Camping Journal

I first walked through Standing Indian during the winter of 2005 while the campground was closed. Obviously I missed something, because that first impression was that I was not impressed with the campground. I must admit I was wrong.

We did not make reservations for this trip, and only at the last moment did I notice that they now accepted reservations for about half of the sites. We left home Wednesday afternoon with the understanding that we may not have a site for the weekend. When we arrived they advised us that there were a few sites left on the back "gravel" loop. I guess I should describe the campground, five loops, the first four paved with large, no I mean oversized sites. While no utilities are at each site (yes, dry camping) there are plenty of places to get water around each loop. Each loop has a campground host and there are four bathhouses for the five loops (only two have hot showers).

Well, we went back to the gravel loop and to our surprise this is the camping we like. Large sites with lush understory between sites. A creek flows down one side of the loop back in the woods so you hear the sound of water most of the time. Oh yea, this loop is one of the two with hot showers!

The bathhouse is nothing to write home about. A decades old building with a sink, one toilet and a shower for each side (mens/womens) With the number of people in the park this weekend, it was kept remarkably clean.

Every site was occupied in the park, but the campground never seemed crowded. The altitude keeps the nights cool, so we never missed the air conditioner. nature and hiking are the major attractions in the area, but a short drive away are cute towns like Franklin, NC, Highlands, NC and Cashiers, NC.

While the loop we were on would be difficult for someone who is mobility impaired, even with it's age the bathhouse had a shower that could be classified as "roll in". The sink and toilet area did not appear to have any assistance devices, but again the bathhouse appears to be decades old.

The campground does not maintain a web site, so the link is to the ReserveAmerica page for Standing Indian.

Location: Standing Indian Campground, NC NFS	Date: 5/24/2006
Miles Towed: 300	Weather: H mid 80's L Hi 50's