South / March 13, 2022

Rv Trip in The Blue Ridge Mountains

March 2021

As we all know, 2020 was a devastating, anxiety-inducing, and lonely time due to the Global Pandemic. So when 2021 came around we wanted to find the safest way possible to travel. I was honestly still so freaked out at this point that I cleaned every crack and crevice of our RV before we put any of our belongings into it and I double-masked most of our trip. This was our first time driving or even just being in an RV, so it was a little bit of a learning process, but it didn’t take long to get the hang of. Also, can I just tell you that I love having my bathroom travel with me, I didn’t have to worry about touching public door handles, and just people yuck!

So we had decided early on that we wanted to go to Point Pleasant, West Virginia. If we were heading up to the Blue Ridge Mountains we figured we could pop over and see the Mothman Museum first. This trip was a little more loosey-goosey than I normally plan, so we ended up doing a lot of driving our first two days. The first night I didn’t book a campsite because we didn’t know where we would be, so we slept in the parking lot of a Love’s gas station. I thought I was going to be terrified sleeping in a gas station parking lot. But actually the sounds of the rumbling trucks coming in and out all night, I found to be quite soothing.

Point Pleasant, West Virginia. Home of The Mothman

Okay… So you need to stop right here and go do a deep dive of Mothman if you’ve never heard of him before. I’m just going to give you a quick “cliff-note” breakdown in case you don’t feel like spending your entire night spiraling down a Mothman hole. Mothman is a Cryptid described as a giant bird-like humanoid with a large wingspan and glowing red eyes. First spotted in November of 1966 around the Point Pleasant area, Mothman witnesses have been visited by the Men in Black who threatened them not to speak about the strange entity. The sightings all appeared to lead up to the collapse of The Silver Bridge on December 15th, 1967, on that day 46 lives were lost. Some believe he was an Omen to the collapse. The creature was popularized by John Keel in his book The Mothman Prophecies, written in 1975 and eventually turning into a motion picture starring Richard Gere.

The drive to Point Pleasant was basically a lot of seemingly out-of-commission barns and bland wheat-colored pastures. The actual town is completely centered around Mothman and his lure. Even the local coffee shop had Mothman-inspired goodies. I felt buzzing with giddiness at the idea of being in the same town that he once lurked in. The Museum was touristy and kooky but I enjoyed it. The time you would want to plan to go is when the Mothman Festival is happening. Then you can geek out with other Cryptid fans and check the cosplay, vendors, and music.

Asheville

After a very long day of driving, we headed to Asheville, North Carolina. This was our home base for the rest of our trip. I found the most amazing camp site to spend our nights at called Campfire Lodgings. This was seriously the coolest camp site I have come across, I was hoping to score one of the sites looking right over the blue ridge, but sadly I was a bit too late on making a reservation (try to make one ASAP if you want the killer unobstructed views). These are just for the RV campers but they do have tent sites and Yurts within a walking distance of a communal lookout with chairs. That night we just reveled in the cold mountain air and roasted some Vegan Marshmallows. Invigorating cold fresh air and smelling like campfire is seriously some of my favorite things.

The next morning we made our way into the city. We stopped for Coffee at High Five Coffee, at their Woodfin location. The whole complex around it is super interesting, I would put this on your must-have coffee list. My hands were like sandpaper from all the hand sanitizer and cold weather, so I wanted to stop at the Mast General Store in the city. They have a range of goodies and also very useful items there, so if you find yourself in need of supplies for a hike or even want to stock up on snacks, this is a good place to stop. We walked around the city a little bit waiting for them to open, Asheville has a super chill and artsy vibe. You could plan a trip to spend 3 days or so there just to check out all the little shops and little fairy door surprises (I’ll let that be a secret for you to find).

Chimney Rock State Park

We made our way up to Chimney Rock State Park, luckily with the RV we rented we were able to fit into regular sized parking spots, so we could drive right up and park with everyone else. If you have a large RV you have to park at the beginning of the park and either Hike the trail or a bus will take you to the top. This is a kid-friendly and wheelchair accessible attraction, there is an elevator that will take you to the top of Chimney where the Sky Lounge is located. If you don’t take the elevator, be prepared to take ALOT of steps! your booty is going to feel this! Make sure to bring a good amount of water with you, but fear not if you forget, you can make a stop the Sky Lounge. Around the park there are multiple trails to hike, we ended up taking the Exclamation Point Trail. Check out their website before hand for all the trails, because you could easily spend the entire day here if you want to try and do multiple hikes.

Triple Falls

This time of year didn’t seem super busy, Chimney Rock had a good amount of people, but Triple falls was bustling! It took us a very long time to acquire a parking spot and we had to wait in a Que. We got there right before lunch time, so if you want to beat the crowd, get there early. The Triple Falls Trail is a dog friendly 2.9 mile loop, it was a fairly easy hike, so this is one you could take the whole family with you on. The beginning of the trail is a little steep, so just take your time if you need it. I’m always a fan of a hike with a waterfall or an amazing view, this is a super rewarding hike for how easy it is. We made a little dog friend at the falls and I took his picture with my Polaroid camera, Joe ran and found his dad and gave him the picture!

Mt. Mitchell

Mount Mitchell is the highest peak of the Appalachian Mountains and the highest point east of the Mississippi at 6,684 feet. The drive up to the top in the RV was the most intense ride of the entire trip, but even with all the white knuckle driving and booty clenching, it rewarded us with its stunning views. You’ll want to check out the Summit Trail, it’s only 0.15 miles one way. This is an easy hike that leads to the Summit Observation Platform which on a clear day you can see up to 85 miles! Since we were here in March the concession stand and gift shop were closed. You’ll find them open from May-October if you’re hoping to check that out. I’m not gonna lie, I am a gift shop queen, i don’t have shame. So I’m always sad if a visitor center or gift shop is closed! Without a doubt, you can spend a entire day hiking Mt. Mitchell. If you’re interested you can find a full list of trails and their difficulties HERE.

Grandfather Mountain

On Grandfather Mountain you can find the Mile High Swinging Bridge, we decided to check this out and we did not regret it! You do have to pay and get a ticket in order to walk across the bridge, but don’t let it deter you. Expect about $22 for an adult and $9 for children, you can purchase tickets HERE. The day we were there it was EXTREMELY windy and the wind chill was severe. We needed gloves, hats and every coat we had! It was so hard to take pictures because if you took your hands out of your jacket for 2 seconds they felt like they were going to freeze off. The wind blowing through the bridge while walking across sounded like loud howling, it was quite the experience. Before entering the park, you stop at a kiosk and they give you a CD you can play as you drive through, so cool! Make sure to put this on your to do list if you’re in the area.

I Love discovering stuff along the Blue Ridge. There was a cool little area we happened upon called Little Switzerland, there you can find an awesome book store with a very relaxed atmosphere. I felt like I could live there, so calm and away from all the rush and ringing of everyday life. Give yourself at least a week to explore the area around Asheville and make sure to keep yourself a little flexible for unexpected stops.

Here are some extras from our trip.