Camping Anyone (or any neat outdoor things to do)? (Charlotte: motel, living in)
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Location: Charlotte,NC, US, North America, Earth, Alpha Quadrant,Milky Way Galaxy
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Hello to all the great people of this forum!
Being that I'm a newbie to NC (we are moving to South of Charlotte in August, Waxhaw to be precise), I have this unbeleivable urge to go camping. I've got the "pull" to explore the mountains (or at least drive next to them LOL), may be take a bike trail or two. I am not an outdoorsmen so I won't pretend to know what I'm doing. But I could survive a day or two without food-I've got an extra pound or two of reserve LOL.
Can anyone make any recommendations for a newbie? Something within a 1-3 hour drive of Charlotte?
Well, you've got an easy drive to the mountains of Western NC with various destinations such as the Pisgah National Forest, Blue Ridge Parkway, Mount Mitchell State Park, Hickory Nut Gorge, Linville Gorge and the Appalachian Trail just to name a few. North Carolina is loaded with great places for camping and hiking in all three regions. You can pick up guide books and brochures at outdoor sporting & camping stores and tourists type places such as motel lobbies.
Being that I'm a newbie to NC (we are moving to South of Charlotte in August, Waxhaw to be precise), I have this unbeleivable urge to go camping. I've got the "pull" to explore the mountains (or at least drive next to them LOL), may be take a bike trail or two. I am not an outdoorsmen so I won't pretend to know what I'm doing. But I could survive a day or two without food-I've got an extra pound or two of reserve LOL.
Can anyone make any recommendations for a newbie? Something within a 1-3 hour drive of Charlotte?
Thank You!
Mike
There will be plenty for you to explore...and much to do that you will not even have to travel an hour to get to. One magzine that I would highly recommend to anyone moving or living in NC or even to SC is called: "OUR STATE".
Another excellent monthly magazine is "Blue Ridge Country." Very nice articles and photographs describing things to do and places to see in the Southern Appalachian Region from Maryland to Alabama including the mountains of Western North Carolina.
The only time I ever went camping in NC was in Grandfather mountain and it was beautiful. We went in May when everything had just turned green and all the animals were out. Lots of beautiful natural streems and little rivers. The place looks like it has been spared and untouched by humanity. And that wasn't even in the Smokey Mountains national park (which I'm not sure if you can actually camp in)
Hey Mike we just found some wonderful ideas on Asheville.com ourselves for our trip in 2 weeks. We found some great white water rafting adventures for us and the kids as well as some fun looking natural rock water slides, swimming holes etc. Dh won't have his Mt Bike with him this time around much to his disdain because it looks like there are plenty of places to explore using that mode of transportation. We can't wait to get there! Have fun!
And that wasn't even in the Smokey Mountains national park (which I'm not sure if you can actually camp in)
Yup, you can camp there
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/pphtml/camping.html (broken link)
[please make note of the ban on firewood. one thing newcomers need to learn is the sad state of the mountains. they might look purty, but the general health of the forestry has been a concern. pollution and die-outs caused by invasive insects has increased over the years.]
One thing that seems to go unnoticed, but is actually kind of awesome, is the hawk migration that can be viewed in late summer-early fall along the Blue Ridge Parkway. we happened upon one of the hawk counts last year and enjoyed watching the birds of prey swoop by
The only time I ever went camping in NC was in Grandfather mountain and it was beautiful. We went in May when everything had just turned green and all the animals were out. Lots of beautiful natural streems and little rivers. The place looks like it has been spared and untouched by humanity. And that wasn't even in the Smokey Mountains national park (which I'm not sure if you can actually camp in)
Grandfather Mountain like Chimney Rock Park are both privately owned. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway are at the mercy of Congress for funding.
Yup, you can camp there
http://www.nps.gov/grsm/pphtml/camping.html (broken link)
[please make note of the ban on firewood. one thing newcomers need to learn is the sad state of the mountains. they might look purty, but the general health of the forestry has been a concern. pollution and die-outs caused by invasive insects has increased over the years.]
One thing that seems to go unnoticed, but is actually kind of awesome, is the hawk migration that can be viewed in late summer-early fall along the Blue Ridge Parkway. we happened upon one of the hawk counts last year and enjoyed watching the birds of prey swoop by
The Monarch Butterfly mass migration through Western North Carolina in September and October to Mexico is pretty cool too. It's interesting that they spend Winter in the same area of Mexico even though none of them have ever been there before. When they leave the Northeast, how do they know where to go for thousands of miles? GPS?
Last edited by mm34b; 06-06-2006 at 12:00 AM..
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