1.) Kirk Creek Campground: Los Padres National Forest, CaliforniaNo question about it: California's Big Sur coastline is a magnificent place — 75 miles of untamed coastline with some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Stretching from Carmel, in the north, south to San Simeon, the Scenic Coastal Highway 1, built in 1937, follows a narrow slip of land were the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the Pacific Ocean. The towering Santa Lucia Mountain Range offers a rugged contrast to the gentle swells of the Pacific Ocean to the west. Originally known as Roosevelt or Cabrillo Highway, Highway 1 is a narrow, winding road that requires careful attention to driving skills. Between the spectacular views, sharp curves, narrow shoulders, and the need to share the roadway with bicyclists and hikers, many find this drive daunting. But it is a most memorable drive.
The best way to discover the wonders of Big Sur is to stay awhile. And an excellent way is provided by the Los Padres National Forest at Kirk Creek Campground. For campers, either in a tent or a recreational vehicle, who want to experience both land and sea, Kirk Creek is the best campground on Big Sur. Shaped like a lazy figure "8," the campground's 34 campsites lie atop a 100-foot bluff above the Pacific Ocean. The sounds of the waves breaking, the seabirds calling, and the quiet whisper of ocean breezes are heard throughout the campground. Although not all sites overlook the ocean, all have outstanding views of the Big Sur's amazing landscape. With no trees to obscure the towering Santa Lucia Mountains and Ventana Wilderness to the east or the Pacific Ocean to the west, the 360 degree views are outstanding.
Exploring the Forest
Directly across from Kirk Creek Campground is Forest Route 4004. This steep and winding roadway hugs the southern boundary of the Ventana Wilderness and leads to Nacimiento Summit. A drive along this route offers some spectacular vistas and passes through the amazing assortment of ecosystems that make Big Sur so unique.
Hiking is another way to explore the wonders of the Los Padres National Forest and Big Sur area around Kirk Creek Campground. A narrow, steep, unmaintained trail leads from the campground down to the beach for those who want to explore the rocky coastline or to do some surf-fishing. (Caution: Remember to be aware of tides so you don't get caught down there.) Across Highway One are trailheads leading into Ventana Wilderness. Abundant rainfall and the moist coastal weather create lush forests — an outstanding area for hiking.
Los Padres National Forest's Kirk Creek Campground is where the dynamic forces of land and sea meet. Here campers can experience, at their own pace and in their own way, the beauty and wonder of these two opposing forces that have shaped miles of untamed coastline, producing some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
2.) Reef Townsite Campground, ArizonaSouthbound on State Route 92, mesquite trees dance in the shimmering hot morning sunlight. To the east, a narrow green ribbon marks the San Pedro River. The only year-round water in the San Rafael Valley, the San Pedro offers hiking under a canopy of cottonwood and willows with a wide variety of bird and animal life. On the southern horizon, the Huachuca Mountains, a "sky island" formation, dominates the view. In the middle of this sky island, Carr Peak watches over Reef Townsite, an outstandingly cool campground.
Delightfully unknown, Reef Townsite campground is nestled among fragrant ponderosa pines and red-barked manzanitas. High above the fast-growing town of Sierra Vista, Arizona, the campground is refreshingly cool even when the valley below is experiencing asphalt melting temperatures. With an interesting history, lots of hiking, glorious vistas, and spacious campsites, Reef Townsite is a campground for more than a weekend.
What Reef Townsite doesn't have is a good access route for recreation vehicles. The 6.7 miles of forest route to the campground is definitely a "white knuckle" experience. It is a narrow dirt roadway with impressive drop-offs and pocketknife shaped switchbacks. On the positive side, the panoramic views, reaching from the Santa Rita to Mule Mountain ranges, are about 120 degrees.
Initially, the Huachuca Mountains were mined for lumber. Logging began in 1878 to supply the boomtown of Tombstone, stamp mills along the San Pedro River, and nearby Fort Huachuca. Mining, the next affront to the mountains, began with the first claim in 1893. Gold and silver were discovered. However, for the next 60 years, success was limited. The Reef Townsite Historic trail, 0.7-mile loop trail, points out some remnants of those mining efforts on the mountains, such as mill foundations and piles of broken, milky quartz scattered over the hillsides. A need for tungsten in the mid-20th century brought a secondary flurry of mining to Carr Canyon. But when the government stopped subsidizing the ore's price, this effort was also discontinued and the town died.
Among Tall Trees
Located on the site of the former Reef Townsite and at the edge of the Miller Peak Wilderness, the campground can be a base camp for exploring the wilderness and remains of mines, mills, and cabins. Directly across the road from the campground's entrance is the Old Sawmill Trail trailhead, which accesses Carr Peak trail and over 50 miles of additional trails in and around Miller Peak Wilderness. These trails wind in and through, up and down, over and under the Huachuca Mountains.
Tall, straight trees in southeast Arizona aren't as rare as some might think, but they are generally located atop "sky islands." Sitting atop the sheer walls of Carr Canyon at 7,200 feet, Reef Townsite enjoys a healthy stand of Douglas fir, ponderosa pine, and silverleaf oak. The smells from these trees are delightful, and the shade is wonderful.
Constructed in 1988, Reef Townsite campground has two connected loops that follow the contour of the land. This feature provides a fair amount of privacy for each site. Only one small site overlooks the abyss of Carr Canyon and into San Rafael Valley. But what the other sites lack in breathtaking vistas, they make up for with lots of shade and spaciousness.
There are other campgrounds in southern Arizona worthy of a stay, but none offer the link to history, variety of hiking opportunities, or breathtaking views found at Reef Townsite campground. All this and cool summertime temperatures.
3.) Valle Vidal: Carson National Forest, New MexicoThere is a corner in northeastern New Mexico where the land is as it was 100, 200, or more years ago. It is an expanse of land where the wide open space is filled with tall grass and thick patches of pine and spruce. Here, elk roam free with deer, turkeys, bears, and mountain lions, much as they did 100 years. This place, called Valle Vidal Wildlife Management Unit of Carson National Forest, is a special treasure to those who want to experience the West as it once was.
Pennzoil Company, the petroleum corporation, once owned this magnificent 100,000-acre parcel of land. Fortunately, Pennzoil discovered there was little worth exploiting beneath the lush grassland. In 1982, it donated the Valle Vidal parcel to the USDA Forest Service. Other than designating the land a Wildlife Management Unit, very little has been done to this near-pristine land
East of Taos and west of Raton, bordered by the Colorado state line to the north and the spectacular Cimarron Canyon along U.S. Highway 64 to the south, the Valle Vidal Wildlife Management Unit has retained its natural appearance. In the middle of this almost-wilderness area are two equally pleasant, though very different, campgrounds called Cimarron and McCrystal.
Cimarron campground, located at the heart of the Unit, is draped over the top of a spruce-covered hill. Its 35 campsites are scattered among the trees, providing pleasant privacy for campers. Nearby creeks, such as Grassy, Vidal, and Ponil, offer good opportunities for anglers to match wits with wily native fish. For those who prefer a more certain thing, there is a 0.5-mile hike from the campground to the rainbow trout stocked Shuree Ponds.
Less than eight miles east of Cimarron campground is McCrystal. A "rougher" campground, McCrystal has more open sites and a less well-kept appearance. The campground stretches out along the base of a rise — some might call it a hill — in a stand of uniformly sized ponderosa pines (the product of past logging practice). The equestrian campground feel is confirmed by the hitching rails scattered throughout the area.
Hitting the Trail
Both campgrounds offer unlimited hiking over the surrounding prairie. The unit permits no motorized traffic except on established forest service roadways, so the Unit, with few designated trails, is truly wide open for exploration. This means some orientation skills are advisable when exploring 100,000 acres either on foot or horseback.
Although little remains of Pennzoil's earlier presence, remnants of various homesteads can be found. These old homesteads, with their log cabins and outbuildings, are scattered throughout the Unit. One of the more convenient homestead ruins to explore is located south of McCrystal campground at the end of the one mile Ring Place Interpretative trail. Wandering around what remains of the old house, barn, and outbuilding gives a sense of what life must have been like in those bygone days.
Once a playground for the rich and famous, today the Valle Vidal Wildlife Management Unit is open to all who want to experience wide open spaces, clear flowing streams, and robust wildlife populations. Signs in McCrystal and Cimarron warn that "Buffalo Are Wildlife." Yes, there really are American buffalo, along with elks, deer, and more, wandering the Unit — much as they have since before the Europeans came. And campers can wander, too, or just sit and enjoy the West as it might have been 100, 200, or 1,000 years ago.
4.) Big Therriault Lake Campground: Kootenai National Forest, MontanaBig Therriault Lake campground is tiny, with only ten campsites tucked into a thick stand of subalpine and Douglas firs. Each site is equipped with grill, table, and parking apron. One hand pump provides crispy cold drinking water, and a single vault (the Forest Service calls this model a Sweet Smelling Toilet) sees to a camper's more basic needs. With no trash pickup, the campground is strictly "pack it in/pack it out." And its single loop reaches up a hillside so everything is either uphill or downhill. Adjacent to the campground is Big Therriault Lake, an alpine lake of crystal clear water. While none of the campsites has a clear view of the lake, several do have access to a one-mile loop trail around the lake. This hike is one of the campground's best features.
Exploring the Subalpine World
Alternately hugging the lakeshore and meandering across meadows and through forests, the Big Therriault Lake Trail offers a delightful way to explore the area's geology. Alpine glaciers shaped much of the rugged scenery around Big Therriault Lake thousands of years ago. The results of those ancient, mountain carving, valley gouging glaciers can be seen in the boulders scattered here and there, in deep grooves caused by rock scraping rock found nearby, and marshy wetlands formed behind walls of deposited glacier debris called moraines. On the trail's one-mile length, hikers wind through forested areas of lush conifers, over a bouldered moraine, and through a marshy meadow filled with wildflowers and darting songbirds.
The image of dark green pines silhouetted against the pastels of sunrise is outstanding. But even more breathtaking than this image or the sight of a zillion twinkling stars in a black-velvet night sky is the view of Big Therriault Lake. Specifically, it is the view into the lake. Whether standing on the rocky shoreline or seated in a canoe on the lake's mirror-smooth surface, Big Therriault Lake offers a most unusual sight. Looking down through the water, the multicolored rocks appear sharp and brightly lit. Dancing sunlight frames the stones' rich colors so jewel-like shades of ruby red, sapphire blue, grassy-green malachite, and tiger's eye yellow shine like the stained glass window of a magnificent cathedral.
As if there wasn't enough magnificent beauty right there at Big Therriault Lake campground, Ten Lakes Scenic Area is located between the campground and the Canadian border. Composed of 15,700 acres and designated a Wilderness Study Area, this area offers more of the same spectacular beauty found around the campground. Accessible via several foot or horse trails traversing the area, Ten Lakes Scenic Area is a delightful extension of Big Therriault Lake campground's natural beauty and wonder.
5.) Green River Campground: Bridger-Teton National Forest, WyomingEver notice the condition of the road leading to a campground is inversely proportional to what you find at that campground? Green River Lake campground in the Bridger-Teton National Forest at the end of Forest Route 650 is an example.
The Forest Service says it is one and a half hours to Green River Lake campground from Pinedale, Wyoming. It will take all of this plus a bit more. About half the distance is on paved roadway, but don't get comfortable. All too soon the route becomes one of those unforgettable forest roads where women wish they had worn sports bras and men wonder if bruised kidneys require medical attention to heal. At about midpoint, the roadway makes a long, sweeping curve up a rise. This is a good opportunity to take a break and view a stretch of rapids on the Green River. The vista includes anglers casting for rainbows and canoeists exploring the many faces of this beautiful river.
Just beyond a stretch of rapids, the FR 650 passes through an elk winter feeding ground area. Summertime finds only cattle here. The elk's winter feed is stored safely inside the red-roofed structures at the forest's edge. At the northern fence line, the glacier-carved peaks of the Bridger Wilderness appear. With the sight of Big Sheep, Battleship, Squaretop, and Osborn mountains, you forget the pounding of yet another stretch of washboards.
Just when your body screams "Enough!" the campground's sign comes into view. A right hand turn and you have made it! Now to find the perfect campsite.
Camp Life
The whole campground has been newly renovated and is recovering its "natural" appearance. One feature of the renovation is new vaults — they appear as mini log cabins. Another improvement are picnic tables made from the local lodgepole pines. Both features are reminiscent of the Civilian Conservation Corps' work in the 1930s.
Adjacent to an extremely primitive boat ramp below the campground is the former headquarters for the Gannett Peak guest ranch. Once a very exclusive Guest Ranch, the cabin is now the residence for the campground host. Several of the ranch's old outbuildings can be found around the area and add to the picturesque beauty of Green River Lake campground.
The calm surface of Green River Lake in front of the cabin stretches out from the shore, reflecting the towering rugged beauty of the Bridger Wilderness. The lake's mirror surface is disturbed by the paddle of a canoeist. This view of the Bridger Wilderness is perhaps the most frequently photographed non-national park in Wyoming.
Two trails lead into the wilderness from Green River Lake campground: Lakeshore and Highline. Lakeshore follows the eastern shoreline through a dense stand of conifers. The Highline trail follows the gentle curves of the sagebrush covered western shore. Both lead to the smaller Green River Lake, and from there, further into the wilderness.
With the magnificent splendor found in and around Green River Lake campground, bruises are soon forgotten. The beauty of Square Top Mountain, a benevolent guardian of the Green River's headwaters, will ease aches and pains. Here, images of Yosemite are recalled but without the hordes of campers, tour buses, and automobiles. Forest Route 650 has done its job.
6.) Whitetail Campground: Nebraska National Forest, NebraskaImagine sitting behind a half-dozen broad-backed oxen on a hard wooden plank high above a sea of golden grass, tall enough to rub the underside of your wagon, rippling in a gentle breeze. The summer sun shines down, warming the earth, when suddenly a meadowlark fills the quiet with its song. Such an image isn't hard to conjure up on the road to Whitetail campground in the Nebraska National Forest.
Yes, there is a national forest in Nebraska. No one expects this land of rolling hills crowned by rippling waves of belly-high grass to be known for trees, but it has some of the most fascinating forest lands in the Forest Service. The Nebraska National Forest is composed of four widely separated units. From the high plains of the Missouri Plateau, dotted by ponderosa pines and spiral buttes, in the west to the remarkable sandhills of the central part of the state, Nebraska National Forest offers many places to explore.
The view over the prairie is limitless and appears empty. Don't be deceived. The prairie is filled with life. Not one but many types of grass wave in the gentle winds: Sand lovegrass, prairie sandreed, porcupine grass, switchgrass, and bluestem grass are common. You'll find prairie coneflowers, sunflowers, scurf-peas and spiderwort wild flowers providing sudden splashes of color. Sharptail grouses, prairie chickens, wild turkeys, box turtles, prairie earless lizards, pronghorn antelopes, whitetail deer, and mule deer, just a few of the prairie's residents, are occasionally spotted. The grasses and hand-planted forest of the Nebraska National Forest provide excellent habitat for a wide variety of birds.
Along the Dismal River
The roadway leads on and on with nothing to block the view. Just grass, rolling hills, windmills, and cattle scattered here and there. Near the end, a ribbon of brown dotted by clumps of green appears, and there's the delightful little Whitetail campground.
Whitetail campground is located next to what is possibly the most accurately named waterway in the country: the Dismal River. Broad and very shallow, the Dismal River flows past the campground like a stream of cooling cocoa. The flat brown color contrasts with the bordering cottonwoods' lush green leaves and the pale gold of the knee high native grass. Whitetail campground was envisioned as a horse camp. The clusters of corrals plus a windmill and stock water tank attest to this original intent. But for those who are looking for rustic solitude and are willing to carry in their water, this is the place.
There is only one trail, the multi-use Dismal Trail, adjacent to the Whitetail campground. But, in general, there are few trails in the Nebraska National Forest. This is open land — much like it was when the pioneers were moving west. Orientating skills are a must for anyone interested in extensively exploring the area, for landmarks are few and far between.
Whitetail's campsites are located among native cottonwoods that provide delightful cool shade during the day. The sound of the wind tickling the grass and the cottonwoods fills the air. The sound is distinctive and soothing. The scent of hot dirt and sweet grass rides on that wind like an exclusive perfume. Above, a Swainson's hawk glides effortlessly across the cloudless sky while below, riders wander in with taste of sweat and dust on their lips after a day's exploration.
After the sun sets and the sky's watercolor pastels fade into the black velvet of night, a zillion stars pop out. Seemingly close enough to touch, they twinkle like a movie star's sequined dress at the Academy Awards. With nightfall, a quiet settles over the campground. But it isn't a complete silence. The ever present breeze tickles the cottonwoods' leaves and ruffles the grass. The lingering aroma of grilled hamburgers and spicy chili hangs in the air. Glowing embers pop the last bits of sap in the firepit, and a horse chews quietly on some sweet smelling grass. A camper softly moans as pleasantly sore muscles relax.
7.) Clark Lake Campground: Ottawa National Forest, MichiganAnytime a lumberman decides that a forest he owns is too beautiful to log, you can be sure something very special has happened. This story began in the year 1895, when A.D. Johnston went to assess the 80 acres of wooded land he had recently purchased in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. What he found was a beautiful forest with abundant game and excellent fishing. He decided this place was better suited as a vacation place for himself and his family than as a source of logging income.
When Johnston's friends visited his vacation home, they agreed with him wholeheartedly and began buying adjoining parcels of forested land. Soon, the new owners joined to form the Sylvania Club. By the time the Forest Service bought the club's holdings in 1967, the preserved land totaled some 18,327 acres. Renamed the Sylvania Wilderness and Recreation Area, the holdings became part of the Ottawa National Forest. With so little virgin forest in the whole northeastern quadrant of the United States (roughly, the Forest Service's Eastern Region), acquisition of the Sylvania Wilderness was a significant event. Today, those who visit the area enjoy a wide variety of recreational activities, including canoeing on crystal clear water, unsurpassed wildlife viewing, and a selection of several levels of camping.
The prohibition on development in wilderness areas attracts backpackers seeking opportunities for dispersed camping. There are some 50 small campsites scattered throughout Sylvania's virgin forest lands. For those who prefer developed camping, there is Clark Lake campground.
Clark Lake has four loops with 42 campsites tucked into the ancient forest. Two loops have the feel of wilderness camping, with no water or bathroom facilities. The other two loops feature water and flush toilets. Hot showers and a recreation vehicle dump station are also found at Clark Lake campground. Such luxuries at a campground located in a forest that has never known the sounds of wholesale logging practices makes Sylvania Wilderness and Recreation Area's Clark Lake campground special.
Sylvania is not for the faint-hearted camper. However, if you are comfortable with dry camping in a tent or an RV, the reward is being surrounded by the pristine beauty of a primeval forest.
8.) Blanchard Springs Campground: Ozark National Forest, ArkansasMost National Forest campgrounds offer such recreational opportunities as hiking, fishing, and wildlife viewing. Blanchard Springs campground, 100 miles north of Little Rock, Arkansas, in the Ozark National Forest, also offers a chance to explore perhaps the most beautiful living cavern in the United States, fabulous toe-tapping concerts, and a close-up look at the Ozark's living history.
Shaded by a lush forest of mixed hardwoods, Blanchard Springs campground's 32 sites, flush toilets, and hot showers offer campers a pleasant forest experience. Straddling the North Sylamore Creek, the creek's ageless melody is heard throughout the campground. About two miles west of the campground are the spectacular Blanchard Springs Caverns.
Once a CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) recreation project, Blanchard Springs campground boasts large grassy areas, a well-appointed day-use area on a sweeping bend in the Sylamore Creek with a bathhouse and swimming area, and the man-made, rainbow trout stocked Mirror Lake. A short, strenuous hike along a well-used but unmarked trail leads to the actual Blanchard Springs. Once called Half Mile Spring, this is the exit point for the Blanchard Springs Cavern's crystal clear, icy cold water. Nearby, a small stone guardhouse structure, once an entrance to the recreation area, provides a quiet place to rest in the cool shade.
Blanchard Springs Cavern
Fifty to 70 million years ago, rain falling on the Ozark Plateau carved deep valleys and sheer bluffs, forming the rugged topography seen today. Some of the slightly acidic surface water seeped through cracks and crevices to flow underground. This seeping water ate away at the limestone rock, eventually forming huge cavities far below the surface. Many of these cavities remained hidden until recently. Blanchard Springs Caverns, discovered about 65 years ago, was one such cave.
Early settlers knew Half Mile Cave was where an underground spring emerged. But the first known exploration of the cave wasn't until 1934. This is when Willard Hadley "had a quick look around." Discovery of the many beautiful and amazing formations in Blanchard Springs Caverns had to wait until the more extensive exploration in the 1950s and 1960s. Blanchard Springs Cavern is a living cave, which means it is continuing to grow — each drop of mineral-laden water adds to the existing structures and contributes to the development of new sights. In other words, what is seen by visitors today will be different tomorrow.
Ozark Folk Center
Just outside Mountain View is an oasis of Ozark folk culture. A post-World War II economic decline in the area saw many people leaving for better opportunities elsewhere. With their departures, the uniquely Ozark culture began to disappear. In 1973, a grassroots effort saw the establishment of the Ozark Folk Center in Mountain View. Part of the Arkansas State Parks system and operated as a commercially viable operation, the mission of the Folk Center is to serve as a major repository and living museum for the native Ozark culture.
The Folk Center is a collection of small cottages where craftspeople work. Visitors can watch brooms being made, a gun stock being fashioned, and wool yarn being spun. Basketmakers, quilters, wood carvers, a "tintype" photographer, and dozens of other craftmakers are housed in cottages where visitors can watch, talk, and ask questions. In the theater each afternoon and evening, there are music programs featuring traditional instruments. These music programs often inspire audience members to join in and dance a jig, or maybe do some impromptu clogging. At the very least, toes do start tappin'.
9.) Clear Springs Recreation Area: Homochitto National Forest, MississippiNearly all the longtime campers at the Clear Springs recreation area in Mississippi's Homochitto National Forest admit they found their way there by accident. Since it is tucked away deep in the Mississippi mountains, in the rural southwest corner of the state, near the small town of Meadville, such claims are understandable. Today, however, finding Clear Springs recreation area is not as difficult. Signs along U.S. Route 84 lead campers to this delightful recreation area and its sweet little campground, Clear Springs.
Clear Springs campground has two qualities that when found in combination, are irresistible: an interesting history and a surrounding forest of lush beauty. As one begins to take in the woods, lake, and abundant wildlife, you wonder about the young people who, more than 60 years ago, created the lake, built the roads and campsites, re-established the lush woodlands with reforestation, and constructed some of the facilities still used today.
The Clear Spring recreation area began as a project of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). In 1933, the enrollees from Company F-1, Camp 1478 began laying the groundwork for the Clear Springs recreation area by building a dam and planting hundreds of seedling trees. Later, the recreation area was expanded to include a small camping area. Company F-26 of CCC Camp 1489 took over the development of the area in 1937 and continued this work until the 1940s, when the Company was disbanded.
Clear Springs Today
Today, visitors find a beautiful, idyllic little campground along the banks of a clear, spring-fed lake. The original recreational facilities of the 1930s consisted of a pit-toilet and "campsites" wherever you pitched your tent. These minimal facilities were suited for the hardiest of nature lovers. Since the late 1960s, the Clear Springs campground has seen several renovations. The most recent improvement delineated 22 specific campsites in two separate loops, one overlooking the lake and the other along the lake's edge. Each of the campsites was provided with electric and water hookups. And the old, smelly, CCC toilets were replaced by spacious, heated bathrooms with hot wheelchair-friendly showers.
Three original CCC structures are still there: two small lakeside gazebos and a large pavilion in the day-use area. The gazebos, strategically placed on either side of the lake, provide comfortable rest stops on the campground's lake-loop hike, as well as excellent places to observe the activities of the resident deer, squirrels, turkeys, raccoons, and other wildlife. The Forest Service is working to preserve both of these gazebos and the pavilion for their historical and aesthetic value.
As you sit in a gazebo enjoying the cool shade, think about those young CCC workers. Their sense of beauty is appreciated. Their long-lasting workmanship is enjoyed.
10.) Pocket Campground: Chattahoochee National Forest, GeorgiaNearly 100 miles northwest of Atlanta, the geological area known as The Pocket has never been a great center of civilization. Today, a small, 24-site campground sits here in a holding that is part of the Chattahoochee National Forest. There have been, however, visitors to this little gap between John and Horn mountains for thousands of years. In 1980, a Native American site was documented in the pasture across from the Pocket campground's entrance. Until the 1940s, arrowheads and shards of pottery were found in and around the campground. Today, chert flakes, left by toolmakers, can be found in John's Creek as it flows through the campground.
In the early 1800s, there were few white settlers in the area. In 1838, with the removal of the Cherokee Nation, the area opened to large-scale settlement by European settlers. The land was sectioned off into 160 and 490-acre lots for the Cherokee Land Lottery. In this lottery, John J. Hunt won the section that would later be called The Pocket, a U-shaped valley in the lush green hillside.
In 1854, the land was purchased by Shadrick Peavy who, in 1860, sold it to M.B. Fowler. By then a small, self-sustaining community had been established. The mountainous terrain of The Pocket encouraged a close-knit community. Grist mills and farms were scattered throughout the area, and two churches, one Methodist and one Baptist, saw to the community's spiritual needs.
By 1938, a 35-acre parcel of M.B. Fowler's land, having passed through several hands, was sold to the federal government. At that time, this parcel was selected for a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp. The barracks, mess hall, latrines, and other facilities were built for the CCC enrollees.
Today, campers at the Pocket campground will find the foundation of the CCC constructed springhouse on Spring Creek and the floor of a large shower house. Still visible are the foot dips used to keep foot disease to a minimum and an old drainage ditch. Scattered throughout the campground, tucked in between the sites, are odd-shaped cement objects, their exact purposes unclear.
In 1984, the Armuchee Ranger District published "A History of the Pocket Recreation Area." Copies and more information are available at the Armuchee Ranger District Office in LaFayette, Georgia.
History isn't the only reason to visit the Pocket campground. The surrounding lush forest of deciduous trees beckons many to explore. Two trails, the 2.5-mile Pocket Loop Trail and 0.5-mile Pocket Nature Trail, offer easy ways through the woods. And the clear, flowing John's Creek offers a wonderful opportunity to cool down with a quick wade in the cold water. Good fishing is available in nearby Girl Scout Lake and Pitcher Pond. The towns of Villanow and Calhoun are nearby and offer interesting day trips.
Today, as in the past, visitors to The Pocket enjoy the quiet lushness of this hidden place in ancient mountains. During the day, the quiet is occasionally broken by the sound of children playing in the CCC-built wading area or the chatter of squirrels. At night, the crackling of a campfire, the rustling of leaves, and the gurgle of Spring Creek serenade
