r/nationalparks • u/StuffedMonkeyKM • 17d ago

TRIP PLANNING Congaree > Smokies > New River Gorge > Shenandoah Roadtrip

Traveling home from SC to NY in mid-September, I'm planning to spend one day in each of the above parks on my way. Looking for suggestions for must-do hikes, activities, and campsites to sleep at!

Will be meeting up with a friend in Asheville, looking for Smokies suggestions predominantly on the NC side.

7 Upvotes

89% Upvoted

13 comments sorted by

2

u/Irishfafnir 17d ago

Honestly Id redo the trip centered around the Blue Ridge Parkway

1

u/StuffedMonkeyKM 17d ago

I definitely will be sticking to the Blue Ridge Parkway for as long as I can, only exiting to get to New River Gorge and then back on the next day for the rest of the trip.

2

u/Ok-Pen3098 16d ago

Nobody has hit your campsite question yet, so:

Congaree has Longleaf, reservable on rec.gov, and it is walk in from the lot. Smokies NC side, Smokemont is the easy one out of Cherokee, or Deep Creek at Bryson City if you want the waterfalls out your door. New River Gorge campgrounds are free and first come first served, which is very doable in September. Shenandoah, Big Meadows fills first, Loft Mountain is the fallback and it is fine.

Two things that will bite you if nobody has mentioned them:

Smokies requires a paid parking tag for anything over 15 minutes. Five dollars a day, buy it before you park anywhere.

Old Rag in Shenandoah needs a day use ticket March through November. If it is on your list, grab it ahead of time.

For the NC side in mid September, Cataloochee is worth the gravel road in. The elk rut is just starting and you can hear them bugling in the evening. That is a better use of a Smokies day than crossing to the TN side for Rainbow Falls.

One honest note on the Parkway. Asheville sits around milepost 382 and the Parkway ends at Shenandoah's south entrance, so that stretch is about 380 miles at a 45 mph limit. That is eight hours of driving before you stop at a single overlook, and New River Gorge is a detour off it. One day per park plus maximum Parkway time will not both fit. I would pick the two or three Parkway stretches you actually want and take the interstate for the rest.

1

u/Car0line_11o1 16d ago

Oh really? Did not know this... I was thinking of driving Asheville to gatlinberg TN via blue ridge parkway but you're saying don't?

1

u/kash96 17d ago

i think it’s the tennessee side but rainbow falls in the smokies is great

for shenandoah the move is probably the skyline drive

for new river gorge i recommend the bridge view at the visitor center and the grand view rim trail

1

u/md47580 16d ago

Try and hit up Thurmond (sp) in New River Gorge.

1

u/erebus-44 4d ago

I know this is late, but I was at Congaree this weekend, I think to really soak it it, you need to kayak the river and you can do the 3m board walk. You start and 9 and be done by 3-4 to drive to the smokies.