We stopped along the way to visit our good friends Kelly and Mark in Columbia, SC. Kelly and I met in college when we both worked at an Aquarium together in NJ and realized we also both went to Rutgers! We've been really close every since then. She is one of my absolute best friends in the world and every time we get to see her and Mark it's truly a treat for my heart and soul. We caught up with them for a couple hours and enjoyed acai fruit bowls at a place called
with outdoor seating so the dogs could soak up attention and enjoy spending time with some of their favorite humans as well.
We continued on our way and hit some cold and rainy weather once we arrived in the mountains of NC. We got on the Blue Ridge Parkway and took it to
Mt. Pisgah campground where we chose to call home for the next week. Mt. Pisgah is a fantastic camping and hiking site (originally recommended to us by a friend) with one of the tallest aerial mountain views. The campground has two loops of strictly tent camping (meaning quiet and peaceful without the generators of RVs) with peaceful and secluded campsites. The only downsides if you are used to "glamping" are that there is no electricity or water hook ups at each tent site (but a couple water spouts in each loop) and only 1 shower for 2 loops of campsites. The not so great weather turned out to be an advantage because we were one of two tents in our entire loop (originally when we booked our site, almost every campsite was already reserved!) meaning people canceled at the last minute or didn't show up because of the rainy weather. We soon learned although an inconvenience, canceling because of the rain is silly when you can simply make the best out of it. Across the street from Mt. Pisgah campground is a full
Inn with a gift shop and restaurant with outdoor rocking chairs overlooking the blue ridge mountains right across the street (you can go check all this out and enjoy the amenities even if you don't stay there).
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| Home Sweet Home for 6 days |
Despite the cool temperatures, which we expected for being in the mountains, and constant spritzing of rain, we set up the dogs with their dinner under the trees in between rain drops, and quickly set up our tent and tried suspending some tarps over top with bungees tied to the tree branches to provide a little bit of a covered area and extra protection against rain and wind. Our site was secluded with lots of foliage, rhododendron flowers, and a stepped walkway down to our car's parking spot. Compared to other campgrounds we've camped at in the past, this one provided the most privacy. We packed a bunch of canned foods and a few perishable items in a cooler. Whenever we camp we pack most of our food to save money on our travels and in case we have a hard time finding vegan eats wherever we are. We made some vegan chili tacos with salsa for dinner and quickly ate them on the picnic table by lantern-light until the next big downpour came. The absence of other campers meant no lines (or no humans anywhere, really) for the showers which was nice too. The emptiness though made it feel a little bit eerie. We had a long night struggling to stay dry in the tent due to condensation at the seams and a lot of wind shaking our "home" around in the rain, but we fortunately brought several layers of clothing and blankets to keep us and the dogs warm and dry, and tried to stay away from the walls of the tent where the water collected. We've had some bad experiences with cold, rainy camping in the past (like that time Josh forgot to pack the tent poles for our north Georgia mountain trip one late November.. a trip I never actually got around to blogging about) so this proved to be not quite as bad as that. A bit of an adjustment though from the June weather in Florida we are used to!
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The "babushkas" as we called them-- each night I slathered some paw healing salve on all 12 paw pads and then tightly wrapped each pittie in a blanket tightly to keep them warm. Their paws were sore and these poor Floridian dogs were shivering from the cold!
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Friday, our first full day in the mountains brought plenty of rain. Our whole trip ahead appeared to have rain in the forecast every single day so we decided to prioritize waterfall hikes over mountain-view hikes. One thing we have learned through exploring mountains in both perfect sunny weather and downpours with poor visibility is this: when sunny, hit up the mountain-view climbs to the top of mountains, stop at scenic overlook areas, and climb any trails leading to spectacular aerial views... when rainy, you'll realize the visibility is so bad because anything at a high altitude basically puts you inside a huge cloud of fog. If it's rainy and/or foggy, that is the best time to focus on waterfalls and forest hikes.. the fog adds a bit of magic to these trails and often may even add a rainbow to your waterfall views. Compared to our past trips, I tried to be less OCD about planning everything out this time, and we just went on a whim and spontaneously explored a new area each day. Relying solely on maps and the recommendations of others, we focused on new trails and areas we haven't yet explored on either of our previous trips- but stuck to waterfall trails mostly.
We headed south and passed by the Looking Glass Falls overlook, a view you can easily see right off the road without doing any hiking, but if you choose to climb down to it it's a very short, tourist friendly stop with easy steps. We stopped here on our last trip but wanted to get a photo this time with the dogs. Keep in mind this site can get very crowded and busy in nice weather and during peak season... the rain kept people away during our stop so it wasn't crowded this time.
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| Josh and the gang at Looking Glass Falls |
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| My best attempted selfie of all of us at Looking Glass |
We continued south and our second stop was the
Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education in hopes to get a map or directions to a trail I wanted us to do that we just couldn't find. Along with getting directions and a clear map of waterfall trails within the area, we learned the Center had a trout hatchery, indoor exhibits, butterfly gardens, and hiking trails. There is no cost to explore the Center and the surrounding trails. We hung around in between the rain to visit the trout, see the exhibits and gardens, and hiked down to
Cedar Rock Falls from the parking lot. On a nicer day, it's worth making the hike to
John Rock hike which is also accessible from the Center's parking lot.
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| Visiting the Trout Hatchery, where they breed Trout and release them into the local rivers |
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| Lots of milkweed for monarchs in their native butterfly garden! |
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| Monarchs feeding on the milkweed |
After getting better directions, we were able to successfully drive to and find the trail to
Daniel Ridge/Jackson Falls which is at the very end of a paved road (475) that turns into an off road gravel road not far from the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. A pretty trail with really nice falls, a more hidden trail that's often overlooked. The full loop trail is 4 miles, but you can just go to the falls and back for about 1 mile of hiking. Definitely worth checking out!
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| Daniel Ridge Falls |
As the rain started again, we made some peanut butter and jelly and cookie butter sandwiches on the road and made a trip to downtown Brevard, a funky, artsy, gem of a town we checked out on our last trip to NC but had arrived too late last time to visit most of the stores before they closed. "The Coolest Small Town in America".
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| My go to hiking eats |
This time we got there early enough to explore and visit a bunch of funky gift shops, art galleries, rock/mineral stores, a craft show that was going on, and I even found a Humane Society Thrift store hidden at the end of the main drag of shops where I popped in and found a really nice $5 dress. Many stores are dog friendly, but Josh and I took turns exploring the shops while one of us waited with the dogs, and while I walked around I honestly think he appreciated the "rest" in the car with the dogs. There are lots of quaint restaurants and places to check out. Most stores close around 6 or later but some close as early as 4 or 5. Brevard is the perfect stop for a half or full day in between hiking and exploring the mountains, for a taste of art and culture with a similar vibe to Asheville-- honestly, Brevard is probably one of my favorite towns I've ever been to and if I had an opportunity to move there I very likely would. If you love art, shopping, funky stuff, and cool finds I highly recommend stopping here.
Brevard has nice restaurants with a few vegan options, but we decided to head towards Hendersonville/Horseshoe, NC (east of Brevard and South of Asheville) to a new place to eat that we had our eye on and have wanted to try called
Garlik Vegan. Thank goodness we went here because this place totally knocked our socks off and we WILL be going back here for every future NC trip we make! Entirely vegan with the nicest staff, and kindest, most creative and accommodating chef/owner I've ever met named Christine. Garlik Vegan has a diverse menu with a variety of options, and they're very open to modifying or adjusting anything to meet your needs. We got two pizzas, one half buffalo tempeh and half chick'n alfredo, and one half white and half mac n cheese. In all, we tried five or more specialty vegan "cheeses" on our pizzas and absolutely fell in love. We had a lot of leftovers which provided us meals later that night and throughout the next day for lunch and dinner. There is nice outdoor seating where we basically set up camp for the time we were there and the dogs made themselves at home. All the staff all came out to meet our dogs and give them lots of love, and helped us pack the leftovers into a small enough box to fit in our cooler with lots of ice packs. The restaurant is decorated with local artwork inside with some of the proceeds benefiting local sanctuaries to help animals. We even got a banana split cupcake to go which was OUT OF THIS WORLD. I rate this place a bazillion stars out of five--- whether you are vegan or not, be sure to go there if you travel through the area for a delicious meal. They are currently just open Wed-Sat, so make sure to plan accordingly so you don't miss out!
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| Good times and good pizza at Garlik Vegan |
Again, we had another rainy night, but after having some of the best vegan pizzas in the world, we really couldn't complain. We persevered and woke the next day for a super long (3+ hours) road trip up the Linville area, north on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The drive would have been shorter on a day with better visibility, but rain and fog on windy mountain roads made this quite a trek from our campground with slow and safe driving. We had been wanting to explore this area and never made it up there on past trips, and were really glad to have gotten there this time!
Linville Falls and Gorge provided some incredible scenic views and beautiful hikes, even in the rain. The trails are moderate-easy and there's a visitor center and gift shop. This is a very touristy and high visited area so expect some crowds. The plus is that most of the trails are very easy to walk compared to more secluded hikes with more rugged terrain.
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| Linville Falls |
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| Cool finds along the trail |
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| Linville Gorge Overlook |
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| Linville Gorge Overlook |
Afterwards, we checked out the
Tanawha Trail along the Linville Vividuct... a very long trail that we only explored a part of due to persistent pouring rain and antsy dogs. Many parts of the actual trail turned into a river and waterfall with constant flow during the heavy rains. I'm not sure if the trail was closed or it was just recommended we stay off it due to flooding and rain, but we still explored it anyway because we can be a bit rebellious at times. Super cool area to climb rocks and explore coves right alongside part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We were entirely soaked by the end of the day, but we didn't let the downpours dampen our spirits along with our clothes.
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| Cool rocks and coves |
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| The dogs enjoyed climbing rocks along the Tanawha Trail |
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| Lots of rain on the Tanawha Trail |
Sunday was Asheville's 5th Annual Vegan Fest! This was the second Vegan Fest we attended in Asheville as visitors and we always love it. So many new food vendors to try, local artisans, vegan shirts/stickers, and a variety of goods. (The festival is advertised as not being dog-friendly due to city restrictions during festivals, but there is no enforcement and there are plenty of dogs anyway.) We dedicated the whole day to exploring the festival and checking out the shops and galleries in town. There was a bit of light rain on and off throughout the day, but no downpours like we had been getting every day that we were hiking. We got AMAZING food at Vegan Fest!
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| Asheville's 5th Annual Vegan Fest |
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Loaded Portobello Mushroom from one of the vendors at Vegan Fest
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"The Box" variety meal with delicious Hempeh from Vegan Fest
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Mac n Cheese from Vegan Fest
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We've been to Asheville twice and knew most of our favorite areas we wanted to explore. I have SO many favorite shops, but by far I always feel the most inspired when I enter the
Kress Emporium and
Woolworth Walk, both filled with art and hand-made goods by local artisans. If you walk around downtown you'll stumble upon so many restaurants (many of which are vegan friendly!), art galleries, gift shops, hippie shops, boutiques, metaphysical stores, antique places, book stores, a doggy bakery, and everything in between.
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| Lots of unique finds at Kress Emporium |
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| More art at the Emporium 2, right next door |
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Dog treats at Three Dogs Bakery
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The dogs were acting up so we took turns walking around downtown, but being there before made it easier to navigate and mostly just check out our favorites. Asheville is very dog-friendly and several stores allow pets inside. If you want to see more of the art culture, check out the River Arts District as well. There is so much to do and you easily can spend several days in Asheville, or limit your visit to a full or half day if you're pressed for time and want to prioritize hiking and mountain exploring. If you haven't been though, stopping in to explore the city for a bit is definitely a must!
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Got a vegan breakfast burrito at Green Safe Cafe in the morning before Vegan Fest opened-
they are one of MANY restaurants with plant-based options in Asheville
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Asheville is the home of so many unique and funky stores
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On our way back up to the campground we squeezed in a hike up
Mt. Pisgah before settling in for the night. What started as a harmless hike soon turned into very poor visibility with major downpours on us, soaking some of the last dry layers we had left. We have done this hike before, and normally the view at the top is phenomenal when the visibility is good. It's also one of the few areas you can get cell service since there's a cell tower conveniently located at the top of the mountain. The hike is 2.3 miles round trip, and is moderate-difficult... mostly uphill with a lot of rocks.
On Monday, we traveled South to explore more new trails. We stopped at a hidden trail called
Courthouse Falls. It's a bit of a trek off Highway 215 and about 7 miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway, and you have to drive down a very windy, gravely, rocky 3 mile road that hugs a gorgeous river. We could do it in a prius but some low cars may have difficulty getting through. You'll keep going until you see the trail head for Courthouse Falls. This trail is very secluded and once you make the trek down there you'll see why! It's so worth it though. No one else was around and the moderate-easy trail brought us down to a gorgeous fall that was a neat place to explore and hang out. The hike is a little rocky and slippery but not too bad -- the steps down to the fall become a bit narrow and steep, Josh and I had to work as a team to assist the big dogs down the steps to get to the fall at the bottom. This one was one of my favorites trails!
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| Our car survived the rugged 3 mile terrain down to the trailhead |
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| Such a fun hike! |
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| Manny photobombed this selfie- I'm totally ok with it though |
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| Gorgeous waterfall |
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| Family photo at Courthouse Falls |
We continued south on NC 215 and stopped to see an additional 3 falls (French Broad, Mill Shoals and Cathedral Falls) that were not far from the road but on private property. The Ministry property where they are located on is fine with visitors parking and stopping to check them out though. We then went to Gorges State Park, where we hiked Bearwallow Falls (an easy hike) and a much more strenuous 3.5 mile hike to Rainbow and Turtle Back Falls. It rained on us all day making the trails more slippery and difficult. Be sure to obey all signs and stay on marked trails as several deaths occur every year when people stray from the trail and try to explore the falls. You will not survive if you slip into the water. Astounding falls and beautiful sites to see.
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| Rainbow Falls |
We went a little further south to stop at Whitewater Falls.. a pretty short and very easy walk to a beautiful view of a HUMONGOUS waterfall! The fall is so big and you don't get anywhere near it, but it looks like a gigantic slip n slide. The parking fee is a couple dollars and you pay in an envelope based on the honor system. Worth it as the view is really pretty.
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| The dogs at Whitewater Falls |
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| Close-up of Whitewater Falls |
On our way back to our campground we had a bit of day-light left so we stopped at one of our favorite trails that was back up on the BR Parkway for old time's sake that we haven't explored since our very first Asheville trip- Graveyard Fields! It started to get cold and the weather got bad so we didn't get too far on the trail, but we spent some time playing in the falls that are right off the beginning of the main trail- a picturesque and favorite stop we spent a lot of time in with Manny and Weiner the last time we had been there, so it was nice bringing our dogs there to explore it again. We got back just in time for another long and rainy night in a wet tent.
Tuesday was our last day in the mountains.. and ironically enough we found that the sun was actually peaking out when we woke up. Finally, our very first bit of sunlight, of course on the day we were leaving!
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| Blue Ridge Parkway scenic view on a sunny day |
We took down the tent, packed up the car, and decided to travel east to check out a cool town called Black Mountain that we saw on one of our maps. Another quaint little mountain town with adorable shops, some artsy galleries, antique stores, great restaurants and unique small businesses, this place is definitely worth the stop for a half day in between hikes on your trip.
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| Lots of art in Black Mountain |
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| The dogs enjoyed walking around the quaint town of Black Mountain with us |
We ate lunch at
My Father's Pizza.... we clearly needed more vegan pizza and enjoyed one topped with vegan cheese and homemade shittake "bacon"! They can modify many things on the menu to be vegan and have several options... highly recommend!
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| My Father's Pizza |
We traveled south, not too much out of the way to travel home through Chimney Rock, a town with a highly visited state park. The state park is a little pricey but looks like it has some outstanding views and fantastic hiking... something we may save for a future trip. The little town it's in has some touristy shops, restaurants, lodging and a fun garden store called "Hickory Nut" filled with whimsical yard decor that of course caught our eye.. plus antiques, and all kinds of random finds inside the shop with reasonable prices. We stopped and bought a dachshund planter that we got in memory of our dog Weiner who we had to put down just a few weeks before our trip. The car was so packed that I had to keep the heavy clay pot on my lap for 7+ hours but it was worth it. We rarely travel in comfort when we cram the whole family and a bunch of stuff into our small car.
We continued down to the town of Lake Lure, and stopped at the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge, a highly visited trail along the side of a bridge with winding garden paths, repurposed garden art, beautiful lake views and gorgeous gardens. DEFINITELY worth stopping and checking out, even if only for a few minutes. Free and dog-friendly.
We finally piled into the car for the last time and continued our journey back home to Gainesville, Florida. The dogs were extremely wiped out from this trip. Despite rain for a majority of our trip, we remained optimistic and made the most of such a fun and exciting escape from reality for a whole week. We love hiking, love getting lost in the mountains, love spending time with our dogs and like exploring new areas and towns so we definitely had a blast. These are just some of the countless hikes and things to do in the NC mountains, so feel free to get inspired by the places we visited but remember there are plenty of other areas to explore as well. We'll save them all for next time!
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| Don't ask my why this photo cracks us up so much - but 50% of the drive consisted of Onyx trying to inch his way into the front seat... and he thought we wouldn't notice his feet casually resting in one of the cup holders |
Essential packing list for mountain camping and hiking (especially with a chance of rain..):
Tent, sleeping bags and sleeping pads (if you have a site with electric, an air mattress is NOT a bad idea)
pillows.. and garbage bags to store them in to keep them dry
If rain is in the forecast- it never hurts to bring some tarps and bungee cords in case you need to MacGyver yourself some extra shelter
Raincoats, quick dry pants, and lots of layers- quick dry material is best. Even if it's summer and the weather looks warm, higher altitude can bring cooler temperatures. It was in the 50's at night during our trip which was the second week of June.
Always extra clothes--- clothes WILL get wet and you may need more layers than you think. If you need to pack light, stick to quick dry clothes. If it rains for your whole trip you won't be able to hang anything out to dry though, so keep that in mind!
Waterproof and comfortable hiking boots or rigid-bottomed sneakers + extra socks
An extra pair of shoes.. because if it's rainy, your first pair WILL get wet
Plastic shopping bags.. for laundry, wet feet, wet stuff, etc.....
Waterproof hiking sandals (like Keans, Tevas or Chacos) for waterfall hikes (I prefer sandals to boots) because your boots or shoes WILL likely get soaked at some point
Bathing suit, if you want to hit up some of the swimming areas (see my
other post which includes swimming sites like Skinny Dip Falls and Sliding Rock)
bug spray, sunscreen, hat, water bottle, snacks, hiking pack
LOTS of drinking water, water bottles and containers to fill up daily at the campground
first aid kit
canned food, snacks, drinking water, cooler or storage bin that closes/locks to store food at campground or in your car. a cooler is also good if you eat out and want to store leftovers
mesh kit/pots/pans for cooking if you choose to
shower stuff/toiletries including flip flops or shower shoes and a towel - an all purpose soap like Dr. Bronner's is best for packing minimally
charcoal or fire wood- can also be purchased at campground
spending $
camera
For the dogs:
some kind of paw butter or moisturizer for cracked dog paws/feet after long hikes (very much needed on our trip!)
dog socks/boots/bandages/first aid kit in preparation for injured or hurt paws on rocky hikes (we didn't need any of this but were prepared just in case)
dog treats
poop bags
dog food in a sealable bag or container (most sites have bear-proof storage bins, but it won't keep out the ants)
food bowl, travel water bowl
extra water
coat or blankets for cold nights
comfortable harness, collar, and leash (and a spare!)
dog shampoo
hiking backpack if they have one!
Check the forecast leading up to your trip- even if rain isn't planned, prepare for it just in case! If you're prepared like we were, it may "dampen" things a bit but it certainly will not ruin your trip.
cool looking trip.
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