students traveling the east coast
Jun 13th, 2007, 05:39 AM
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students traveling the east coast
Good morning.
My boyfriend and I are foreign students and we're planning 2 weeks in the east coast (July).
Our goal is to spend several days on the beach and the rest of the days hiking.
We're looking for a cheap place where we can get a cabin (not fancy at all) on the beach (a quiet and non crowded beach).
and other suggestions to places to hike, all I know is that we must go to the Smoky Mountain National park.
Thank you!
My boyfriend and I are foreign students and we're planning 2 weeks in the east coast (July).
Our goal is to spend several days on the beach and the rest of the days hiking.
We're looking for a cheap place where we can get a cabin (not fancy at all) on the beach (a quiet and non crowded beach).
and other suggestions to places to hike, all I know is that we must go to the Smoky Mountain National park.
Thank you!
Jun 13th, 2007, 05:50 AM
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The east coast of the United States is quite large. Can you be more specific in what part of the east coast you'd like to visit?
A beach place in July will not be cheap anywhere on the coast.
The Smokey Mountain National Park is not on the coast but is a nice place for hiking in North Carolina/Tennessee.
A beach place in July will not be cheap anywhere on the coast.
The Smokey Mountain National Park is not on the coast but is a nice place for hiking in North Carolina/Tennessee.
Jun 13th, 2007, 05:55 AM
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If you're going to be in the Smoky Mountains, stop in Asheville, NC for a day or two. Not a beach town, but a very cool bohemian/hippie town just east of the Nat. Park. Also, if you like amusement parks, just on the other (west) side of the park is Pigeon Forge, home of Dollywood. There are also some very nice parks around Asheville that have great sights and hiking that are much less crowded than the Smokies during the summer.
Hopefully someone else can help you with a non-crowded east coast beach. The only ones I know of are packed with tourists in July.
Once you get an idea for beach towns, check out VRBO.com for house and cabin rentals. Have fun!
Hopefully someone else can help you with a non-crowded east coast beach. The only ones I know of are packed with tourists in July.
Once you get an idea for beach towns, check out VRBO.com for house and cabin rentals. Have fun!
Jun 13th, 2007, 07:15 AM
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You don't say how intensely you like to hike, so I'll offer several suggestions:
The first offers relatively moderate hikes or strenuous ones, depending on what you are looking for. It has incredible views with great scenery. In southern Virginia, there is a state park called Grayson Highlands. It is wrapped by the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, and has been called "the Swiss Alps of the Southeast". There are sweeping views of the mountains, the Appalachian Trail cuts through the park, and there are herds of wild ponies roaming the area.
Here are a few links with information you'll need:
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/gra.shtml
http://www.reserveamerica.com/va/Gra...&parkId=140172
After you finish hiking at Grayson Highlands, you could drop down into Ashe County in North Carolina, then drive south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Asheville area. (Make sure you fill your car with gas before you get on the Parkway….there are not a lot of places to fuel up once you're on it.)
As was suggested earlier in this post, Asheville is a wonderful little bohemian/hippy type of community. There's lots of good places to eat, interesting things to see and usually some sort of musical entertainment going on.
From Asheville, North Carolina….take the parkway south again. It should take you less than forty-five minutes to get to Mount Pisgah, where there's a restaurant with reasonable prices at the Mount Pisgah Inn. You can sit in a dining room with windows that go from the ceiling to the floor and have fantastic views of the Smokies while you eat.
Continue south from the Inn on the Parkway. You can go to the Graveyard Fields scenic overlook and park. Walk down the wooden stairway to the right side of the parking area. You'll instantly find yourself in a forest of giant mountain rhododendrons. Within a few minutes, you'll cross a little stream on a wooden bridge. Take the trail on the other side that goes downhill to your right. You'll encounter a wooden walkway with small decks on it that will take you to the bottom of a pretty waterfall. If it's hot out when you're there, take swimming clothes with you. You can cool off instantly in the pools at the bottom of the falls.
If you are strong hikers, venture just a little further south on the Parkway from Graveyard Fields. Turn onto the first paved road to your right. (Black Balsam)
There is a rustic (meaning hold your nose) outhouse in the parking lot at the end of the road. On the way in, you'll see the trailhead to the Art Loeb Trail. It is awesome. That trail will make you sweat hard and breathe heavily, but it is worth it. You'll find yourself in ever-changing scenery. Great views, and you'll pass through old pines, rhododendron forests, birch, fields of waving grass, etc…etc.
If you start early in the day (take lots of snacks and water) you can hike all the way out to the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. Get a map from the ranger station near Brevard before you go. You can go to the top of Shining Rock, sit on massive white boulders, enjoy a lunch or snack, then hike back out before nightfall.
You'll also have a great view of the infamous Cold Mountain from the top of Shining Rock. Shining Rock was considered to be the "portal to the next world" by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, and is a fantastic place to visit.
http://www.northcarolinaoutdoors.com...iningrock.html
Also…if you go into the Great Smoky National Park, try to visit historic Cades Cove. Here's a link to info about that area, and you can stop in at the Ranger Station for maps and suggestions of trails to hike:
http://www.cadescove.net/
Wherever you go, I hope you totally enjoy your visit.
The first offers relatively moderate hikes or strenuous ones, depending on what you are looking for. It has incredible views with great scenery. In southern Virginia, there is a state park called Grayson Highlands. It is wrapped by the Mount Rogers National Recreation Area, and has been called "the Swiss Alps of the Southeast". There are sweeping views of the mountains, the Appalachian Trail cuts through the park, and there are herds of wild ponies roaming the area.
Here are a few links with information you'll need:
http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/gra.shtml
http://www.reserveamerica.com/va/Gra...&parkId=140172
After you finish hiking at Grayson Highlands, you could drop down into Ashe County in North Carolina, then drive south on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Asheville area. (Make sure you fill your car with gas before you get on the Parkway….there are not a lot of places to fuel up once you're on it.)
As was suggested earlier in this post, Asheville is a wonderful little bohemian/hippy type of community. There's lots of good places to eat, interesting things to see and usually some sort of musical entertainment going on.
From Asheville, North Carolina….take the parkway south again. It should take you less than forty-five minutes to get to Mount Pisgah, where there's a restaurant with reasonable prices at the Mount Pisgah Inn. You can sit in a dining room with windows that go from the ceiling to the floor and have fantastic views of the Smokies while you eat.
Continue south from the Inn on the Parkway. You can go to the Graveyard Fields scenic overlook and park. Walk down the wooden stairway to the right side of the parking area. You'll instantly find yourself in a forest of giant mountain rhododendrons. Within a few minutes, you'll cross a little stream on a wooden bridge. Take the trail on the other side that goes downhill to your right. You'll encounter a wooden walkway with small decks on it that will take you to the bottom of a pretty waterfall. If it's hot out when you're there, take swimming clothes with you. You can cool off instantly in the pools at the bottom of the falls.
If you are strong hikers, venture just a little further south on the Parkway from Graveyard Fields. Turn onto the first paved road to your right. (Black Balsam)
There is a rustic (meaning hold your nose) outhouse in the parking lot at the end of the road. On the way in, you'll see the trailhead to the Art Loeb Trail. It is awesome. That trail will make you sweat hard and breathe heavily, but it is worth it. You'll find yourself in ever-changing scenery. Great views, and you'll pass through old pines, rhododendron forests, birch, fields of waving grass, etc…etc.
If you start early in the day (take lots of snacks and water) you can hike all the way out to the Shining Rock Wilderness Area. Get a map from the ranger station near Brevard before you go. You can go to the top of Shining Rock, sit on massive white boulders, enjoy a lunch or snack, then hike back out before nightfall.
You'll also have a great view of the infamous Cold Mountain from the top of Shining Rock. Shining Rock was considered to be the "portal to the next world" by the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, and is a fantastic place to visit.
http://www.northcarolinaoutdoors.com...iningrock.html
Also…if you go into the Great Smoky National Park, try to visit historic Cades Cove. Here's a link to info about that area, and you can stop in at the Ranger Station for maps and suggestions of trails to hike:
http://www.cadescove.net/
Wherever you go, I hope you totally enjoy your visit.
Jun 13th, 2007, 07:43 AM
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If you do go to the Smokies (which is a gorgeous area) I'd recommend renting a cabin near the Cades Cove area, rather than staying in a hotel anywhere near Pigeon Forge. Pigeon Forge has become, in my opinion, a hideous, traffic-congested area of tacky tourist shops and country music dinner theater. But other areas, like the towns near Cades Cove, are much smaller and you can easily rent a cabin for a few nights and spend your time seeing the beautiful mountains and woods.
Jun 13th, 2007, 07:53 AM
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Hellion is offering you wise advice. If you don't want the crowds and bumper-to-bumper tourist traffic, you'll avoid the Pigeon Forge area. If you want touristy things to do and enjoy amusement parks, then Pigeon Forge would be a good destination. But just minutes outside of Pigeon Forge there are gorgeous, uncrowded trails to explore. Rivers, waterfalls, early settlements and things that it sounds like you would prefer to do.
Jun 13th, 2007, 08:26 AM
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That's definitely what we're looking for. If it will be good weather i guess we'll camp, otherwise the cabins sound good. by the way, do we need to reserve a campground in advance?
And another thing, are there any recommendation with the beaches?
It all sounds great, and I'm starting to get very exited to go to the trip.
And another thing, are there any recommendation with the beaches?
It all sounds great, and I'm starting to get very exited to go to the trip.
Jun 13th, 2007, 08:54 AM
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Shannee,
You might want to consider a visit to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Be aware that is a several hour drive from the beaches to the mountains. North Carolina is a very LARGE state to drive through. But it is also an amazing place with lots to see and lots to do.
The Kill Devil Hills area of the Outer Banks is quite "touristy". You can visit historic lighthouses and the site where the Wright Brothers flew their infamous plane. You may even catch a fascinating hang-gliding exhibition on the dunes.
If you drive further south along the barrier island, you will find yourself in a wonderful stretch of protected dunes and beaches. You can pull over along the side of the road and find a place on the sand that you can have all to yourself. There are also affordable campgrounds with rustic cabins at the KOA place there.
They'll let you have a fire on the beach at night, as long as you build it where the water will cover it at high tide. And, if you go out to the dunes at night and wander around, you will feel like you are on another planet.
There are some pay and some free ferries that will take you to other parts of the Outer Banks and back to the mainland.
You'll also be near the Great Dismal Swamp, which is a really different and unusual kind of place to visit. (Take LOTS of bug spray.)
Here are some more links that might be helpful:
http://www.outerbanks.org/
http://dismalswamp.net/
http://www.northeast-nc.com/dismalswamp/
If you don't want to spend an entire day driving from the shore to the mountains, some of the South Carolina beaches might be of interest to you.
You might want to consider a visit to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Be aware that is a several hour drive from the beaches to the mountains. North Carolina is a very LARGE state to drive through. But it is also an amazing place with lots to see and lots to do.
The Kill Devil Hills area of the Outer Banks is quite "touristy". You can visit historic lighthouses and the site where the Wright Brothers flew their infamous plane. You may even catch a fascinating hang-gliding exhibition on the dunes.
If you drive further south along the barrier island, you will find yourself in a wonderful stretch of protected dunes and beaches. You can pull over along the side of the road and find a place on the sand that you can have all to yourself. There are also affordable campgrounds with rustic cabins at the KOA place there.
They'll let you have a fire on the beach at night, as long as you build it where the water will cover it at high tide. And, if you go out to the dunes at night and wander around, you will feel like you are on another planet.
There are some pay and some free ferries that will take you to other parts of the Outer Banks and back to the mainland.
You'll also be near the Great Dismal Swamp, which is a really different and unusual kind of place to visit. (Take LOTS of bug spray.)
Here are some more links that might be helpful:
http://www.outerbanks.org/
http://dismalswamp.net/
http://www.northeast-nc.com/dismalswamp/
If you don't want to spend an entire day driving from the shore to the mountains, some of the South Carolina beaches might be of interest to you.
Jun 13th, 2007, 08:57 AM
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It probably would be best to reserve a campsite in advance. Especially if you want to stay at Cade's Cove. If you can't get in there, there are several other campgrounds scattered along the road going from the main ranger station to the Cove.
At Cade's Cove campground, you can arrange for horseback riding in the park, rent bicycles to pedal around the historic homes and churches in the settlement (or tour the place by car), and you can find out about all sorts of secluded scenic hiking areas that the public usually avoids.
Hope you have fun in my home state. It is an awesome place to see.
At Cade's Cove campground, you can arrange for horseback riding in the park, rent bicycles to pedal around the historic homes and churches in the settlement (or tour the place by car), and you can find out about all sorts of secluded scenic hiking areas that the public usually avoids.
Hope you have fun in my home state. It is an awesome place to see.
