Cherokee National Forest Rock Creek Campgrounds

I started out coming here with my grandparents in 1978 every summer spending 2 to 4 weeks during the summer up here. Back then it was was all primitive camp sites with no electricity or water hook ups. There were 3 loops with campsites A,B,& C loops each loop had a women's & a men's bathroom with a mtn creek water spigot for all our water needs. There are no street lights anywhere in the park so being in a forest on a mtn it's so dark you won't be able to see your hand in front of your face but now A loop are the only campsites with water & electrical hookups. They have 1 bathhouse at the front gate where you drop your camping fees & up there is a huge natural mtn stream feed pool with a concrete bottom & yes the water is ice cold straight out of the stream with even trout swimming in the pool. They use to have a life guard but I don't think they do anymore. As enter the front side of the park at the main gate there many and plenty of picnic tables all over for the day timers and there are many trails winding around through out the park. But a must see & do is the 1.5 mile hike to the falls, the strenuous level I would say only moderate since it's up hill going to & down hill coming back and the path is frequently used which keeps the path pretty clear. Or for the more adventurous and skilled & seasoned hikers there is rattlesnake trail which is a 5 to 7 mile hike up hill all the way to the top of the mtn to the look out where you can see the town of Erwin in the valley below & another mile away is they call the beauty spot which a huge open grassy knoll about the size of 2 football fields on the top of the mtn with a portion of the famous Appalachian trail winding through some it. So if you truly enjoy peace & solitude & the quiet and small sleepy mtn town that's the place to be & the only place for me.