Am I naive to think we can reserve something in the park for late Sept-Oct timeframe? We'd like to camp next to running water or a lake and do day hikes from there. Would be fine inside the park or out, actually. Thanks for any suggestions.
Am I naive to think we can reserve something in the park for late Sept-Oct timeframe? We'd like to camp next to running water or a lake and do day hikes from there. Would be fine inside the park or out, actually. Thanks for any suggestions.
The only lake is Fontana on the southwestern border of the park. There are plenty of trails in that area, and of course there are creeks all over the park with trails nearby. You could also set up in a campground and do your dayhikes from there. Smokemont Campground is easy to get to, has a nice creek, and puts you in reasonable proximity to both Cherokee and Newfound Gap.
If you're looking for backcountry camping, maybe check for open campsites on their website. Depends on the size of your group...
Almost all of the frontcountry campgrounds in the Smokies (elkmont, Smokemont, Big Creek, Deep Creek, Cataloochee, Abrams Creek) are along or near a river or large stream. Late September and early October are typically slower times on the Smokies after the summer crowds and before the leaf peepers show up. Plus, most of the campgrounds that have been closed are opening back up this week, so if you jump on it, you can probably get a decent site for the timeframe you want. I just made a reservation at one of those campgrounds yesterday and it was maybe a little more than half full on the days I wanted.
You can pull up the trail maps at the national park website to see what trails could be accessed from the different campgrounds. My favorite section of the park is the area near Bryson City. I love the trails in that area. Deep Creek campground could provide a camping location. There is a network of trails you can access from Deep Creek. If you drive a little ways from the campground to the Road to Nowhere, there are other good nearby trails. I expect most GSMNP campgrounds would offer good hiking options.
Additional front county campgrounds are going to open up on September 3.
There is also Atagah Lake, the hidden lake of the Cherokee.Quote:
Originally Posted by illabelle
are you looking for frontcountry camping or backcountry camping?
and to be honest, unless you pick a real popular spot-----there really shouldnt be any problems reserving a campsite (backcountry)...
you might need to have a couple of options in case one site is full and you need to get a different site..
but would settle for frontcountry. We are likely to be four adult males and two kids.
Quote:
Originally Posted by The Counselor
you will have no problems getting a BC site in that time frame just as long as you don't pick a popular campsite....
plan a route.............then plan a backup route....
and then one more just for good measure.....
Thanks, all. Got lucky and got a site at Cataloochee Oct 23/24. We will day hike out from there. Looking forward to it.
You will love Cataloochee and October is the best time to be there. The elk will be in rut and they will be bugling all over those fields! Enjoy!