Kris and I took a 2 1/2 week road trip into the upstate of South Carolina, western North Carolina, and northeast Georgia last July. We wanted to visit some old favorite places and explore some new ones we had never been to. This post is about that trip, with links and photos included.
This trip took place two months before Hurricane Helene, which took an extremely destructive path through this area. Some of the areas we visited on our trip fared better than others but the overall damage was catastrophic to say the least, including massive and tragic loss of life.
Hardest hit was the northeast area of the map below (such as Cedar Mountain and Gorges State Park) stretching into the area northeast and outside of this map, including Asheville, Chimney Rock, Swannanoa, Black Mountain, Old Fort, Marshall, Hot Springs, Burnsville, and Spruce Pine among many other area communities.
Kris and I were born and raised in North Carolina. It will always have our hearts. We particularly love the North Carolina mountains. We love the beauty, the hiking, and the mountain biking here. We also have family ties here. My mom lived in this area for many years before her passing. Some of my ancestors lived here. Two of my three sisters have lived in western NC for most of their lives. Thankfully, they were safe during the storm and didn't suffer damage at their places, but many of their friends and neighbors did.
We must not forget what happened here and the fact the area is still recovering. It will take years. They want and need more visitors. Many of the trails and parks have started to open again thanks to the US Forest Service and countless volunteers who've cleared trails. A return of outdoor tourism and tourism in general will help their local economies.
I'm in awe of the neighbors helping neighbors in the aftermath. Community members have stepped up in amazing ways to help - including non-profits, churches, aid organizations and individual volunteers. They have all been doing great work in these local communities since day one of the hurricane and they continue to assist moving forward. They can use your help. If you feel so led, here is a great list of recommended and local organizations you can donate money or your time to. It's been updated to reflect current needs. No amount is too small.
Our Summer Mountain Road Trip
This is a map of our general route for the 2 1/2 week July road trip
We had never been to Lake Jocassee so that was our first stop. Bottom line: it's now going to be in "my backyard" area rotation of places to visit in the Carolinas moving forward. Crystal clear blue water, very little development, and plenty to explore by water and on land. Can't ask for much more. Great paddling and boating opportunities, especially to see several waterfalls you can only access by water.
Whitewater Falls, tallest waterfall east of the Rockies
We stayed in this RV camper trailer for a couple nights. It was conveniently located close to Lake Jocassee and nearby hiking trails.
Great paddling on Lake Jocassee
Moose
We rented a pontoon boat, took our dog Moose, an inflatable paddleboard, and went exploring
One of several Lake Jocassee waterfalls you can only access by paddle craft or boat
the view from the top of Whitewater Falls
We then stayed a couple nights at the
Dupont Bike Retreat, a really cool spot in the Cedar Mountain community that offers camping & cabin lodging options. Conveniently located very close to the Fawn Lake access of Dupont State Forest, I was able to do a big mountain bike ride in Dupont from here.
After getting our fill of biking & hiking in Dupont State Forest and Pisgah National Forest near Brevard, we drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway and did an old favorite hike along Black Balsam Knob.
From the Blue Ridge Parkway, we drove up towards Whittier, NC and stayed at
this amazing luxury dome for one night. Pricey but very unique and worth it for any romantic special occasion.
From Whittier, we moved on to another mountain cabin rental for several nights just outside Bryson City. We did a lot of area hiking, sightseeing, and I got in some fun mountain biking at another
old favorite, Fire Mountain Trails.
The amazing and beautiful
Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, near Robbinsville, NC. I lived in NC most of my life and this is just another of several amazing places I had never been to before.
this mountain cabin was very rustic (1 room studio style), which suits us just fine, but best of all was the hot tub and hammock with views
rain moving in towards the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
the Nantahala River along Wayah Road (NC route 1310)
The fog set in otherwise this would have been a killer view
a mural in the nice quaint mountain town of Franklin, NC
Our next stop was at a couple of small AirBnb rooms near Cashiers and Lake Glenville for a few days. We paddled/boated on Lake Glenville, hiked High Falls (pictured), Gorges State Park (see below), Panthertown Valley (see below), Whiteside Mountain (see below)...and visited the quaint small mountain towns of Cashiers and Highlands.
High Falls
Turtleback Falls in Gorges State Park
We rented a pontoon boat and explored
Lake Glenville for some paddling and more waterfall sightseeing (only accessible by paddle craft or boat)
Bridal Veil Falls near Highlands, NC (almost just a trickle here, not a lot of water falling at this time in July). You used to be able to drive under it but that's closed off now. Bridal Veil seems to be the most popular waterfall name globally. There are two in NC alone and another one in Telluride CO that I know of.
Note the people under the falls
Dry Falls was large and powerful, and pretty cool to be able to walk underneath it.
Another old favorite,
Panthertown Valley, located in Nantahala National Forest between Cashiers and Brevard, NC. I had been here a couple times before, camping with my sons when they were in Boy Scouts. Often called the "Yosemite of the East", it's a great hiking and camping spot, with more scenic waterfalls, rocky knobs, and scenic overlooks.
This area gets the most annual rainfall of any other place in North Carolina, and it shows, as it's so green and lush...very rainforest-like. Pictured above is our dog Moose playing in the water.
Schoolhouse Falls
a little side detour to Granny Burrell Falls
Our last stop was to meet up with Kris's family for a fun few days of quality family time at a house rental in Sky Valley, Georgia. We returned to the nearby Dry Falls and visited the town of Highlands, NC
our kids and their cousins
