Davidson River Campground, Pisgah N.F.

Looking Glass Mountain in the Pisgah National Forest, view from BRP

Though there were park service campsites along the Blue Ridge Parkway, they didn’t open for a few more days.  So we elected to camp at Davidson River Campground on Hwy 276 just about 14 miles east of the Parkway.  It was near enough for us to go back up to the Parkway for more exploring but also in the middle of Transylvania County, North Carolina, known for its hundreds of thousands of acres of protected park and forest lands.  The town of Brevard and the DuPont State Recreational Forest were also very close by and destinations we wanted to visit.

 

Looking Glass Falls

 

And then it dawned on us that the Memorial Day weekend was just a few days away and we didn’t have reservations anywhere.  We could have been in trouble but as we checked in at Davidson River Campground we discovered that they had many first come/first serve campsites.  All the reserved campsites were taken, but we were able to get a non-reservable site.  Once you are there and have the site, it is yours for up to 14 days - so we decided it would be best to stay through the holiday weekend.

Rainy day on the Daniel Loop Trail

Moore Cove Falls

 

What a grand 6 days we had!  There was so much to do and see and it was a waterfall lovers’ paradise.  Almost every hike led to a waterfall or two.  Looking Glass Falls, Moore Cove Falls, Sliding Rock, Triple Falls and High Falls were some of the most spectacular.  It is no wonder that many movies have been filmed here – The Last of the Mohicans and The Hunger Games are two very popular ones.

 

Triple Falls in the DuPont State Recreational Forest

 

View from Parkway of Cradle of Forestry

 

The Cradle of Forestry is located in the Pisgah N.F. on Hwy 276 not far from the Davidson River Campground.  George Vanderbilt (yes, the one who built the Biltmore) along with Gifford Pinchot (who later became the first head of the U.S. Forest Service) and Dr. Carl Schenck from Germany established the first forestry school in America at this site. Vanderbilt, who was very interested in renewable forestry, supplied the land and monies and Pinchot and Schenck supplied the expertise.  These men developed the modern forest conservation movement.  Their school taught sustainable forestry – a new idea for the time, as clear cutting then leaving the land to try to recover on its own was the practice of the day.  We loved walking the exhibits and grounds and learning about the forestry school.  Many of the plants were labeled on the trails so we finally learned the names of some of these eastern trees and plants that have been baffling us. 

David confirms it is a chestnut oak

 

Narrow gage engine that used to haul lumber

on display at the Cradle of Forestry

 

 

We visited nearby town of Brevard several times. It had an old-fashioned downtown and a small college plus a variety of restaurants and two local breweries.  We tried some Western North Carolina barbecue at 'Hawg Wild.' The sauce was a little sweet and reminded us of Texas barbecue.  Brevard is also know for its local arts and crafts and music festivals.

 

Sliding Rock

People slide down this like a water slide when it is warmer

 

We hadn’t planned it but we were just in time for The Annual White Squirrel Festival which was celebrated during the Memorial Day Weekend in Brevard.  Apparently there is a genetic variation of the eastern gray squirrel that is mostly white and is commonly found in the area.  The college campus in town is one of the best known places for sightings.  One of the campground hosts had written a children’s book about the white squirrel and she was so excited to be having several book signings during the festival. The only white squirrels we saw were the stuffed ones they were selling, so we will have to go back.

And did I mention all the hiking?  After the rainy weather and then limited hiking in the Smoky Mountains N.P. because Maya was with us, it felt great to get in some long walks every day.  We did some climbing too!

 

We hiked to the top of  Looking Glass Mountain

We were right near the top where the trees meet the rock

 

David and Maya on the rock outcropping of Looking Glass Mountain

A few more steps and it is a long way down...

 

 

David's Stats:
Days Hiked     5      (Two rainy days) 
Total Miles Hiked       33.99
Ave. Miles per Day      6.80
Total Elevation Gain       6,413
Ave. Elevation Gain per day  1,283