Nantahala Outdoor Center - Wesser, NC

[Peak2Peak]

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]

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]

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 neo

[timhines]

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]

Forget the motel rooms at NOC, they cost about $80 and aren't worth $20. Either stealth camp or hit the bunkhouse.

[aaronthebugbuffet]

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]

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]

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]

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 neo

[Nokia]

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]

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]

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]

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]

I've looked for the sign several times to Natahala Inn but have never seen it. Do they have HBO?

[prozac]

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. And the Liz's are the kewlist.

[digger51]

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]

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]

the first time i saw a hennessey hammock was at the outfitter at noc. neo

[sloopjonboswell]

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]

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.