7/30/14

Mt Pisgah on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Mt Pisgah tower

view from the campground

After spending eight glorious days and nights at this idyllic mountain retreat, we returned home jumping back into home updating projects.  The bath is mostly done and it’s time to take a break before returning to kitchen painting.

Waking at 4 AM this morning with blogging on my brain, it is time to take another look at our favorite summer get away.

Introduced to this magical place over 20 years ago, we were drawn here initially for biking and hiking opportunities.  The campground has 5 loops, two RV and three tent, with around 140 sites.  There are no hookups for electric, water or sewer and we never need a reservation….due to the lack of facilities! 

The Mt Pisgah campground is the highest, coolest and most secluded on the 489 mile Blue Ridge Parkway.  At 4, 980 feet, it  provides us with cool breezes and temps that welcome a fire at night.  Mt Pisgah, photo above, is at 5,721 feet with the television tower being the highest east of the Mississippi River.  There are showers in the campground now….years ago we bathed under a sun shower hung in a rhododendron thicket.  The fee is $16 per night, $8 with a senior pass.  The time policy allows camping for 30 consecutive nights, a recent change from a 2 week limit.

The campground is at mile 408 on the parkway, about 15 miles south of Asheville, NC and 61 miles from Cherokee, NC.  It is 5 1/2 hours drive from our home in Chattanooga, 200 miles.  We never hurry as it’s beautiful …traveling through two river gorges and 40 miles on the parkway.

Within walking/hiking distance of the campground, a restaurant, inn and camp store can be accessed.  These photos were taken in early evening from the deck behind the restaurant.

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Always love seeing the beautiful flowers found growing along the parkway.  The elevation makes for a much later season.  We find columbine, a very early blooming wildflower, on a hiking trail.  Rhododendron is blooming throughout our campsite.

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This wildflower, fly poison, is found along the campground road.

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Calla lilies are in the restaurant’s garden.

From the eastern overlooks, Looking Glass Rock, (near Brevard, NC) can be viewed.  There’s a steep hiking trail that climbs to its base.

Looking Glass Rock

Sylvester seems to enjoy the trip…or maybe he just likes getting away from his two older sisters!  Lots of entertainment can be found just outside the window.

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Sylvester lets us know when it’s bedtime by crawling on top of David’s book, persistently returning every time he’s removed.

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A few fiberglass trailers breeze through the campground, most staying only a night.  We are fortunate to make friends with Holly, new Casita owner, and Carrie, proud owner of a pre-owned Scamp.  Will be seeing them again at future rallies!

Too busy talking to get any pictures of their rigs but the campground does have an abundance of small trailers.

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This is a cool but pricey little all-aluminum trailer… Camplite.

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A 1960 Shasta…no peak inside …still remodeling.

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Beautiful homemade teardrop type.

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The Retro Lite’s owners are on a multi-month trip….fun people who travel constantly.

The last few days on the parkway are spent hiking…. driving to the Shining Rock area and taking the Ivestor Gap trail.

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It is mostly flat, an old roadbed, but the large rocks in the trail prove challenging.  Will take the Art Loeb trail next time!

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14 comments:

  1. It's so beautiful up there! Love the trailer photos.

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    1. Yes, blue mountain beauty....a bit different from all of the beauty you are seeing. Love following your trip...wanting to be in the northwest next summer!

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  2. I am in awe....and only 8 dollars a night for us folks.....I think I'm going to try to get a trip there this coming Spring.....Great Flower shots and the photo of David with Sylvester is priceless....:) BTW is that a weather radio on the table, if so what Brand, thanks...have a safe trip...Horst sends

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    1. Don't go too early in the spring...you will find snow! It's my very special place to survive our southern summer.
      I wondered if anyone would pick up on the little radio. Just got it from Amazon last fall. Sorry, could not make the link work...so sad..but it's name is Ambient Weather WR-112 Emergency Solar Hand Crank...ect. About $50. I have an A/C adapter but mostly recharge it with sunlight while it sits there on the table. We get the NOAA weather and also listen to the public radio news.

      Think I remember seeing it on Carla's (Cozy) blog.

      Here is the amazon link

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  3. Your post and pics make me want to hook up and head that way, tomorrow. Maybe we can hit it a night or two before the Cherokee rally.

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    1. Sounds like a great plan! It will be beautiful if the weather cooperates...but if it's raining...look for snow or ice at that elevation. I may have the phone number...you could call the campground if the weather is iffy.

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  4. Love, love, love those blue mountains. And I especially like your photo of Looking Glass Rock.

    Good to see photos of my favorite kitty again. :)

    And that home built wood camper is beautiful. But I have a soft place in my heart for all tiny little campers.

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    1. The wood camper was amazingly beautiful. Love to see all the creativity and genius that goes into the home builts.

      And Pisgah is special in more than one way...while we were camping here two years ago, you made your first comment on my blog. I was so new to blogging....shocked that anyone had even read it! Thank you for your two years of support. :)

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    2. Wow. It doesn't seem that it was two years ago that I first contacted you! But I sure have enjoyed your trips out West and to Alaska. Looking forward to more! You are better than a coffee table travel atlas! :)

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  5. Just beautiful!!!! A great place to refresh your soul :-) I really love the flowers, they seem to grow and bloom with such gorgeous and crisp color. The little campers were awesome...I like the homemade teardrop (all wood). Somebody is very talented!!
    Thanks for sharing the beauty of this gorgeous place!! :-)

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  6. Appreciate hearing from you and thank you! You mentioned going to TN....is Fall Creek Falls SP on your agenda?

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  7. Glad that you're out in such a beautiful place! Loved the trailer photos - I always love seeing such unique little travelers. I have one of those emergency radios to - love it!

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    1. Anne, so good to hear from you. Powered up the laptop several hours ago to answer you and completely got lost in Bloggerville (and Facebook).
      The radio has brought us another dimension....contact with the outside world while we are boondocking with no tv.
      Are you thinking about the southwest again this winter?

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