BAMA - Those mtns are great as well...ELKMONT inside the Natl Park is my favorite but of course there is no hookups just several Rest Rooms buildings with a water spigot. Firewood and Ice is available on site. We always use the Townsend side for groceries and supplies when staying there because of less congestion. Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge is only a short distance away. TREMONT just outside the Natl Park entrance on the Townsend side is a great place to stay that has hookups.
If you guys are going to do alot of camping off the power grid you will need to beef-up the battery system including the changing over to a smart mode converter (your new trailer may have this already) and adding more batteries, LED lights, PSW Inverter, etc with the idea in mind you can run all your 120VAC and 12VDC items except air conditioning from the Batteries and then be able to re-charge your batteries to 90% charge state the next morning during breakfast for 2-3 hours with your trailer directly connected to a 2KW Honda type generator using a RV30A-15A "dogbone" type 18-inch long adapter (Walmart). This takes alittle planning on your part as just doing one thing wont be successful for you guys...
Smoky Mtn Natl Park allows the use of generators during the day 8AM-8PM or something like that. Then you will be good to go for the next day/night camping routine. This is the most successful way to do it. Alot more fun running all the toys then to just sit there with a bunch of flashlights and candles trying to nurse along your one battery to make it a couple of days. If you have to run your trailer furnace all night then the rule of thumb is one battery per day with the furnace running on propane and the furnace blower running off your battery. "Give me more power Scotty" as Star Trek Capt Kirk would say...
The PISGAH Mtns to the South on the NC side looks like a good camping spot as well. Use to drive those roads to Charleston SC on work trips alot but have never camped in that Natl Forest yet... For just seeing the leaf colors changes Cloudland Canyon at Trenton GA exit and Desoto at Fort Payne AL exit up on the Lookout mtn are hard to beat and alot closer to you guys and they both have hookups... After the RACES this weekend in ALA the Talladega Mtn camp sites will be somewhat more toned down with all the party goers gone....
Have fun on your first trips with the new camper...
Roy Ken
