Claytor Lake State Park

I woke up at sunrise and went for a hike around Claytor Lake Trail. This was the longest trail in the park but it still only took about an hour to do. The park seems really nice for having a nice extensive beach and boat launch but the wild areas aren’t too impressive. Getting out in the morning and being active after so long in the van was exactly what the doctor ordered and I felt infinitely better afterwards.

Trails at dawn in Claytor Lake State Park

The park was a bit disappointing in the off season since they charged us $41 for regular camping because only their expensive RV campsites were open. We didn’t use any of the hookups but got charged the full amount. It didn’t say anywhere online that only the RV area was open and that you couldn’t get regular campsites that were half the price.The staff at the office were also some of the most unfriendly staff I have ever dealt with at any park I have been to (and this includes a lot).

Claytor Lake State Park

We FINALLY made it to the Smoky Mountains National Park. Again we arrived at night. After a few drinks we went to bed excited to finally wake up in one of our main destinations.