Fontana Getaway

To try and escape the heat wave, Ladybug and I headed west to spend our Independence Day weekend in the Great Smokey Mountains. We left Raleigh and headed out US 64 to Bat Cave in Henderson County. We spend the night at a little country motel within sight of Chimney Rock. Neither of us had ever been to Chimney Rock before so the following morning we drove over to the park where we set out on foot to climb the stairs to the top of the rock. This was the ultimate stair stepper and it was way too much for Ladybug to attempt in her fashionable orthopedic boot so she opted for the bench at the first overlook. After leaving the chimney we continued down 64 to drive under the Bridal Veil Falls and then stopped off at Dry Falls. By late afternoon we finally made it to Fontana Village and set up our camp next to the Little Tennessee River in the shadow of Fontana Dam. The following morning we headed up to tour the Dam and then took a road trip to Brison City and Cherokee then through the Great Smokey Mountains National Park over into Tennessee to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg. After lunch we circled back around and came down the Dragon's Tail before heading to camp for the evening. The third day in Fontana we got an early start and paddled across the lake and up Hazel Creek to the abandoned town of Proctor. In the afternoon we took a ride over to Nantahala Outdoor Center and watched the rafters and "little" kayakers playing in the Nantahala River. We returned to camp in a rain storm and rather than dry out our stuff we packed it all down and got an early start home staying overnight on the road home.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• North
• Carolina
• Tennessee
• Fontana
• Village
• Dam
• Lake
• Nantahala
• River
• Proctor
• Brison
• City
• Camping
• Kayaking
• Paddle
• water