Campgrounds to stay cool in the summer in the southeast

[Bradswife]

We live in Atlanta and would like to go camping throughout the summer. Do you have any suggestions of favorite campgrounds within 3-4 hours of here that stay cool, probably in the mountains?

[Statgeek]

We enjoyed stone mountain when we drove through your neck of the woods...

[Dog Folks]

Wherever you go, park in the shade.

It makes all the difference.

[Statgeek]

Dog is correct. And for what it's worth, Stone Mountain had loads of shade. I was really impressed with the layout. We were in a 35' class A then, and we had no trouble tucking into our site (forget the number) with trees all around. Our windshield was exposed to morning sun, but I use a shade on that anyway.

[alpha99]

I live just down the street from you. There a lot of options in North Georgia/North Carolina in the mountains.

Of course there is the entire Smoky Mountains National Park area which is within the driving distance you mentioned. Closer to you is the Blue Ridge/Blairsville/Hiawasee area. Vogel State Park, Trackrock Campground in Blairsville.

I recently purchased the ALLSTAYS app for my Ipad and Iphone for $9.95 and love it. You can search the area you are interested in - you'll find a lot of options. Go to the higher altitude for cooler weather, the highest elevations locally will be in North Carolina.

[wa8yxm]

Check out Upstate South Carolina.. now I'm currently in a "membership" park (Carolina Landing) that is also open to the public, this would not be my first recommendation.

Nearby is Lake Hartwell state park,, Sites are electric/water only with lots of shade, I do not recall but I think many, if not all, are 50 amp

I just left Twin Lakes Core of Engineer, All sites 50 amp/water only, One evening as I retured to the park a park host flagged me down and told me of a high wind warning, "Bring in your awning" I told him that I put the awning out for shade and.. Well, did not need it there . Enough natural shade.. There are several other COE parks on the lake as well.

The 3rd park I frequent is in Seneca, it is an Oconnee county park (South Cove) shade there is not as good as the COE parks.

[doc]

Meadows of Dan CG, Meadows of Dan Virginia. Right on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

[Luv2go]

When we lived in Raleigh we would head to the mountains the escape the heat. We had two favorite campgrounds, both on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Julian Price and Crabtree Falls, which was unfortunately closed last year and is not on the 2014 list. Julian Price has good access for our 35' Motorhome. It's about a 4 1/2 hr drive from Atlanta.

We liked loop A the best there as it was more level for bike riding and was by the lake, but the sites are larger on the other loops.

Closer to Atlanta, we've stayed at Mt Pisgah, there were several spots that worked well for our coach. In August, the Cradle of Forestry has Smokey Bear’s Birthday Party, this was a not-to-be-missed event for both our kids for several years, and we stayed at Mt Pisgah as it was cooler than Davidson River and the other campgrounds close by.

At Great Smoky Mountains, we've stayed at Smokemont and Elkmont, never stayed at Cades Cove but it's also really nice.

We've also stayed at a campground near Helen, GA, unfortunately I don't remember the name, it may have been one of the USFS campgrounds, note they do not have a dump station.

None of the above campgrounds have power, but you should be fine for a weekend. If you have a generator, solar or can recharge your batteries from your tow vehicle that will work for longer stays. No need for Air Conditioning at these campgrounds!

If you want utilities, the Corp of Engineers campgrounds in SC previously mentioned are a great choice, we've stayed at several of the ones mentioned and really like them.

There are also Corp of Engineers campgrounds on Strom Thurmond Lake, it's not in the mountains but has great sites on the water.

The Ultimate Campground project is the most comprehensive list of public campgrounds I've seen and the Georgia and North Carolina list seem very complete. They even have Yates Place, a tiny, free campground in Uhwarrie National Forest that we enjoyed a long weekend at a few years ago.

[tkcas01]

Yes, Boone, NC and surrounding areas are really nice in the summer.

[GG1]

Cashiers and Highlands North Carolina, Goosepoint campground in Bassett Virginia it's an Army COE campground very scenic.

[Kdsgone2dogs]

Look up RV Park Reviews for areas that aren't too far from you. Franklin, NC has Cardinal Ridge RV & B Farm....great concept if you want quiet, but lots of local stuff to do. Cardinal Ridge only has 7 sites and some are heavily wooded/shaded.
Enjoy your travels
Andi

[MSHappyCampers]

I don't know of any air-conditioned campgrounds, but I'll let you know if I find any!

[Santara]

how abt RiverVista in Dillard GA. really a super CG close to Franklin -Dillard

[Kdsgone2dogs]

Just wanted to jump in and say that I love it when someone asks about certain areas to camp...I always find something new to look forward to! Love real reviews by our "local" irv2 campers!
Andi