High Falls State Park

Dates: 04/22/2012 - 04/24/2012
Campground: High Falls State Park- Jackson, GA - Site 112
Pictures: http://s1217.photobucket.com/user/squirellman/library/High%20Falls%20State%20Park

- Base Camp (site details)With so many sites it would be expected that each site would be small, not in this case. The campground itself is very large with multiple loops. Site 112 is across the street from the lake. There are also very nice sites directly on the lake, but these are very popular. This State Park is not what you would expect to find a few miles south of Atlanta, but after stopping here on our way back from a Florida beach we put it on our list of places to see. A few years later we attended a wedding at the park giving us an opportunity to explore more thoroughly. The sites here do have water and electrical hook ups which normally attracts very large campers, but even with the large sites the parking areas are not designed for large vehicles of any kind. This limits the large RVs to sites further from the lake. This may be a good time to also mention that there are two actual campgrounds here. The larger campground with much more shade is on the riverside of the park. The two sides are divided by a busy highway that passes over the river just below the dam. I would recommend picking the side that fits your needs better. I will get into attractions later, but there are two pretty distinct sides of the park. The foliage in the lake area is mostly the pine you would expect to see in central Georgia. The riverside of the park has much thicker forests with large deciduous trees.

- Campground rules (Nazi's to Trashy)
Like many Georgia State Parks this campground is in a good medium of regulation. There are rules to protect the safety of the tenants, but still allow recreation. You can bring your own private boat on the lake, fish within the park, and have dogs. The only rule that seems restrict activities is the fence surrounding the tailwater area of the dam. There are many large flat rocks that are begging to be hopped and explored. I would understand the lack of access if the dam was hydroelectric with large intermittent water releases, or a flash flood prone high elevation lake... but this is a small over spill dam with very low tailwater flow.

- The hood (what kind of people camp here)
With such a prime location close to Atlanta and Macon this park is often full of families. There were a few groups of guys camping that were visiting to fish in High Falls Lake, but for the most part there were numerous groups of kids playing and parents lounging. With great early spring weather in central Georgia tents abound, but I can imagine that in the heat of the summer the park will feature more RVs with air conditioners running all day.

- Sawyer Factor (what will you kids do)
One reason I love State Parks is the wide demographic they are built to include. In this case there is a decent playground and large flat areas to play. The hiking trails have fences to help keep kids on the trails and away from the drop offs. The trails to the waterfall area are also quite easy with a kid in tote.

- Bathhouses
I have to take part of this section to praise the campground host. The hosts in these parks often cleans the bathrooms, and this one went above and beyond. The bathrooms were clean and he even put silk flowers in the sink area for a home like touch. Beyond that bathrooms the host was very nice driving around on his golf cart delivering firewood, ice, and answering any questions with his little dog in tow. Back to the bathhouses... they are for the most part a little aged, but very clean and well kept.

- No car attractions
As you can tell by reading my other entries, we much prefer to put Sawyer in his baby hiking backpack and hit the trail rather than getting in and out of a car over and over. In this case we were able to do most of what the park had to offer without ever starting the truck. This included the playground, pavilion area, Dam area, Falls Area, River trail, and although it required a walk off the trail we were able to even walk to the wedding at the park conference facility.

- Area attractions
Although the park is close enough to Atlanta to take a drive to Stone Mountain, or any Atlanta area attraction, the immediate area has very little in the way of attractions. The park sales firewood and ice, and if you find yourself a meal short there is a small restaurant that stayed busy the whole time we were there approximately 1 mile from the park entrance.

- Fees
Like many state parks the fees are minimal. The camp site was $20/night and there is a one time $5 parking fee. Ice and wood were priced at a market average which is great considering the lack of area options.

- Ownership
The park is owned in its entirety by The State of Georgia DNR. Website: http://www.gastateparks.org/HighFalls?c=4347203&eventid=203611&p=31

- Accommodation/reservations
Like all other Georgia state parks campsites can be reserved months in advance. The reservation does not guarantee a specific site, but rather that you will have a site upon arrival... the earlier you arrive the better site you will likely receive. Although we are avid tent campers its also worth mentioning that the park has recently added yurts. We have never stayed in a yurt, but these looked very nice... almost cabin like.

Cherokee Dam

Dates: 04/14/2012 - 04/16/2012
Campground: Cherokee Dam, Jefferson City, TN - Site 31

- Base Camp (size of site, foliage, privacy, etc...) This post may come with some positive bias as I grew up camping here as a kid. At only around 45 minutes away, it was a great weekend getaway. The sites have shrunk over the years as TVA added water and electricity hooks ups and more sites, but overall the sites are some of the largest on Cherokee lake. We had sufficient room for a tent, pop up, 2 cars, and a boat. The foliage is lacking a bit as many trees have been cut down to allow for easier camper access. The remaining trees are mostly pine and red cedar trees. Something to keep in mind when setting up your tent. The evergreen roots are soft, if you have to hammer a stake in, there is a chance you won't be able to get it back out. This was learned by experience. If you are a tent camper like myself, there are a handful of sites that simply will not accommodate a tent... unless you like sleeping somewhat inverted. Privacy is somewhat limited, but with a huge boat ramp nearby people watching here is great. You can watch everything from a tournament blast off in the morning to those poor first time boat owners who take an hour to launch. One more thing... you are not supposed to move firewood from county to county, but you will be hard pressed to gather enough wood here to make a smore. Be sure to stop somewhere on the way in to buy a few bundles.

- Campground rules (Nazi's to Trashy)
The rules here are limited, but enforced by the campground host. Mr. Bales and his family have been camping here for years, and he is a little less than friendly to us tent campers at times. I will get to this a bit more in the "Accommodations/Reservations" section, but this campground is in serious need of rule reform regarding long term campers.

- The hood (what kind of people camp here)
As I have eluded to, this campground has become very much an RV Park. You can expect few children and many people sitting in lawn chairs watching the sun rise over the lake. Often these tenants also have small well behaved dogs, so nothing to worry about safety wise.

- Sawyer Factor (what will your kids do)
The campground itself is lacking in kid friendly activities. There is plenty of room to walk and the beach area is great to swim at during the warm months. With a 10-15 minute walk however you can be in the Cherokee Dam day use area with a play ground. Expect it to be very busy on a summer Saturday however.

- Bathhouses
The bathouses here have been unchanged for years. They stay clean for the most part as most of the campers have bathrooms in their campers. They are cleaned daily, but bring your own hand soap and hand towels as neither will be there for you.

- No car attractions
In comparison to most TVA campgrounds this one has a reasonable amount of activities that don't require getting in the car. From your campsite you can walk on side walks nearly across the dam, a variety of trails, and even to the tail water area of the dam. The area provides a great bicycling route for those who prefer flat land riding. From the campground to the gate approximately halfway across the dam you can easily ride 2 miles without any hills.

- Area attractions
In this area the lake... is the attraction. This will become obvious on a summer Saturday. Recently the Holston River below Cherokee Dam has become a popular trout fishery. Particularly in the Buffalo Springs Wildlife Management Area. In general camping here will have you on this schedule: Wake up to see sunrise over the lake from your campsite, fish, eat breakfast, take a walk, fish, eat lunch, ride bicycles, fish the tailwater area, eat dinner, walk to see sunset from the dam, make a campfire, and watch fisherman navigate the cove in the dark. (new boat lighting has them looking more like spaceships at night)

- Fees
Fees here are $20/night. There are no other fees at the campground currently.

- Ownership
TVA owns the campground and surrounding land. Here is the TVA information, I recommend using this website to check the Dam release schedule to plan any activities involving the tailwater area.

- Accommodation/reservations.
Ok, this part of the post is where the negativity will not be held back. The campground does not accept reservations and there are limited number of sites that fall under the TVA 14 day rule. The campground opens in April and the large RVs show up soon after. None of the campers would tell me exactly how they keep their campers on the site all season, but judging by the kids play tents behind their huge campers... here is my hypothesis. Week 1-2 Honestly set up your camper under your name, Week 2-4 Register the tent under your name, Week 4-6 Register your camper in your wife's name, Week 6-8 Start over again. This system has effectively eliminated the weekend warrior such as myself from this public land. Many have complained, but TVA acknowledges they are an energy company not a hospitality company. I would love to see the campground leased to tent friendly ownership.

I have really fallen behind on writing... those reading with a kid will understand! I checked my analytics and am very surprised by the traffic. Hope to gather more audience!

Norris Dam State Park

Dates: 02/18/2012 - 02/19/2012

Campground: Norris Dam, East Area
Site # 3



Photos:

https://plus.google.com/?gpcaz=da0767ad&hl=en&wwc=1#photos/111516298441787249573/albums/5752178993866804401

- Base Camp (size of site, foliage, privacy, etc...)
In future blogs I will adding actual dimensions of the campsites, but for now I will give estimates. The sites on the outer loop have no sites behind them. Although the sites themselves are not vastly large the area behind the sites are wooded with very little undergrowth allowing for a sense of privacy. Site #1 and 3 are on the ends of the lower loop and seemed to have the largest areas. Putting a tent up at this site would have been possible, but there were better tent areas at sites 10 -12. The fire ring was a steel ring with cooking grate attached. The timbers around the site were in decent condition and there were no erosion issues. The campground as a whole appears to drain well, so if you get caught in a storm there shouldn't be too much mud. The sites have electric and water hook ups with 30 amp breakers. We rarely use electricity but the extra 110v plug on the power pole is great to have if you have for lights. At this stage in Sawyer's life we need to warm up baby food in the tiny microwave that we take, so electricity is great to have. The picnic tables are concrete so they will hold water and make your pants wet long after rain. At site 3 one of the benches was being held up by a block. Not the nicest or largest tables, but they are sturdy. One negative about the sites is the proximity of the table to your car parking area/road. I prefer the table to be off the road a ways, but beggars can't be choosy in Feb.

- Campground rules/personnel (Nazi's to Trashy):
Being a TN state park the campground is very well maintained. There was little to no trash on the ground, and the rangers were nothing short of accommodating. We did not arrive until after dark, stressed a little as it was freezing and Sawyer's first night camping... the ranger came to our campsite and checked us in. Was a great help, and she was really really friendly even with our late arrival. There were no glaring annoying rules to abide by and check out wasn't until 1p.

- The hood (what kind of people camp here)
Winter camping often draws what I refer to as a "specialty crowd". They have a reason to be there. In this case there were a few others camping and it was clear they were there to catch trout. Having gravel, smaller parking areas, no full hookups, no cable, no wifi... the RV crowd is likely at one of the other "RV Parks" on the lake. The presence of a bathhouse, numerous activities, no reservations, and low prices means you will likely find local young families with tents, pop ups, or small campers.

- Sawyer Factor (what will you kids do)
The east area campground is a short walk to the east area picnic area which is fully equipped with a large playground with bathrooms nearby. There is also a small museum, kids shows/activities hosted by rangers, hikes hosted by rangers, and one of our favorites is the very flat graveled river trail that is stroller friendly.

-Woof: (Take the dog?)
The particular site we were at had a very large area for Laurel to explore while on her lead. Of course there were plenty of trees for her to get wrapped around, but even with a 30' lead she could not reach other campsites. All the trails are dog friendly, but please keep your dog on a leash! I mentioned in the intro our dog is a husky, so the cool river water is great for her. We have camped many places where there are really tight restrictions on dogs... this is all because someone was not responsible and we all pay. PLEASE keep your dog on a leash and pick up after them so we can keep the parks dog friendly!

- Bathhouses:
Bath Facilities: 2 full bath houses open 3 seasons. Dates are available on website.

- No car attractions: Within walking distance of both campgrounds is an extensive trail network. Virtually all trails lead to the lake, river, or overlook of the Dam. If your whole crew likes hiking you could potentially explore the entire park without starting your car. The park is also full of history. The Dam itself was the first TVA project and helped power Oak Ridge... I'll let you visit the TVA visitor center or read up on wikipedia as the park is a living museum of the CCC, TVA, and TN State Parks. Some must sees: The dam is really hard to miss, The new wier dam is a TVA tail water project that keeps water flowing during dry periods and makes for a really cool looking rapid of sorts, and the orchards are beautiful!

- Area attractions
If you do decide to drive and explore a little further, you are only 6 miles from the Museum of Appalachia, a 20 min drive to Big Ridge State Park, 30 mins from Downtown Knoxville, or 30 minutes to Cove Lake State Park. The park is also home to a full functioning Marina with covered and non covered slips. A very nice boat ramp is next to the Marina as well. The park is also home to a pool, rec center, and various other activities. We generally swim in the lake/river, but the pool is a nice alternative during the summer.

- Fees:
I believe I previously mentioned the low cost. Its $17/night.

- Ownership:
TN State Parks
Phone: 865-426-7461
Website: http://www.tn.gov/environment/parks/NorrisDam/

- Accommodation/reservations: First come first serve. I have confirmed with TN State parks that a reservations system is coming soon. We will throw a huge party when it goes live!