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  1. #1
    Seasoned Camper FordmanNJ's Avatar
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    Great Smokeys and Mammoth Caves Spring trip- Camping and route recommendations

    Hello!

    The wife and I are finalizing our first big trip of the year. We are planning a trip to the Great Smokey's and Mammoth Cave NP area this time. We figured it is a good range plus should be a good time of year to see these parks.

    Time Frame- Mid April 2020.
    Trip Duration Approximately 9 days.
    Rig- Reflection 285BHTS 36'
    Hook ups- At least Electric and water. Most place seem to offer Full though.

    GSNP leg. I looked at the map. There looks like a ton of camping in the area around Gatlingsburg and the like. I also saw Anchor's Down resort on the west side outskirts of the area making it around hour or so ride into the main area. Any recommendations around the Gatlinsburg area? We are all ears about where to stay. Any recommendations for places to see or what to do in the area besides the park. I know G-burg has a ton going on as well as Dollywood in Pigeon Forge. We plan on visiting both places. We did go to G-burg years ago in 2001 for the aquarium. So I really do not remember much from there. 20 years lots changes.


    MCNP. I looked up the local camping scene besides what is available inside the park itself. It appears to be some stuff but not much in the way of camping. Any recommendations there? Anything besides the park that should checked out while in that area.


    As for the route, we have not decided which direction to go yet. For us to go to the Caves first, it appears it's across PA, down through OH and into KY. For GSNP, PA 78 to 81 and 40. It's a bit more straight forward for the lack of a better term. My wife and I are looking at it both ways of which one would be the better direction to take. The other issue is the travel between. A first draft of the route on google is taking us west I40 then more or less state highways to the caves. Many of those roads appear to be 2 lane and not 4 lane. I was thinking if it would be worth heading towards Nashville and up 65 instead to keep on the interstates. Any thoughts to this? I am sure someone must have gone a similar path before.

    Thank you for the information and I will ask if I have more questions.
    Last edited by FordmanNJ; 01-12-2020 at 01:11 PM.
    2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT CCSB 4x4 6.2 gasser 3.73 E locker
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 285BHS

  2. #2
    Fireside Member 2rad4u's Avatar
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    81 to 40 brings you right to Anchor Down. I highly recommend it.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Chris

    2020 Reflection 337RLS
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  3. #3
    Seasoned Camper tortise's Avatar
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    Great Smokeys and Mammoth Caves Spring trip- Camping and route recommendations

    A lot depends on your interest, for us the Smokies appeal is the mountains, woods and animals particularly Cade’s Cove, I reccomend camping there a few nights if you fit and if you can do with out hookups. ( iPad doesn’t show the sig line so I don’t know what rig you have).


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    Last edited by tortise; 01-12-2020 at 06:03 PM.
    2018 Reflection 27RL
    2017 GMC 2500


  4. #4
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    Nolan Lake State Park is a nice, quiet place near Cave City. A little bit of a drive, but worth it to get away from the crowd.

    Corvette museum and plant tours,and train museum in Bowling Green. Beech Bend Raceway.

    Along the way you’ll likely come through Kentucky horse and bourbon country. Well worth a day or two.
    John & Kathy
    2014 F250 Lariat FX4 6.2L SBCC
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  5. #5
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    You could go thru the Smokies to start, and turn North on I-75 from Knoxville. Then turn west on Hwy 80 at London, KY--a road built to interstate highway specifications. You'd go Hwy 80 to Glasgow, KY where you'd turn north a short distance to Cave City, KY.

    Highway 80 runs alongside Lake Cumberland (past Somerset) and camping facilities should be easily found.

    And don't forget to look at CaveCity.com for tourism in and around Mammoth Cave. I grew up in Nashville, and cannot believe I've never been to the caves.
    Last edited by Bamaman; 01-12-2020 at 07:24 PM.

  6. #6
    Seasoned Camper FordmanNJ's Avatar
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    Hello!

    Quote Originally Posted by 2rad4u View Post
    81 to 40 brings you right to Anchor Down. I highly recommend it.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Yes this one is on the list. I did see the views are the money at this place. I don't know if it will be too far out depending on what is done during the day. The last thing I really dislike doing to driving another hour or so to get back to where I need to be. Then hearing from the others asking why didn't we stay there as we would have been back to the trailer by now. LoL


    Quote Originally Posted by tortise View Post
    A lot depends on your interest, for us the Smokies appeal is the mountains, woods and animals particularly Cade’s Cove, I reccomend camping there a few nights if you fit and if you can do it hour hookups. ( iPad doesn’t show the sig line so I don’t know what rig you have).


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    Hour Hook ups? I don't know what kind of camping you are into but I doubt this is the kind I am bring the family too LoL. I know some places only offer electric only. Many places can be electric and water. Our regular place is several different tiers. Tent with 20A service/Water. Now they are converting sections of the campground over to 50A service and adding cable too. The section where my parent usually stay at is E30/W and is one of the oldest sections of the campground utility wise. Where we stay now in the campground, it's E50/W/Cable. This is one of the newest sections to be converted. Everyone is a pump out for long term. Weekenders is the dump station. Sewer is not a huge deal breaker nor is cable. We can survive. We did before lol.

    Anyway, We have a Reflection 285BHTS 36 foot TT. We tow it with a 2016 F350 XLT Short bed crew cab. Hence why I want to make sure we can fit into some of the campgrounds. I do not want to book something only to find out we are not going to fit.


    Quote Originally Posted by jkwilson View Post
    Nolan Lake State Park is a nice, quiet place near Cave City. A little bit of a drive, but worth it to get away from the crowd.

    Corvette museum and plant tours,and train museum in Bowling Green. Beech Bend Raceway.

    Along the way you’ll likely come through Kentucky horse and bourbon country. Well worth a day or two.
    That might be in order. My wife is a horse person. We may make the back end of the trip related to that while taking a slightly slower pace home. Not a bad suggestion.
    2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT CCSB 4x4 6.2 gasser 3.73 E locker
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 285BHS

  7. #7
    Seasoned Camper tortise's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by FordmanNJ View Post
    Hello!



    Yes this one is on the list. I did see the views are the money at this place. I don't know if it will be too far out depending on what is done during the day. The last thing I really dislike doing to driving another hour or so to get back to where I need to be. Then hearing from the others asking why didn't we stay there as we would have been back to the trailer by now. LoL




    Hour Hook ups? I don't know what kind of camping you are into but I doubt this is the kind I am bring the family too LoL. I know some places only offer electric only. Many places can be electric and water. Our regular place is several different tiers. Tent with 20A service/Water. Now they are converting sections of the campground over to 50A service and adding cable too. The section where my parent usually stay at is E30/W and is one of the oldest sections of the campground utility wise. Where we stay now in the campground, it's E50/W/Cable. This is one of the newest sections to be converted. Everyone is a pump out for long term. Weekenders is the dump station. Sewer is not a huge deal breaker nor is cable. We can survive. We did before lol.

    Anyway, We have a Reflection 285BHTS 36 foot TT. We tow it with a 2016 F350 XLT Short bed crew cab. Hence why I want to make sure we can fit into some of the campgrounds. I do not want to book something only to find out we are not going to fit.




    That might be in order. My wife is a horse person. We may make the back end of the trip related to that while taking a slightly slower pace home. Not a bad suggestion.
    Cade’s Cove is no hookups..sorry for the typo



    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    2018 Reflection 27RL
    2017 GMC 2500


  8. #8
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    We personally like the campground at Mammoth Cave NP even though there aren't hookups. Most of the sites are large and well spread out in the trees. Restrooms don't have showers but are nice and clean. Lots of good cave tours and hiking in the area. Nearby KY Down Under is somewhat interesting, especially if you have kids.

    Bardstown isn't too far away and has My Old Kentucky Home and a number of distilleries.

    As someone else pointed out, taking KY 80 across from I-75 to the Cumberland Parkway on to I-65 is a great route. KY 80 is mostly 4 lane and the Cumberland Parkway is just like an interstate (in fact it is the future I-66).
    2018 Imagine 2500RL
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  9. #9
    Big Traveler Wicked ace's Avatar
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    https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/show...innesota/page3
    Check out page three of this thread. I was in eastern Tennessee last fall and mentioned the places I stayed in the Cherokee National Forest. Johnson City is close enough and I was surprised how it has grown. North Carolina state line is a short drive so day trips to Boone, Ashville and Hendersonville are easily made.
    2018 F150 XLT 301a, Screw, 4x4, HDPP, Max tow, Andersen Ultimate w/ Curt Double Lock hitch.
    2019 Grand Design Reflection 150 series 260RD.... SOLD!!!!.

  10. #10
    Seasoned Camper FordmanNJ's Avatar
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    Quick update...

    We are feeling out the route for going to GSNP first. We are kicking around a few different places to camp at. I like the idea of Anchor Down for the views of the lake and the mountains however the wife feels it might be too far away from the what we want to do. We are thinking about visiting the sites, doing a couple of hikes and checking out the area in general.

    This leaves Mammoth Caves NP as the next destination. We both agreed probably 1/2 night stop there. However, we are tossing in another thought for the trip back to the storage lot. We are thinking about hitting up the Columbus Zoo on the return trip. It would only be a day trip but it looks like there is some camping in the Columbus area that should be open around that time frame. Another idea my wife had was also to do the other Columbus Zoo's other park The Wilds. Looking at that as well, it looks like that's only a couple of hours as well. Personally it seems like enough to break up the trip in a few spots along the way.

    So Ohio GD RVers, any suggestions in this area? I saw some camping around Alum Creek Lake which seems to be the closest to the zoo. However, I didn't see anything going toward the Wilds though. Now I am wondering if I should find something that might be in the middle of both places.

    Thanks for the thoughts or suggestions...
    2016 Ford F-350 Super Duty XLT CCSB 4x4 6.2 gasser 3.73 E locker
    2018 Grand Design Reflection 285BHS

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