Cross Creek RV Park, Maggie Valley, NC

Date of Stay:  Monday August 7 – Friday August 11, 2017 (4 nights)

Rate:  $50/night

Website:  Cross Creek RV Park
   69 Georgia Lane (gps 1354 Moody Farm Road)
   Maggie Valley, NC 28751
   828-926-1183

Description:  Yes we were here just a few days ago and did a big review then.  This time we stayed on site 65 and T&D stayed right behind us on site 58.  All the sites are level gravel FHU (50A) with cable.  We had talked about how much we enjoyed this area so T&D wanted to join us in the mountains.  They actually treated us since Hominy Valley was not very accommodating to them, and we wanted to join them here.

Trash and Recycle:  Dumpster in the back corner of the park but no recycle bins.  Haywood County does have some community recycle centers that I will use next time.  Mauney Cove Road is close to Lake Junaluska.

Activities:  We enjoyed catching up with T&D and riding around the area some with them (Waterrock Knob on the BRP, Cherokee and the Oconaluftee Island Park, Great Smoky Mountain visitor center where we saw a herd of 33 elk, and Soco Falls just to name a few).  We all car-hiked the Heintooga Ridge Road (about 14 mile one-way narrow, winding, dirt road) off the BRP between Maggie Valley and Cherokee.  We set aside a whole day to enjoy the Wheels Through Time Museum in Maggie Valley.  It’s mostly restored old motorcycles but definitely worth the entry fee in my opinion.  (No photos taken here this time because I just wanted to enjoy the moments as they happened.)

Hominy Valley RV Park, Candler, NC

Date of Stay:  Tuesday August 1 – Monday August 7, 2017 (6 nights)

Rate:  $35/night

Website:  Hominy Valley RV Park
   1550 Pisgah Hwy or 19 Emmas Cove Road (lower park)
   Candler, NC 28715
   252-205-2772

Description:  Located just a few miles west of Asheville and on a road that leads to the BRP, this is a small family run cg with FHU(50A) but no bath facilities.  There are really two small parks.  The main one of six sites is up on the main road while the other one (two sites and two tiny houses) is beside the owner’s nice house located on Hominy Creek.  We stayed on site 3 of the lower park facing Hominy Creek.  The upper park is easier to get into but has traffic noise.  The lower park is very quiet but there is a tight turn into the driveway which is a bit steep.  There is no bathhouse or other major amenities at either park but the lower level does have nice, new, large concrete patios with pergolas on them.  The sites and roadways are packed gravel.  This is the sister park of Carolina Crossroads RV Resort that we stay at to visit family.  It is owned by the same family.

Trash and Recycle:  There are a few large trash cans at the sites but no recycle.

Activities:  We took another ride on the BRP and took Hwy 276 to Brevard for lunch at a great Chinese restaurant, Twin Dragons.  We enjoyed relaxing at our site and I took a long hike combining three shorter ones near Mt Pisgah Lodge on the BRP.

 

Upper level park by the road

 

Lower level on Hominy Creek

 

Patio of site 3 and chairs facing the creek

Neighbor across the creek

 

Buck Springs Gap Overlook (MP 407.7) has a trail back towards Pisgah Lodge

   

Trail is only about one mile long but has some nice ups and downs

   

The hug from nature this time was from the rhododendron canopy

 

Overlook at old hunting lodge                       Near summit of Little Bald Mountain

 

Lots of butterflies along the trail!

   

Mount Pisgah is next… one and a half miles up to a nice view then back down

   

Starts with nice gravel and gentle uphill climb…

   

… and nice wild flowers along the trail

   

Then it gets more challenging and steeper…

   

… with rock scrambles to a nice lunch spot near the top

 

The tower at top is for WLOS13 TV out of Asheville NC

 

Nice observation deck lets me see the truck below and a beautiful view…

Unfortunately a family of 8 arrived.  They sounded like 38 people though.

Looking across at Fryingpan Firetower

   

Hike to Fryingpan Lookout Tower (MP 409.6) is only 1.5 miles round trip on FS Road 450

   

Lots of wild flowers

              

Gets steeper near the summit  The tower has 5 flights of step   Nice views without going up the tower

 

Two flights up was enough for me, it was so windy but beautiful

 

Looking back at Mt Pisgah                     I LOVE THE MOUNTAINS!!