The 6 Best Family Activities to do While Camping in the Smoky Mountains
Camping can be a great tradition for many families all across the U.S. There’s hardly a better place to be for it than in the Smoky Mountains! It won’t matter if your goal is just family bonding time at the campsite or to go on an adventure in the area, because you and your family are going to love these activities to do while camping in the Smoky Mountains!
1. Take a Hike
You will be camping at the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park where there is over 800 miles worth of hiking trails! Don’t worry about having to be an expert hiker or an adult to make it up trails that have views or lead to waterfalls in the park. You can find peaceful, flat trails so even the smallest little hiker can navigate the trail. During hikes, you may come across local wildlife like deer and turkey, or even past old historic structures like rustic cabins.
2. Visit Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah is a national forest located right across the state line of North Carolina. It’s an easy drive from our campground, but we recommend blocking off at least half of your day if you decide to come visit Pisgah National Forest. There are many hiking trails and picnic areas in the forest, but the most popular destination is called Max Patch. Max Patch is a “bald” mountaintop that offers 360-degree views of the Smoky Mountains and North Carolina mountains. It’s a short hike up to the bald and is a great place to bring your pet and have a picnic with your family.
3. Go White Water Rafting
Looking for a unique but safe experience outside? Give white water rafting a try! You can raft right down the very river our campground is nestled beside! You can raft on the Upper Pigeon River or the Lower Pigeon River. Both experiences promise to be fun, and you will be immersed in the nature around you!
4. Go Fishing
Want to catch tonight’s dinner or just try out a new hobby? Go fishing! You can fish out of the Little Pigeon River. You will need a fishing license, but if you would like you can just get a day pass. In this river, you may catch brown or rainbow trout. This is a great bonding experience to have with your kids as you watch them light up with delight when they feel a nibble on their fishing line!
5. Splash Around in the Pool
Camping in the Smoky Mountains means you may not have direct access to air conditioning all the time. However, that’s okay because when it’s hot you’ll have a cool, refreshing pool to jump into! Our campground is proud to offer campers a great way too cool off in the summer and enjoy the sunshine in a fun way. Splash around with the kids until all of you get tired or until the sun goes down!
6. Enjoy Family Time
Camping is the best way to get some family time. You’ll be together a lot and share a lot of laughs and memories. We know of a couple ways to bond without spending any or very little money that everyone will enjoy while at our campground:
- Buy some marshmallows and make s’mores around a fire.
- Spend an afternoon grilling out.
- Bring along board and card games and have a game night.
- Take a scenic drive through the mountains.
For even more ideas to enjoy family time, check out our blog on ways to make tent camping fun for kids!
Camping in the Smoky Mountains is good to do on several levels. It gives you the chance to enjoy nature, learn something new and best of all, bond with your family. At Pigeon River Campground, you’ll love our campsites, our amenities, and the memories we will help you make.
