Resupply Info for NOC?

[Footslogger]

Once at Fontana, you can eat very well at the Lodge and get something from their general store, although it isn't the best resupply either.

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If you stay at the Hike Inn when you hit Fontana, the owners will drive you into Robbinsville where you have access to a full size grocery store and a wide selection of restaurants. That doesn't affect what you do coming out of NOC but I thought I'd throw that in.

'Slogger
AT 2003

[Jack Tarlin]

Quick note re. NOC:

In most places on the Trail that hold hiker mail, the letters and parcels are reasonably "secure", i.e. they're in a separate room, behind a counter, in a place that only employees have access to, etc.

At the NOC, maildrops are on the second floor, or the back stairway, and while they are piled neatly and arranged reasonably alphabetically, they are available to anyone, i.e. people sort thru the boxes and pick up their own mail.

This obviously increases the chance of a piece of mail getting lost or stolen. For this reason, while I don't discourage folks from sending mail here, this is probably NOT the best place to send such items as ATM cards, cash, important medications, new eyeglasses, etc. Instead, I'd send these to Hiawassee, Franklin, or Fontana Dam.

It's great that the NOC holds hiker mail, but this is NOT the best place to send something you'd have a problem replacing.

And while the re-supply shopping options here are somewhat limited, keep in mind that you're only 27 miles from Fontana Dam, so you won't need much. And if you are considering a maildrop here, send only what you need to get to Fontana....there's a monster climb coming out of the NOC and you really don't wanna do that with the adition of a 20-pound maildrop.

In short, plan on light re-supply here at the NOC or send a small parcel with a few days of supplies. Your main food drop in these parts should be sent to Fontana Dam, where the camp store has unreliable hours, limited goods, and is over-priced, and may have their shelves stripped by the time you get there.

[Brushy Sage]

Asheville Citizen-Times reports that NOC already has about fifty boxes awaiting hikers, with the number expected to increase now that springtime is here:

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pb...03/1014/NEWS02

[Stoker53]

If NOC is slim on hiker food when you arrive there you can hike E on the highway for ~3/4 mile to a fairly good sized store. Store has a pretty good supply of camping food, regular food as well as fresh fruit....nothing like a good crisp apple. You can stock up on NASCAR stuff too.

[Ramble~On]

I live not far from NOC.
They've moved their backpacking stuff downstairs into a corner and no longer have nearly what they used to.
I'd send a maildrop to NOC if you don't plan on spending much time in the area.
They are expensive and unless they "gear up" for thru hikers they don't have a great selection.
Small maildrop and eat at the restaurants or spend $$$ for what they have.
West is Robbinsville..East is Bryson City both are good for long term resupply.
Both are a long hitch and would eat up a day.

[grrickar]

I sectioned hiked to the NOC last year and they were pretty lean on food. They do have a decent selection of gear; most of that being centered around kayaking.

As others have stated, they do have PowerBars, ice cream, sodas and juices, and candy. I saw a few dehydrated meals there too, but everythng was expensive.

They have a showerhouse and laundry room. The laundry is a coin-op and the showerhouse is for paying customers so I had to pay about $5 or maybe $7 to use the showers, which are at their 'base camp', which is a short walk from the NOC.

The restaurant there is good, and in the spring and summer month while there are boaters on the river you have an excellent opportunity to hitch someplace that might have a better resupply.

[neo]

you are not that far from bryson nc,i would hitchike there,its easy to thumbneo