I would love some feedback on planning my first real trip-Southeast US planning on escaping the summer heat

[haaken675]

Hey everyone, I've been on here reading for a long while now and finally thought I would start being a little active.

As we are coming up to the typical summer vacation season, I think I want to plan a camping/overland trip. We usually always use my vacation time to head to Canada for a few weeks as we have a family own3d cabin there. As of now, I don't expect the border to open up this year unfortunately. I have literally never missed a year at our cabin in my entire life, and that's a little sad.

That being said, I figured I would take my vacation time and plan a camping/overland trip. My problem is living in Florida, I want to escape the heat. The southeast is likely not going to be a great option for the summer months, but possibly the mountains in Georgia, Tennessee, and the like might be cooler? I would love feedback form people as to where I might consider going for a first time road trip/overland planner. My wife and I have a 4 months old currently, so trying to not go overboard just in case, especially for a first attempt.

Thoughts and feedback?

 

[Maverick9110E]

Definitley check out the blueridge mountains and Great smokey mountains. Cooler weather and plenty to do. It covers Mostly NC, TN, and VA so its a large area to cover.

 

[Tundracamper]

Yes. Chattahoochee National Forest in GA, Cherokee National Forest in TN, and Nantahala NF in NC are all great options. I am almost done with the Georgia Traverse. If you haven’t considered that, it should be on your list. I love north GA - lots of pretty scenery and small towns to visit, if you want, and cool!!

 

[haaken675]

Definitley check out the blueridge mountains and Great smokey mountains. Cooler weather and plenty to do. It covers Mostly NC, TN, and VA so its a large area to cover.

Not sure why I hadn't considered that previously. We drive from Florida to Quebec every summer, and I always want to detour to the Blue Ridge moutnains, but it never makes sense timing wise. This might be the year...Will definitely be looking into options that direction.

I was really considering doing the Georgia Traverse, and then heading up o the Uwharries afterwards as I have family that lives in that area. I'm just concerned about A) rain, and B) heat. My thought would be July/August timeframe as that's when we would typically go to our cabin.

 

[Lil Bear]

Yes. Chattahoochee National Forest in GA, Cherokee National Forest in TN, and Nantahala NF in NC are all great options. I am almost done with the Georgia Traverse. If you haven’t considered that, it should be on your list. I love north GA - lots of pretty scenery and small towns to visit, if you want, and cool!!

Ive been considering the GA traverse. How would you rate that for a newby? I'm used to being on foot. How long has it taken you to do the trail?

 

[Stalspeed]

I’d like to hear more first hand info about the GA traverse, I’ll do some researching too.

 

[haaken675]

I checked average temperatures around Trey Mountain, as that looked to be an easily definable area, for around the July timeline. Looks like I could live with those temperatures. I'll keep checking around the defined routes and other mountain areas to see what that looks like. Definitely hoping to beat the Florida heat on this trip, so any suggestions anyone has as to where to go and what would be feasible for a first time trip I am totally open to suggestions.

If I was to do the traverse, or parts of the traverse and then move up north, does anyone have good suggestions on where else in the Blue Ridge mountains would be good to try for? I have a 2019 f150 crew cab fx4, leveled with Bilstein 6112/5160's and all terrains (looking to upgrade to mud terrains) currently. I've don't some decently intense off roading on trails I know well in this truck, but those are trails I know well. I would live to find some nice, accessible off road camp sites, the more primitive the better that I can add to my trip hopefully.

 

[Tundracamper]

Ive been considering the GA traverse. How would you rate that for a newby? I'm used to being on foot. How long has it taken you to do the trail?

I consider myself a relative newby. I have a 19 TRD OR that except for diff breathers is pretty much stock - even the tires. For the GA Traverse, I’ve done the west side up to Helen and the east side to Clayton. I only recall a few shallow water crossings, with those being in the north part of the loop that is west of Blue Ridge, GA. I think the part I have left to do is the most challenging, including Tray Mountain and Charlie’s Creek crossing. The latter is the small river you have to drive down, which I think is just west of Clayton. I also think Tray Mtn has some steep sections. In general, the traverse is a pretty simple drive - you can download the entire route to GaiaGPS.

Map link at bottom of this page:

About The Georgia Traverse

About The Georgia Traverse

www.georgiaoverland.com

The north section of the loop west of Blue Ridge connects with Cherokee NF in TN. That is a beautiful area near the Ocoee and Hiwassee rivers. Lots of forest service roads in that areas well.

 

[Stalspeed]

Can a stock 4x4 Silverado with no skid plates, no diff breathers and no recovery gear do the GA Traverse? Newb here and was thinking about doing it with my wife and 2 yo. Also running the stock 20”s with Nitto Terra Grapplers. Trying to find something relative easy, scenic, and close to FL where we could camp along the way.

 

[LumixLab]

I live up here in the north Georgia mountains and have driven these trails over the last five years in a stock Nissan Xterra and Pathfinder both 4x4. I believe a stock 4x4 Silverado with good tires would do fine considering the conditions. When we get a lot of rain the trails are very muddy and the water crossings along the traverse can get quite deep. I would not recommend off roading without basic recovery gear. A good shovel and a pair of traction boards can make or break your trip. As for a scenic drive, the highways in this area do provide some great overlooks but the Chattahoochee National Forest is thick and dense from spring to fall so don't expect a lot of great views along the traverse. It is a very nice area to explore with very little traffic during the weekdays.

 

[Pathkiller]

Personally, if I had the time, I would start in the Grayson Highlands/Mt Rogers area of Va and follow the TAT down toward Georgia (via NC, TN, SC mountain areas) You can pick up the Georgia Traverse and follow it across the state and go over through Alabama & Mississippi hitting the Natchez Trace area and work back south.

 

[haaken675]

Personally, if I had the time, I would start in the Grayson Highlands/Mt Rogers area of Va and follow the TAT down toward Georgia (via NC, TN, SC mountain areas) You can pick up the Georgia Traverse and follow it across the state and go over through Alabama & Mississippi hitting the Natchez Trace area and work back south.

Definitely interested in that. Definitely going to explore this as an option.

The wife is VERY excited to take this kind of trip, so really nice to have the buy in there. My biggest things is I have a hard time trying to decide what won't be too technical of a trail from afar, what are things I would want to stop and see, etc.Good thing I have plenty of time to plan.

 

[jazzy13]

Charles creek is fun for the family; my wife and kids love it. It’s pretty easy if you stay on the trail. Several good primitive campsites on trails, but If you don’t want primitive camping, Talullah river campground Is nice and near the start of trail, if going east to west

 

[Biker Eagle]

North Georgia mountains. Camped there for many years and always take a jacket in the evenings. High 40's to low 50's at night even in August. Daytime high 70's to mid 80's. Caveat here is elevation. You will need a campfire. Tennessee Smokies not nearly as cool in July-August except Balsalm Mtn NP campground...lot like N Ga. at night, Mt. Pisgah CG on the Blue Ridge Pkwy is very cool at night, even in August. Western North Carolina and North Georgia are both good candidates for summer camping in the South. Remember elevation is your friend.

 

[haaken675]

North Georgia mountains. Camped there for many years and always take a jacket in the evenings. High 40's to low 50's at night even in August. Daytime high 70's to mid 80's. Caveat here is elevation. You will need a campfire. Tennessee Smokies not nearly as cool in July-August except Balsalm Mtn NP campground...lot like N Ga. at night, Mt. Pisgah CG on the Blue Ridge Pkwy is very cool at night, even in August. Western North Carolina and North Georgia are both good candidates for summer camping in the South. Remember elevation is your friend.

That is awesome to hear! I think this is definitely the play for our first larger trip. Anything up to North Carolina would be easy enough to just go home if there was some sort of big issue, and that makes me feel more comfortable. All goes well, next time out west!

Primitive camping is exactly what I am hoping for, definitely not a fan of campgrounds if at all possible. One of the things I have always been confused on is national forests, parks, etc. actually knowing where and how I can camp that isn't in a campground.

 

[Biker Eagle]

DeSoto National Forest Campground on Blood Mountain in N Ga is very nice. Huge campsites.


Take Hwy 19 out of Dahlonega, Ga to DeSoto Falls USFS campground. Campsites are really spread out giving you lots of space. CG does have bathrooms and primitive showers(surprise here). DeSoto is probably 1 1/2 hours north of Atlanta. If you want more amenities, Vogel State Park is 10 minutes north of DeSoto.

 

[Lil Bear]

DeSoto National Forest Campground on Blood Mountain in N Ga is very nice. Huge campsites.
View attachment 153540
View attachment 153541
Take Hwy 19 out of Dahlonega, Ga to DeSoto Falls USFS campground. Campsites are really spread out giving you lots of space. CG does have bathrooms and primitive showers(surprise here). DeSoto is probably 1 1/2 hours north of Atlanta. If you want more amenities, Vogel State Park is 10 minutes north of DeSoto.

Are these pay campsites?

 

[Pathkiller]

Definitely interested in that. Definitely going to explore this as an option.

The wife is VERY excited to take this kind of trip, so really nice to have the buy in there. My biggest things is I have a hard time trying to decide what won't be too technical of a trail from afar, what are things I would want to stop and see, etc.Good thing I have plenty of time to plan.

My wife is a good one too! (Congrats on finding yours)

To help with trail research I suggest getting GAIA Gps. (Get the $39.99 Premium membership) One of the coolest things about GAIA.GPS (Gaia GPS: Navigate, Track, and Explore) is the ability to "Sync" everything automatically. I can do all my research on my laptop, iPad or phone and everything will automatically sync so I can change devices at will and see all my tracks, waypoints, routes, notes, etc. I had the free version for several months before I went premium. (But WOW! I now see why so many overlanders love it.)

One of the best resources I've found for researching trails & forest roads is TrailsOffroad.com. (Trails Offroad: Explore the Best 4x4, ATV, Overland, Jeep, and Truck Offroad Trails in Your Area | Trails Offroad) It's $25 a year for Premium Membership. But, they offer tons of free content so you can research by state, find a trail and see images, videos and a detailed rating & review of the trail. Aside from these two, I use Google Maps Satellite View (Gaia GPS also offers Sat view with Labels for premium members)

We are also RV'ers and through that activity, I discovered RoadsideAmerica.com. ( Roadside America - Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions) It's full of great "quirky" and unusual spots to visit when you need a break from the trail.

I also love historical stuff and our country is full of it. One thing I do is research "The Historical Marker Database" (The Historical Marker Database) to find a lot of very cool stuff.

I really could go on with more. But, this will give you a good start. (Besides that, it's GREAT fun planning your adventure!)

 

[nitteo]

I am planning a 10 rig convoy east to west on the GA Traverse also... my problem right now are the road closures.

For example near Helen, every single road in color is closed vs the GA Traverse route:

 

[haaken675]

I am planning a 10 rig convoy east to west on the GA Traverse also... my problem right now are the road closures.

For example near Helen, every single road in color is closed vs the GA Traverse route:

Road closures are definitely an issue. I'm really hoping that things start opening up soon. Georgia has been starting to open up everything else, and I really hope the state parks follow suite.