MD->VA->KY->KY->GA->SC->MD

[carn_dogg]

Good day everyone.
First post here on this site but long time creeper, nothing weird.

I bought a 13 Tundra Cewmax last year and started to modify it with what I like...and what would be practical.
Put on some King coilovers, 35x12.5 bfg ko2's, some additional lighting, and that's about it. I have plenty of camping equipment and will be able to make the rig and the accessories work for me, my wife, and our husky.

I'm reaching out to you all to gain some insight on the National Parks that we will be visiting over the duration of 7-9 days. Planning on the end of May 2018. We live on the Eastern Shore in Maryland...so that's where we will leave from.

From there, we will go to:
Shenandoah NP
Mammoth Cave NP
Cumberland Gap NHP
Tallula Gorge SP
Congaree NP
Cape Hatteras NS
...then back home eventually.

SO.... is there anything that can be shared regarding these aforementioned locations? I'd like to explore back country if possible and we will definitely be sleeping with the truck... RTT or bed tent, whichever we purchase.
Any help or experiences that can be shared would be greatly appreciated. Thanks !

-Pat

 

[carn_dogg]

Here is the truck.

Here is the pup.

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[Eric Neal]

Hey Pat! Just wondering what, if any, theme you are looking for? With Cumberland and Mammoth Caves I was thinking, "this guy must be a spelunker" but then you threw a curve with Congaree NP. I'll say this, in May - in the south - with all that water at Congaree... bring LOTS of bug spray (or bug dope as referred to regionally).

So, to N. GA... if I recall correctly you may have a chance to see a mating/breeding pair of peregrine falcons who typically raise a brood or clutch of babies in the gorge during May. Mom & dad will be out foraging for the clutch so should be pretty active in flight. Bring your longer lenses for camera, binoculars, or scope. You should be able to check with one of the Rangers on-site to get beta on where they are nesting since it can vary year t0 year.

If you're looking for good camping nearby (wouldn't camp in Tallulah Gorge campgrounds myself unless you like "KOA" style camping) just let me know ahead of time. There are many of us in the area who could give you some options which we like, and use regularly, but are much more "remote and private".

 

[carn_dogg]

Eric. Thank you for your response!

Not really sure what these we are going for. We wanted to go farther west but don’t want to rush over the 1 week span we gave ourselves. So we are going to stay relatively close to the east coast. We will be sure to bring a lot of bug spray, no one likes being eaten alive. Our main objective is just to see and enjoy as much of the country as we can in the time that we can allow, for now. Ideally we can drive around the area, through some trails, find a spot to camp, and branch out from there on foot. Explore and capture (visually)what we can.

Would be great to hear about some camping locations that would give us a chance to explore some back country if possible and give ourselves some privacy from other campers and explorers.

The only destination that I’ve been able to map out well has been cape lookout. There are a few threads on here and expeditionportal that provide some useful insight. I don’t know exactly what to expect with the other parks and it’s going to be important for us to be able to camp out of the truck and use that as our home base for the duration of the trip.


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[Revere]

Check out the Kentucky Adventure Tour if you're looking for some back/dirt roads (http://annessky.net/kat/ or https://www.facebook.com/groups/121845738390272/). You could take sections of it to get between Mammoth Cave, Cumberland Gap, and Shenandoah. You should also stop by Cumberland Falls on the way - especially if you get the chance to see the moonbow!

 

[Eric Neal]

Pat... a week!??

I'm going to now assume your plan, so far, is to camp a night in a NP/SP then hop onto an interstate highway and burn up concrete until you get to the next NP/SP, repeat.

If that is the thought, then scrap my earlier comment about camping near Tallulah Gorge - I'd now suggest you get there & stay there for the night. Use your time for the park visit and not add more driving time.

I don't think you'll get much "trail time" in during this trip since much of the Forest Service road driving speeds will be approximately 10-25 mph 'at best' so for the locations you've listed you'd end up with 2 days (one night) at, or near, each of the locations. That alone would require a two week trip - but that's based on MY experience and I'm not "the" most experienced. Others may see this differently.

8 hours from Shenandoah to Mammoth Cave - 3.5 hours to Cumberland Gap - 3.5 to Tallulah Gorge - 4 hours to Congaree... so considering that (for me) I always add more time for meals, fuel & coffee stops, bathroom breaks, traffic in/near cities, road construction, etc. Therefore a 3-4 hour interstate run ends up being 5-6 hours no matter how fast I drive which means you'll be driving most of every day just to get from one park to the next, break down camp/set up camp - prep and eat a meal - start a fire - sleep - repeat.

I just think you've set too ambitious a trip agenda to actually see much beyond the interstate view and a little time around a campsite. BUT.... I'm an old guy and like to take my time - anticipate distractions or allow for alternate plans and most importantly visit at a slower pace.

 

[TerryD]

That's an ambitious plan! I'm west of Shenandoah in the George Washington National Forest. I did a two day trip last year just driving to Harrisonburg, Va. But again, that's just the types of road I picked to drive.

We did a trip to DC as well. We spent two days there with friends, drove to Oregon Inlet on OBX and spent two days there camping, then home and that trip was exhausting.

I think you might have a more enjoyable trip if you picked a couple of those areas and spent a couple days exploring each. Gove yourself an extra day to play with in there rather than having too rigid a schedule and no time to spare.

That's just my opinion based on my experiences traveling. Your mileage may vary.

I'm looking forward to following along no matter what you choose to do. Please start a thread on it so we can all "tag along".

 

[Flipper]

When you are at the Gorge in Ga. a couple miles to the east is Devils Fork S.P. and Lake Jocassee. Lake Jocassee and the Gorge is where they filmed Deliverence, pretty cool place, if you hear banjo music start running!

 

[carn_dogg]

Check out the Kentucky Adventure Tour if you're looking for some back/dirt roads (http://annessky.net/kat/ or https://www.facebook.com/groups/121845738390272/). You could take sections of it to get between Mammoth Cave, Cumberland Gap, and Shenandoah. You should also stop by Cumberland Falls on the way - especially if you get the chance to see the moonbow!

Thanks windybadger. I’ll definitely take a look at those links. Just looked up what a moonbow was, even though I should have been able to figure out what it was by the name. We will be sure to keep a lookout and picture if possible.


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[carn_dogg]

That's an ambitious plan! I'm west of Shenandoah in the George Washington National Forest. I did a two day trip last year just driving to Harrisonburg, Va. But again, that's just the types of road I picked to drive.

We did a trip to DC as well. We spent two days there with friends, drove to Oregon Inlet on OBX and spent two days there camping, then home and that trip was exhausting.

I think you might have a more enjoyable trip if you picked a couple of those areas and spent a couple days exploring each. Gove yourself an extra day to play with in there rather than having too rigid a schedule and no time to spare.

That's just my opinion based on my experiences traveling. Your mileage may vary.

I'm looking forward to following along no matter what you choose to do. Please start a thread on it so we can all "tag along".

Yeah I’m beginning to think that we have a lot of ground to cover in little time while still seeing everything we want to see. We wanted to do more initially but cut the trip back to this. A buddy of mine spent around 2 months going around the country going to national parks. And even then, he wished he had spent more time in certain places. I think we are going to try to fit everything in, but if we really enjoy the place, it’s not a set in stone plan, so we can always stay longer and scratch a park off the route.

I’m going to try to document as much as I can. I’ll be sure to make a thread once I’ve got everything put together.


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[carn_dogg]

Alright so we are two got the bed rack and roof top tent installed. Confirmed that we can explore backcountry in Shenandoah and some others on the trip but are open to any suggestions for places to stay and places to explore. Winging it a little on our destinations since we don’t want to stress our selves and put the trip on a strict timeline. And swapping Cape Hatteras to do cape lookout for two nights. Taking the ferry to the island so that should be a nice last stop before heading home.

Will post pics of rig and equipment we are bringing for those interested. Stay tuned!!

-Pat


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[carn_dogg]

Here’s a sub par picture of the truck and tent opened up.

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[carn_dogg]

Getting some more items together and packing up some of our bins with supplies.

1 bin for dry goods
1 bin for kitchen items
1 bin for safety/tools/utilities

Will be bringing 3 5-gallon gas tanks cause I’d rather have them and not need them then need them and not have them.
Also going to bring 3 7-gallon water tanks for drinking water and to use at camp

Lights are all set on the truck. Finished wiring the bed rack lights yesterday. Nothing crazy, just for some camp light at night for setup and bathroom etc.

Pics!

He bin above is for dry goods and will be packed the day before or morning that we leave.

My wife just put this together using a pill planner so we don’t have to take a whole bottle or everything and can just have a few of each of the usual suspects.

We are pumped to get on the road next week. First stop, Shenandoah.


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