We had been to this state park a couple of times before, but not to camp. The view from the visitor center goes on for a while and is absolutely beautiful. There are plenty of trails to hike, and a waterfall as well. Which, as luck would have it, was not all that far from our campsite. The campsite was a good size, level and had a fire ring and picnic table. The bathhouse was decent. Ice and wood was available at the visitor center. If you check in after 5, the camp host might have some available for purchase. The host was very helpful and greeted us as we came in, and helped us get settled in. It was a very enjoyable stay with nice sites, people, and lots of nature to enjoy.
Campground Review
This is a family run campground. All the employees we encountered were super nice and accommodating. They have a gas station, convenience store, grill and car wash all right close by the office. There is free BINGO on Friday nights with some nice prizes. The bathrooms were nice, clean and cool and the individual shower setup with locking doors was nice. We had some outlet issues, and the traffic on the nearby road was constant. Between a hot pop up, light and noise pollution sleep was in short supply. The location was convenient to The Island and other attractions in and around Pigeon Forge. The on site lazy river was a great way to cool off and relax.
Product Review
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time. This time I got to try the Midland ER310 Emergency Crank Radio E+Ready. I love this radio! It is light, rechargeable, can be used as a charging station, has a flashlight, and picks up great. It is an emergency crank radio, and can be solar charged, so it is useful and purposeful. We enjoyed listening to music at the lazy river and at the campsite to help plan outdoor activities accordingly. You can check them out at www.midlandusa.com
CAMPGROUND REVIEW
As I was walking around the campground the word roughstic came to mInd. The road in was rough, the campsite was nice enough but somewhat minimal and the decor rustic. We had one outlet and water, a picnic table and a firepit. After setting up around 8 pm we cooled off by the fire. Our ac has its own plug, and there was nowhere to plug it in. We were in the section with tents and other pop ups. The bathhouse was clean and the hot water was hot. A short walk from site 34 are playgrounds, a beach/pond, swings, horseshoes. Speaking of horseshoes, horseback riding is available at this facility. They also have hay rides for a small fee. The staff is very friendly , and the office is nice. There is a game room with a tv, pool table, puzzles, games and books. Right behind the game room and office is a porch with rocking chairs. We got ice cream bars for $1 each and ate those in the rocking chairs overlooking the pond. Fishing and swimming is allowed here. This is a good place to sort of step back in time and relax and unplug/unwind.
PRODUCT REVIEW
As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time, and on this trip I got to try Nature‘s Coffee Kettle. I enjoy camping and coffee so I was excited to be able to try this out. There are instructions on the back of the kettle which are easy enough to follow. I can be somewhat of a coffee snob. If bolder coffee is your preference they suggest running the coffee back through a second time. I tried it with just one run through just to see how it was. It was good enough for a cup of coffee in partial woods. I really like the compact size, ease of use, and the fact that the kettle is reusable. I look forward to using it again and trying a different flavor. You can check them out at:
Campground Review
This is a nice state park with zip lining, gps scavenger hunt, archery, canoeing, campfires, music and walking trail. Being geocachers, we did the gps scavenger hunt. The coordinates were a little off and probably due to user error, the gps didn’t seem to keep the entered coordinates. Nonetheless, we found them all and got a decent prize at the end. Plus plenty of steps. We signed up for canoeing under the stars, which turned out to be canoeing under the waxing gibbous moon. That was cool. We were there over a weekend and they had live music on Saturday night and a color changing campfire near the camping reservation center/store. The store had the necessities plus some cool stuff. I got some pretty stickers that are supposed to repel mosquitoes. Time will tell. Now, to the campsites. They seemed a little pricey at $51 a night. Our site had water and electric, which is good for a pop up. We were able to get near the comfort station a/k/a bathhouse so that was nice. The site also had a fire pit grill and picnic table. There was enough room and trees to hang a hammock, which we did, and that was nice. The campsites are decent and there is plenty to do in the park.
Gear Review
****As a Dyrt Ranger, I also get products to test and review in the field. This Ledlenser MT10 flashlight is super awesome! I had checked it out prior to camping and have loved it. It illuminates very well, and has several settings so you can see without blinding your neighbors or confusing the bats. It’s great for those middle of the night trips to the bathroom when camping. Check it out!
We had a relaxing time on this camping trip. So much so I even took a nap! The staff was super friendly and the campground was nice and clean. There is an outdoor pool with hot tub, and an indoor heated pool for adults. There is a fireplace with wood and lighter so you can start your own fire by rocking chairs. There are no fire rings at the campsites. If you need a fire to cook with and didn't bring your own there are a number of grills there that you can use. The wifi was free, but perhaps not secure. There is a workout room, a playground, a comfy clubhouse and activities for all ages. The roads are paved and easy to walk. There are waterfalls and an old covered bridge in nearby Sky Valley. I found it a good place to relax, but knew there were things to do if I got bored. It's very accommodating.
This state park campground is close to a waterfall, fishing, geocaching, and some local attractions. The sites were big enough but close together. The lady in the office was very pleasant. We enjoyed watching boaters, and ducks, and playing horseshoes and frisbee. It was good to see kids outside playing basketball. Kayaks were available for rent. There was a lot of activity going on and plenty of smiling faces and happy noise.
We spent three nights here while in town for GeoWoodstock. It was an ideal location since it was between downtown Asheville and Waynesville which is where we split our time. The staff was friendly. The drinks for sale at the office were super cold and the prices reasonable. They had the basics like drinks, stuff for s'mores, ice, firewood, etc. The pool seemes nice, but we didn't use it. There is a game room that houses some board games and puzzles, but no arcade games. It is open 24/7 so you can stay until you finish a puzzle. There is an outdoor room with a ladders game and a big Connect Four game. They also have a small playground kind of away from the campsites. There are hiking trails which we did not step foot on due to lack of time/laziness/other activities. The free wi-fi was spotty, but correcting that is on their list of upcoming projects. The bathrooms were clean and pretty decent. There are bathroom doors marked for men and for women, but they are in the same building with no other separation. This did not seem to be an issue. The shower doors had good locks on them. There is a "security guard" that rides around with his dog keeping an eye on things, and selling firewood, which was actually quite convenient. There is an outdoor sink on a cement platform with a roof that is convenient for rinsing dishes and such. It is a double sink with hot and cold water on the outside of the bathhouse. A feature I was pleased with was the recycling bins. They would also pick up your trash if you left it out in a tied up garbage bag which I thought was nice. Our site was near a trash bin so we did not partake of that service. Overall it is a decent place and should be even nicer as they work on marking things off their project list.
Campground Review:
We decided to stay here after some research. It was close to where we wanted to be and got us out of traffic quickly. As an added bonus it was also near a donut shop that we had a gift card for. It was convenient, clean and compact. The bathrooms, dumpster, laundry, arcade, pool and office were nearby. The bathrooms were clean and secure. The arcade was air conditioned and had a jukebox. While you might be able to hear some traffic noise, there was also pleasant birdsong noise. The sites were nice. Each one had a tree, cement pad, fire ring, picnic table, water, electric, sewer, cable and wifi. The lady in the office was nice as was everyone we walked by. I would stay here again.
Gear Review:
As a Dyrt Ranger, I also get products to test and review in the field. For this trip I had Lily Trotters athletic compression socks. They were fun colors and I didn't have to worry about shaving or tanning since these covered me from just below the knee. I wore them while walking around the campground and looking for a geocache. I also wore them to a nearby theme park. My legs felt tingly, but in a good way. I was afraid my legs might get hot, and they did get warm from time to time but overall they felt good. You should check them out at www.lilytrotters.com
We camped here during a geocaching event. The campsites were a good size and we found one near a bathroom which was great since we were in a tent. The bathrooms could use a little updating but other than that the place was very nice, including the staff. The sun rises were amazing and worth getting up for. There are lots of trails to explore as well as areas and attractions nearby.
We tent camped here for two nights. The park is very well maintained and there is lots to do. For a small fee you can play mini golf or rent a paddle boat or kayak for use in the private lake. There are two playgrounds, two basketball goals, a small baseball field, a pool, a shuffleboard court and a game room. A gazebo sits on the edge of the lake and a covered footbridge allows you to walk across the lake and maybe see some fish. Catch and release fishing is allowed. The mountains are beautiful and some spots have a good view of Brasstown Bald, the highest point in Georgia. It's a good place to unwind and be outside. The campground is well maintained and the owners are very nice.
We tent camped here for two nights. While our tent was a bit too big to fit on the pad, we made do and didn't even set it on fire. The bathrooms were very clean and since we were allowed to pick our site we found one near the bathroom. There were several trails and geocaches in the park, which helped us walk off some of the donuts we ate sitting around the campfire. This park also has a lake and playground for other outdoor activities if hiking and geocaching aren't your thing. The camp store has ice and firewood and some other things you might need/want. Perhaps we are just navigationally challenged, but finding the dumpster when we needed it was a feat. Of course we passed it while we were trying to find the perfect campsite, but had trouble locating it when we actually needed it. We were also glad that we called before our arrival since we needed a gate code. Overall, it was a good experience. There was a beautiful night sky.