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View Full Version : Nantahala Outdoor Center - Wesser, NC



Peak2Peak
02-10-2006, 12:34
The Thru Hiker's Handbook lists several lodging options, including motel rooms at NOC, as well as Wesser Cottages and Camp Town Cabins down the road a mile or so. Anyone have any good or bad experiences with any of these three options? Am looking at September '06 to stay over for re-supply on section hike. Thanks.

The Solemates
02-10-2006, 13:06
The Thru Hiker's Handbook lists several lodging options, including motel rooms at NOC, as well as Wesser Cottages and Camp Town Cabins down the road a mile or so. Anyone have any good or bad experiences with any of these three options? Am looking at September '06 to stay over for re-supply on section hike. Thanks.

if you really want a stay, stay at the bunkhouses for $15, right on campus. but if it were me, i would camp it nearby (plenty of spots), use the shower, get a meal, pick up supplies, and be off.

neo
02-10-2006, 16:14
if you really want a stay, stay at the bunkhouses for $15, right on campus. but if it were me, i would camp it nearby (plenty of spots), use the shower, get a meal, pick up supplies, and be off.

i would stelth camp in my hammock:cool: neo

timhines
02-10-2006, 21:17
The Solemates are right, so is neo. Heck, for $10 you can camp in my yard (if you mow the grass). There is shuttle service in the area too. You can call on Tiamalle (sp?), or even just ask someone in the Outfitter's store. They can usually hook you up with a coworker that is happy to haul you around.

There is also a campground about .5 miles from the NOC up Silvermine Rd. They have showers.

EDIT:
Campground name is "Lost Mine Campground." The owner, Ann, is super nice.

digger51
02-11-2006, 02:41
Forget the motel rooms at NOC, they cost about $80 and aren't worth $20. Either stealth camp or hit the bunkhouse.

aaronthebugbuffet
02-11-2006, 03:13
get a mail drop at noc grab a meal and get up to the bald to see the Smoky Mtns with the sun setting.

TACKLE
02-11-2006, 06:24
Stayed at the bunkhouse the first night.I thought it was a good deal.The second night the bunks were full so I had to spring for a motel room(60.00),could'nt find anyone to split it with.Beautiful brand new rooms,5 HBO channels,microwave,and a clean tub to take a luxurious bath in.Well worth it,especially if you split it. Get a rubber ducky boat and float the river with your own boat and wetsuit for $36.00.This was one of the highlights of my hike.Great float,it has one classIII rapid,but you can easily portage around if your not comfortable.

ALOHA,

TACKLE

PartnerShip
02-11-2006, 14:15
We stayed in one of the bunkhouses for the SORUCK in January and it was fine. They were warm as you controlled your own heat .Had use of the Kitchen and showers in the community building. There are also washer/dryers in the building. For the price it was great. I will definately consider it on our hike when we go thru the area.

neo
02-11-2006, 15:57
when i was at noc in 2001 i stayed at the rufuss morgan shelter less than a mile away,next time i will hang in my hammock,i did not get hammock till 2002:cool: neo

Nokia
02-12-2006, 01:20
If you go down the tracks a little ways there are some really nice camp spots by the river. Really enjoyed it. Got a shower, drank a few beers while we watched a movie and then camped for free.

Brock
02-27-2006, 16:22
I really enjoyed my nero at the NOC so much that I decided to zero the next day and do some rafting. Well, the next day the weather sucked and I didn't feel like rafting. But, this place seemed like a hot spot for hikers and I met a lot of cool people, drank a lot of beer and hung out for 1.5 days in a really nice atmosphere.
This was one of my better town stops and met some people that I hiked with for the rest of my trip.
Good memories of the NOC for me, just watch out for the 2 Liz girls and the guy named Froggy. They love to play some good bluegrass at night, including some covers of WSP and Snoop Dogg.

Sly
02-27-2006, 16:45
The second night the bunks were full so I had to spring for a motel room(60.00),could'nt find anyone to split it with.Beautiful brand new rooms,5 HBO channels,microwave,and a clean tub to take a luxurious bath in.

Where was that? As far as I know the NOC "motel" rooms don't have cable or satellite TV

D'Artagnan
02-27-2006, 17:44
I've stayed a couple times at the Nantahala Inn. It's operated by the folks at NOC but it's up the road about half a mile or so. Recently remodeled. Nice wood paneling with a nice long front porch replete with rocking chairs. Nice rooms for what I considered to be a reasonable price. The NOC is one of my favorite areas and a great jumping-off point for a lot of great weekend activities. (Plus, the folks are just soooo damn nice!)

Sly
02-27-2006, 17:51
I've looked for the sign several times to Natahala Inn but have never seen it. Do they have HBO? :)

prozac
02-27-2006, 18:55
Loved the NOC. The only cable TV I saw was upstairs in the common room but who cares. Instead of of taking a zero or nero you can take a shuttle north and slackpack back to NOC. Next day shuttle back up north and continue on. Only works if you have a semi large group to split costs. There was a card on the outfitter wall advertising for a dog shuttler and I think she charged 6 of us 7$ each way. Advantage is you skip a nice climb out of Wesser and you get to spend one more night pigging out and listening to some good music. Ask the shuttle lady to tell you her bear story. :eek: And the Liz's are the kewlist.

digger51
02-27-2006, 20:22
I never saw tv in the rooms, but even that would not make it worth the cost. Stealth and enjoy your walk. If you do want to stay in the motel be sure to make reservations well in advance. That should be a very busy time there.

Spiritual Pillgrim
03-13-2006, 14:12
Got a great off season rate on a beautiful cabin split 4 ways (for me it was $22). No TV or internet but all the other comforts of home were available. Even saw wildfire from the deck, a fox slinking around in the woods. that's more than i've seen on the trail. Recommend checking cabin rates if you have a small party to split the bill.

neo
03-13-2006, 14:16
the first time i saw a hennessey hammock was at the outfitter at noc.:cool: neo

sloopjonboswell
03-14-2007, 18:54
noc got their liquor license last fall, stealth camping downriver left should be good, the lizess, yep. live music every saturday at relia's in the common room, dont miss it if your there. the restaurants serve a larger selection of beer and wine than the outfitter, i think. get the cherry pork from chef will up the hill, mmm.

flemdawg1
06-12-2013, 18:08
Looks like its been awhile since anyone reviewed the NOC. I was there last weekend. I arrived at 3ish in the afternoon, walked straight into the General Store and nnounced to the man at the counter "I need a beer, a bath, laundry and a bed. In that order." The bunkhouse was $20 and included a towel.I bought a largish english Ale ($6) from the general store and walked to the North end of the campus where my room was. Sipping my beer. I showered, and walked back to the General Store with my laundry. I bought laundry detergent ($0.50) and got change for the laundry machines ($2.75). As I was waiting for my clothes, I ate a pint of Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and drank a liter/quart of powerade ($9). After the laundry was finished, I bought a 6er of Ninja Porters($10) then had fish tacos ( blackened fish overwhelmed the dish, don't reccomend it) at the Rivers End ($19). It then started to rain so I went to my room and read while drinking my other beers. The next morning I returned to the River End and had breakfast of eggs and french Toast with coffee($16 and it was good).

Grand Total $77.25

NOC must stand for Never Outta Cash. Noone put a gun to my head to spend like that, but boy it really adds up, especially considering I only did some town chores (shower, laundry, eating out) and didn't pay for any entertainment (rafting, etc.) or resupply.

Chris10
06-12-2013, 22:00
Thanks for the update! Doing a Springer to NOC section hike, in less than two weeks. Do they take reservations for the bunk house, and if so, I wonder if it would even be necessary?

flemdawg1
06-13-2013, 10:19
Yes they take reservations, and may be neccessary if a large group is booked for the weekend. However there are 2 other hostels in the vicinity, so I wouldn't bother, just call one of the other 2:

Bear's Choice http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/content.php?576-dancingbearsagain-yahoo-com
AquaOne http://www.aquonelogcabinrentals.com/AT.html

Kerosene
06-13-2013, 10:53
They have an amazing selection of high-quality beers at the General Store. One of my favorite afternoons of that hike was drinking a few Stone IPAs sitting next to the river in the warm sun. Heaven! (Of course, I ended up staying overnight instead of continuing north.)