North Carolina Camping, Mountain, City, and Coast

North Carolina Camping

This was our first experience with North Carolina camping.   I like that we were able to visit mountains on the west and the Outer Banks on the east, plus the area near Raleigh.  It was certainly three very different experiences.  We visited North Carolina as part of a longer trip, Long Summer Trip 2019, with Friends Old and New

Mount Pisgah

Mount Pisgah is part of the Appalachian Mountain Range and the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina.  It is almost six-thousand feet at its highest elevation.  The attraction for me was the cool weather and the Blue Ridge Parkway, which we have not previously experienced.

Mount Pisgah Campground

We were dry camping at Mount Pisgah, but it was very easy because our 400 batteries can handle everything except the air conditioner and the microwave.  We were very comfortable our two nights at the campground because of the high elevation and our shady site.  However, the area to park the camper was very narrow and short. We barely fit.

The campground provides picnic tables and fire rings, but they are not typically next to where the camper is parked.

We met a very interesting couple, Walt and Casey, from Maryland while sitting in the chairs above.  As we were going to Maryland in about a week, we planned to meet them for dinner.  You meet such nice people while camping.

Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway has been a National Parkway since 1936, covering 469 miles.  However, we only covered about 50 miles of it while in North Carolina.  There are many scenic spots along the way and eight campgrounds, but they do not have hookups.  There is no commerce on the parkway, no gasoline, food, advertisements, etc.  They designed the Parkway to provide a beautiful drive with only nature to distract you.

The parkway has many tunnels that were carved right through the mountain.  Some, like the one below, were not long, but we saw one that seemed quite long.

Across from the campground is the Pisgah Lodge.  It features a restaurant and gift shop, but its greatest asset the breathtaking views.

Mount Pisgah Waterfalls

There are many waterfalls on Mount Pisgah, but we only had time to visit two, Sliding Rock and Looking Glass.  Both were an easy walk from the car.

Sliding Rock is a popular spot to slide down a sixty foot waterfall.  There are three paths down, slow, medium, and fast, all of which which drop into an eight-foot deep pool.  It looked pretty scary to me, but there were lots of brave souls taking the plunge.  Supposedly, thousands do the slide each summer.  I spoke to one young woman who had done it once and her boyfriend was trying to get her to do it again.  She was not interested!  I understand it is also quite cold (approximately 60 degrees).

Looking Glass was beautiful and you could hear and feel the water from the lookout.  They named the waterfall Looking Glass because it looks like a mirror when the water freezes and glistens in the sunlight.  There were quite a few people in the water and climbing among the rocks.  This  Waterfall is also sixty feet tall.

A Problem

On the last night of our stay, we arrived back at the campsite at about 4:30 pm to discover that one of our tires had a screw in it.  Because we were leaving  early the next morning, we were concerned about finding a place to fix the tire before everything was closed.

We drove to Asheville and happened upon Discount Tire about ten minutes before they closed.   Thankfully, they agreed to take care of our tire.  While we watched through a glass, the technician removed our tire and went through all the predictable steps.  They offered us water and were very gracious even though we kept them past closing.

The technician, who we were surprised to see was a young woman, completed the job pretty quickly.  Amazingly, there was absolutely no charge, despite the fact that we did not buy our tire from them.  We were told it is their policy to fix tires free of charge.  We were very impressed!  I hope there will be a Discount Tire in our hometown when we are ready to buy our next set!

Days and Nights In Rodanthe

I am a huge fan of the writing of Nicolas Sparks so the Outer Banks (OBX) has been a desired destination for quite some time.  Additionally, a post some time ago on a camping Facebook group included some extraordinary photos taken at Rodanthe Water Sports and Campground.  Rodanthe Water Sports became my goal and we booked several months out to secure a waterfront site.  It would be a very different version of North Carolina camping.

Getting to Rodanthe, Wright Brothers National Memorial

The Outer Banks has a very cool attraction in Kill Devil Hills, the site of the first flight and the Wright Brothers Memorial.  It is a must see while in the Outer Banks.  Below is a replica of the plane used for the historic flight.  The original is at the Smithsonian in Washington D.C.

Rodanthe Water Sports and Campground

The campground is small, as are the sites, but the view of the sound is extraordinary!  The water is very shallow and as warm as bathwater.  The campers were a younger crowd who enjoyed kayaks, surfboards, and paddle boards on the calm waters of the sound.  We were a bit more sedentary, but I can say that the hammocks in the background are extremely comfortable in the late afternoon as the sun is going down.

We witnessed the most beautiful sunset that I have ever seen.  However, I am not much of a photographer so these photos do not do adequately represent its astonishing beauty.

For me, it does not get much better than this!

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, circa 1870,  is the tallest brick lighthouse in the United States at 198.49 feet and 269 steps.  It replaced a shorter lighthouse that did not meet the needs of ships in the area.   I was a little hesitant of the climb as it is known to be quite strenuous, but am happy to say I made it to the top.

The view was certainly worth the climb.  Also, it was not as bad as I feared.  Taking it slowly made the climb very doable.

In 1999, they moved the lighthouse to a site 2,900 feet away.  The move was completed in 23 days and the lighthouse reopened for climbing the next year.  The move included seven historic structures that were placed in the same relationship as the original site.

Chicamacomico Life-Saving Station

The sea along the OBX has long been very treacherous for ships because of the shifting landscape and shallow waters.   The hundreds if not thousands of wrecks has caused it to be called the Graveyard of the Atlantic.   The life-saving service concept began in 1784 and the U.S. Treasury standardized it  in 1871.  The stations were manned by local men trained to rescue those in danger in the sea.  The station provides a history of the life-saving station and biweekly live demonstrations of the process.  We were lucky to see a live drill.  It was very informative and included a canon shot.

Interestingly, the life-saving services, along with other services,  was later rolled into what became the United States Coast Guard.

There are many artifacts at the station, including a house from 1907 that I really enjoyed seeing.

The Inn at Rodanthe

No trip to Rodanthe would be complete without checking out the inn from the movie, Nights in Rodanthe.  The exterior of the inn is an iconic image in the movie, though they shot interior scenes elsewhere.  Sadly, the shifting sands of the area put the house in danger several years ago.  It is my understanding that same company that moved the lighthouse moved the house.  I believe it is now a vacation rental house.  The new location is not as picturesque, but I was still happy to see it.

North Carolina Camping Near Raleigh-Durham

On our return south, we camped near the center of the state at Falls Lake Recreation Area in the Rollingview Campground.  Our site was very long and partially shaded.  The site was nice and peaceful and the nearby bathhouse was clean.

We spent one day in the campground and nearby area.  The campground had an area for swimming and a marina.  It would be a wonderful place if you had a boat, but alas, we had none.  There were also paddle boats and kayaks for rent, but it was miserably hot.

Stagville State Historic Site

We decided to visit Stagville State Historic Site, a nearby plantation.  It is  actually the largest pre-Civil War plantation in North Carolina with a rich history that spans many decades.  The docent provided a thought-provoking account of life on the plantation from both owner and enslaved population perspectives.

The house was built in the late 1700s and by 1860 was on almost 30,000 acres of land with an enslaved population of nearly 900. Currently, the historic site is on 71 acres and also includes four two-story, four-room enslaved family dwellings and a massive barn.  Stagville represents a time in history that I believe it is important to know and understand.

Raleigh Attractions

We spent our second full day in Raleigh, a city we haven’t previously visited. It would have been nice to visit the courthouse and Governor’s Mansion, but they were closed for the weekend.  However, we did get to see a  great museum and visit another historic site.

North Carolina Museum of Art

Raleigh has an excellent art museum, the North Carolina Museum of Art.  It opened in 1956 and the state legislature created and funded it, a first for a state government.  The Museum is free to the public, though it requests donations.  Two buildings buildings contain the art, which  includes several Monets, countless Rodan statues, and works by Georgia O’Keeffe, Pissarro, and Boudin.  I loved it!  There were more works by German and English artists than I have typically seen.  They were quite good as well.

The museum also includes many outside exhibits on a trail,  but the heat made that not so desirable.

Mordecai Historic Park

Mordecai Historic Park was somewhat similar to Stagville in that it was a plantation that began in the late 1700s, though at 5,000 acres, it was much smaller.  The home is similar to Stagville in size and style.  The family built the house in 1785 and it is the oldest residence in Raleigh.

Mordecai has an added historic building, the birth home of Andrew Johnson in 1808.  Johnson was the 17th President of the United States.  His mother worked in the home, which was originally at another location.  Johnson became president after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and he was the  first impeached president.

In Conclusion

North Carolina camping was diverse and quite amazing!   Mountains,  plantations, lighthouses, and the amazing eastern coast.  We enjoyed it all, but I must say that the Outer Banks was my favorite.

North Carolina camping, check it out!