Indian Creek Campground

Campground: Indian Creek

Overall: This is a very nice, small, quiet commercial campground way off of the beaten path. Very friendly folks, clean and well-kept with a mixture of site options. It is very shady and many sites are right along Bunch Creek, so with a Reservation Fishing permit you can fish from your backyard! I’d come back! 

Getting there: 9.5 miles out of Cherokee just a bit off Big Cove Road. Turn right on Bunch Creek Cove Road 

Check in and staff: Courteous and helpful. Just plain nice. 

Amenities: Good well stocked camp store, sites with water, power, both. Pretty creekside sites. Caveat: NO ATT service and Wi-Fi spotty and slow except when in pavilion. If connectivity is important(and it legitimately can be), this might not be the place for you. There is an outside double sink for doing dishes and cleaning fish. It was always clean and had extra dish soap, sponges, plastic grocery bags and trash can right nearby. 

Bathrooms: clean, well kept with lots of hot water! 

Site: Level gravel covered sites, some with more privacy than others. Fire pit and movable table provided. You can buy kiln dried wood for use—the store has it and delivers it to your site. It needs splitting so consider bringing an axe. Mosquitoes not much of a problem but there are no-see-ems that can be annoying after a rain but citronella candles(available at store) and bug spray did the trick.

Nearby: Town of Cherokee, Mingo Falls (a short 0.44 mile round trip hike up 161 stairs, then a relatively level trail to the base of a beautiful waterfall.  Upper trail closed.

Campground Review

We stayed in site #6, which is a premium creekside W/E site. The site was pretty large, level, and had unparalleled views and access to Bunches Creek. The stream is normally perfect for wading and fishing (stocked by the Cherokee tribe once per week), although it did become a little high and fast-moving after a few days of non-stop torrential rain. However, according to the staff on-site, you’re at a higher elevation and upstream enough where flash flooding isn’t an issue (which proved to be true for us). Whether it was gently babbling or angrily rushing, the creek provided a beautiful backdrop to our site, and we really enjoyed seeing, hearing, and playing in it. In terms of shade and privacy, while there were plenty of trees throughout the CG, the creekside sites were pretty tightly packed in, with very little (if any) privacy in between. Understandable, given the prime real estate of the creek. They did have other, more private and wooded sites further away from the water, but if we returned, I’d be willing to forgo some privacy to be on the creek again.

Bath house was a bit dated, but spotlessly clean. I was there a LOT during the week (mostly accompanying my toddler), and I feel like there was a staff member in there cleaning and/or restocking at least every other time we were there. Showers were nice and roomy, they had a dehumidifier going the whole time, and it always smelled fresh and clean. Nice pavilion next to the bath house with TV and Wifi. Laundry room was adequate, but smelled a bit like mildew. Camp store was very well-stocked but pricey, and the owners and all staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The only thing I felt was missing was a large dedicated dishwashing sink; that’s one of those things that makes my life so much easier when we camp, and I was pretty surprised they didn’t have one, since they had everything else so well-covered.

Overall, this was a great campground in a beautiful location, albeit a bit far from town (a good 20-minute drive). There are quite a few campgrounds in the area, but based on what we saw driving by, I would likely pick Indian Creek again. If they added a dishwashing station, it would be darn near perfect!

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - today I am testing the Gregory Maven 35 backpack. I’ll preface this review by admitting that I am an extremely novice hiker, and had never used a legit hiking backpack before. I had always carried cheap, regular backpacks or those nylon drawstring bags. In short, the difference in how my back felt after day hikes was incredible. I’ve never had back issues per se, or noticed that much pain or discomfort from using cheap packs, until I experienced the support and comfort that comes from using a true hiker’s backpack. I was worried it would feel too bulky, but the framing felt lighter than air, while still being sturdy and supportive. The chest and hip straps were easy to adjust, and felt very comfortable and secure. I loved the quick access to my phone and keys provided by the zip-up pockets on the hip belt. Speaking of pockets, the amount of storage provided by the Maven is incredibly impressive. While I admittedly didn’t use the pack for many of the traditional items carried by hikers (i.e., no tent, sleeping bag or other overnight supplies), I still found plenty to stuff in there! We were hiking with kids, so I was happily able to bring along an extensive supply of diapers, rain gear, snacks, water bottles, sun protection, rain gear, first aid items, and extra clothing layers for the notoriously unpredictable Smoky Mountain weather. I never would have been able to carry all of these essentials with a standard backpack. Access to all of the compartments was very quick and easy as well; no zippers getting caught like they do on cheaper backpacks, and I loved being able to access the largest compartment from the bottom and the top. I’m happy to report that, even after lugging all of the aforementioned junk around multiple trails in the Smokies, I barely felt the weight on my back and shoulders, and experienced no strain or soreness. The material is high-quality, attractive, and easy to clean, so the pack is back to looking brand-new after two weeks of use and abuse. I can’t wait to bring it on our next adventure!

Absolutely loved our campsite and this campground. The campsites were neat and were cared for very well. We chose a primitive site secluded from all other campers since we tend to be a bit noisy. This worked out perfectly since you couldn't hear anything but the rushing water in the gorgeous stream next to us. Our backyard was the mountain and our front yard a creek where we could fish sitting right by our picnic table and fire ring. The campground is clean and our hosts/owners were very friendly and helpful. It was fourth of July week and they provided a fireworks show and hot dogs and nachos for free. You can bring your tent, RV, or rent a cabin. There was plenty to do and near downtown Cherokee where there are all kinds of little shops, places to go hiking, tubing, kayaking, or white water rafting. There are also several falls that you can visit. We did it all! And if you are into history there is a theatrical drama recounting the history of the Cherokee people and the settlers moving in to this territory. Cherokee also has a casino and hotel for those of you wanting to try your luck. All in all this trip was fantastic and worth going back to.