocum, Howard, and Mower, in the process facing Generals Johnston, Bragg, Morgan, and Hardee in a three-day battle. The battlefield is able to be visited in a driving tour which takes you around the grounds, supplemented by additional information and testimonials of what happened during those days.
Next time you head through North Carolina, consider making a stop in Johnston County. Let us know some of your favorite places if you've been here before, and remember, as always, to follow your internal compass.
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