The DuPont State Recreation Forest, more commonly known as DuPont State Forest or just DuPont Forest, offers 12,000+ acres of blow-your-mind beautiful wilderness in the North Carolina mountains. The natural scenery here is so remarkable that several movies— including The Hunger Games and The Last of the Mohicans—have used the forest as a film location. Tucked away … Read more
[Updated on 7/20/21] I can remember my first visit to northwest Georgia’s Cloudland Canyon State Park like it was yesterday, despite the fact that it was nearly 27 years ago. That trip was the first time I went camping with my family as an adult, nearly 20 years after we hiked the Georgia section of … Read more
[Updated 1/19/2025] If you enjoy getting deep into the forest, exploring the Blue Ridge Mountains, and looking up as gorgeous waterfalls cascade down, then Pisgah National Forest is going to be a winner. Encompassing over 500,000 acres in Western North Carolina, Pisgah Forest offers lots of room to roam. Its hundreds of miles of trails provide … Read more
Although I’ve been exploring the North Georgia State Parks, waterfalls, and hiking trails near Blue Ridge and Helen since I was a boy, for some reason the town of Clayton never really popped up on my family’s radar. It wasn’t until late 2020 that we finally explored northeast Georgia’s Rabun County in depth, and we were … Read more
North Carolina is home to the five highest mountains east of the Mississippi: Mt. Mitchell, Clingman’s Dome, Mt. Guyot, Richland Balsam, and Potato Knob. In fact, over half of the tallest 20 mountains in the eastern US are in Western North Carolina! And we aren’t talking run-of-the-mill mountains here. These are the Appalachians, replete with … Read more
[Updated on 7/16/21] From Amicalola Falls and Red Top Mountain to Unicoi and Vogel, we’ve explored quite a few of the state parks in Georgia in the 12 years we’ve been traveling together. But our trip to Black Rock Mountain State Park last September firmly established the 1743-acre park near Clayton GA as our favorite. … Read more
[Updated August 12, 2021] The Blue Ridge Parkway is the most visited national park unit in the USA, attracting more than 15 million visitors each year. It’s far more than just a beautiful scenic roadway, encompassing nearly 500 miles in NC and VA and protecting wilderness areas extending far beyond the road’s shoulders. Within these protected … Read more
[Updated July 27, 2021] With only one or two Blue Ridge Parkway hotels in North Carolina, it’s not easy to find accommodations along the world-famous route during the peak season in Autumn. We wanted to bring our furry friends (Boo-Boo and Huckleberry) along for the ride when we visited in October, so instead we searched … Read more
[Updated April 3, 2024] During our 2009 visit to Blue Ridge, Georgia, restaurants were not really among the small town’s major selling points. Sure, there were a few decent places to eat in Blue Ridge back then, but none were especially worthy of note. The only one I remember fondly– a New Orleans eatery on … Read more
[Updated September 21, 2021] Anytime someone in our Blue Ridge Mountains Facebook groups asks about the best easy to moderate hiking trails in North Georgia, we recommend the waterfalls near Helen GA. Anna Ruby Falls (.8 miles) and Helton Creek Falls (.3 miles) are both easy hikes that offer extraordinary payoff for minimal effort. … Read more
