Going to Smoky Mountains

[Blakers]

Hello all,



We're going from NW Pennsylvania to eastern Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains the week of Nov 10-17. Taking the travel trailer.



I've been down there several times years ago and have some friends in Gatlinburg, but I'm looking for ideas. Where to camp, etc.



Thanks,



Blake

 

[Midnight]

We were down there two years ago and camped in Townsend. Its just south of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. Nice and quiet but i'm sure it will be quiet then anyway. I can't remember the campground we stayed at , but there is something like four or five of them in a row. Have a good time, we just love it down there.

 

[Jim Smith]

Originally posted by Blakers

Hello all,



We're going from NW Pennsylvania to eastern Tennessee and the Smoky Mountains the week of Nov 10-17. Taking the travel trailer.



I've been down there several times years ago and have some friends in Gatlinburg, but I'm looking for ideas. Where to camp, etc.



Thanks,



Blake

Several years ago Jellystone and Outdoor Resorts were both nice. Jellystone, as I recall backed us up to a mountain stream , it was really nice. Call them to be sure. Outdoor resorts more steril a place , all paved roads,etc, but most enjoyable as well. Both of these are into town turn left at the first light , kind of a Y inthe road, several miles outside of town. Picturesqe area on the way. Jim.

 

[Casey Balvert]

Two of the NPS campgrounds are nice. Cade's Cove to the West of Gatlinburg and Smokemount to the south are both very nice places to camp. Of course it all depends on what amenities you are looking for. Cheers,



Casey

 

[Fireman]

Cade's Cove is nice, but it is dry camping. Townsend is only a short drive from Cade's Cove, we always stay at Tremont Campground in Townsend another nice park there is Little River Campground. If you visit Cade's Cove you want to arrive at sunrise when the loop road opens, or about 1 hr before sunset. That is when the wildlife is the most active + the cove is absolutley beautiful in the early morning fog.



Enjoy

Fireman

 

[Paul Somers]

We go to Smokies at least once a year and have been going for number of years. We always go to Pigeon Forge and stay at RiversEdge. It has cleanest bath houses you will see. I use bath house instead of camper. Too small. Only down side is they getting a little pricey. Where ever you stay; get on the trolley and stay on till you get all the way back to where you got on. Price 50 cents. You will loop through most all camp grounds and you can check them out.

 

[Blakers]

Thanks guys. I have visited the National Park site and they have information on their campgrounds. I wonder if the other ones around Townsend and Pigeon Forge have web sites? Any idea what I should expect to pay? Do you think any have water available in November? I could live without it, but it would be nice.



Thanks...



Blake

 

[MN Cummins Lvr]

Blake,



I second everything Paul Somers said... I have never seen such a clean shower building at a campground. The pool/hotub area is very nice also (obviously if warm enough). If I remember correctly, I think we paid about $35/night at Twin Creek and that was 2 years ago in early Sept. Here's the link:





http://www.twincreekrvresort.com/



Have a great vacation!



Paul

 

[MN Cummins Lvr]

Blake,



Sorry, I was confused. Paul Somers and I are talking about two different places I think. Hope the link I posted helps! P. M. me if you have any questions.



Paul

 

[Blakers]

Thanks guys. I checked out some of these online and will call them. I guess none of the National Park campgrounds have water or electric. I'd prefer to at least have electric. Would most of the water at the private campgrounds be turned off by November? Just not sure how cold it is there then.



Is there a good website that lists all the campgrounds in any given area?



Thanks,



Blake

 

[Paul Somers]

Blake, If you don't have a Trailer Life or Woodalls camp ground directory, you need to get one. They are worth the ~$13. 00. Camp grounds are listed by state and city.

Favorite camp grounds in Pigeon Forge:

RiversEdge

Creekside

Creekstone ( On Wear Valley road )

Claybough ( Also on Wear Valley )

There are many others but haven't stayed there.

RiversEdge and Creekside are right next to each other on a creek.

 

[Blakers]

Paul, where is the best place to pick one of these magazines up?



Thanks,

Blake

 

[RustyJC]

One more suggestion - we always camp at Crazy Horse, about 10 miles or so east of Gatlinburg. It's rustic, but rustic with full hookups!



Rusty

 

[Blakers]

Thanks Rusty... that one looks really good. I'm gonna call my friend down there in the morning and see if she has any friends with a campground. She has cabins for rent.



Blake

 

[tom sweeney]

camping

i've found "little river campground" in townsend to be very nice,and as stated earlier,this is the "quiet" side of the Smokeys.

... have fun... . wish i was going!!!!... . tom

 

[Paul Somers]

Directory

You can get the directory at Camping World, Camper's Choice, almost any rv store. Most book stores also have them( Books-a million or Waldens ).

Paul

 

[Blakers]

Well, after calling several campgrounds in the Gatlinburg area, we settled on Mountaineer Campground . Many that have web sites that say they're open year round, or at least until the end of November are really closed when you call them. This one sounds good and is $25 a day for full hookups.



So far, we're planning on going to Cades Cove, Gatlinburg, Dollywood, a steam railroad ride in North Carolina, and to Chapel Hollow - where the Christy book took place - to visit friends.



Thanks for everyone's help!Oo.



Blake

 

[Blakers]

Ok folks... here's a quick rundown on our trip:



We left home Sunday evening. Got a late start, but that might have been fate as there were several tornadoes in the area. They hit from Tennessee, up through Ohio, and then into Pennsylvania. I heard two were killed in Mercer, Pa. about the time we would have been going through there had we not been late and stopped in Edinboro to grab a bite to eat.



We did experience some really torrential rains along I-79 in southern Pa and into WV. Rained so hard that it came in around the front windows on the camper and got the table wet. In places the road was covered with leaves, making it very slippery.



After a quick night in Walmart (gasp!) in Clarksburg, we headed for Townsend, Tennessee to our destination -- the Mountaineer Campground. The day was nice and sunny until shortely before our arrival, whereupon it decided to pour like crazy, making setup uncomfortable.



All in all the campground was very nice. Situated along a beautiful river with rapids and whitewater, it had lots of nice big trees and plenty of shade. Full hookups, including cable (which we never had time to use). A small park with pleasant people. We did find however, that we could have stayed in a motel with jaccuzi and heated pool for the same price though as it was off-season. Ann could not have brought her cat with her though.



We visited Cades Cove in the National Park two times, splitting our time as it got dark the first visit. We enjoyed a wonderful ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad in Dillsboro, NC. Pulled by steam, this railroad provides a beautiful 8 hour ride through the Smokies - through small towns and along scenic rivers. On the return to the Tennessee side, we drove up to Clingman's Dome -- over 6600 feet -- the highest point in Tennessee. It was about 20 deg with about a zero wind chill with 1" ice all over the trees. Got some nice sun set pictures.



Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge are tourist-infested towns, but if visited during the week and off-season, they have a lot to offer. Shops and shows everywhere. I would highly recommend the Comedy Barn in Pigeon Forge, but the Ole Smoky Hoedown had a lot to be desired.



We visited friends in the area, including those from where the Christy book took place. Traveled many back roads - one of my favorite things to do - even if my wife would rather be on roads where two vehicles can actually pass each other without looking for a pull off. We didn't get to Dollywood because is was raining that day.



The truck performed great and handled the 24 foot travel trailer with no problem. Hardly knew it was there most of the time. I had no problem setting the cruise control to 65 or 70 in OD and maintaining speeds - even in the mountains in West Virginia, although there were a few times I had to either back off the throttle or take her out of OD to keep the EGTs down below 1200. Not bad though in my opinion at those speeds -- (what do you guys think?)



We got about 12 mpg at 70 mph including the mountains.



Had a wonderful trip.



Blake

 

[JTBMC]

Blakers,

Try to make it to the Dixie Stampede, there Thanksgiving show is awesome, also the Comedy Barn and the Black Bear comedy club.

We stayed at the Little Pondarosa in Pigeon Forge 25 Bucks a night with full hook ups and they allow Horses offer horse back trips fishing and gem hunting, a real nice place run by very nice folks. The are close to all attractions and only 5 miles from Gatlinberg.

Their web site is ( www.lilponderosa.com ) located at 909 little Cove Rd. in Pigeon Forge just turn right at the last red light in Pigeon Forge at the Cheveron station follow the winding road about 1. 5 miles and there you are

TJ