Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Group Camps in the Pisgah Forest Near Brevard

B is always on the lookout for some place to take his scouts: so on our trip, we visited four camping areas designed for groups. All of the sites are quite beautiful.

This one and its twin (North White Pines) just up the forest road are smaller and close—maybe too close---to the forest road. There are fire rings, a hand water pump, picnic tables and stinky outhouses, called vault toilets. Port-a-potties can be made not to stink and I have been in non-flush toilets in mountain camps that were not offensive even in the summer, so I am not sure what needs to happen here but it was the same in all four of the camps. Also there are not showers, but for $3 you can use the ones in the campground where we stayed. His troop has two different shower set-ups, so that could be worked around.

100_7870

These rent for $50 per night and can accommodate  twenty-five folks, though not that many cars. There is a nice stream that runs by it.

The two larger camping areas were twice the price and huge areas with the same amenities. These were the ones we found the most attractive. They can accommodate 100 folks. This was at Cove Creek. The road to these was far enough off the main roads and had a locked entrance to keep out unwanted traffic.

This was a large, church-affiliated group from Florida. We never saw a soul as we walked up the road, but we could hear them having a blast down in the creek in back of these trees.

Cove Creek Group Lower Camp

Cove Creek Group Lower Camp

The road between the two camping areas:

Cove Creek Group Upper Camp

Cove Creek Group Upper Camp

We bet the stars over these large fields would be fairly spectacular on clear nights.

 Cove Creek Group Upper Camp

The creek provides a great sliding rock for swimmers.

 Cove Creek Group Camp Slide

To get to the campground you must ford Cove Creek with your vehicles. If you are in the top camp, you ford it twice.

Cove Creek Group Lower Camp Ford 

Cove Creek Group Lower Camp Ford

Because I knew we were going to hike a bit, I had changed out of my wet wading sandals and into my dry sox and sneakers. And doggone it!--- here I have to ford a creek with no reliable-looking stepping stones.  So  I took them off again and waded across barefoot which was a might uncomfortable as the current and glare kept it so I could not really see where I was stepping. I was in the process of putting my shoes and sox back on when D found the foot bridge tucked away upstream. Doh!! I was ready for the next ford, though, and found the footbridge on my own.

Cove Creek Group Lower Camp

We think this is a really nice group camping area as far as location is concerned. With a little improvement in the plumbing, it would be even better but we think we could work around what is there now. Supposedly, reservations fill up fast for all of these group areas.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Those are great looking camp sites. All you could ask for is right at hand.