Daniel Boone National Forest: Grove Campground

After three nights of delightful weather in the Virginia mountains, I was ready to continue my journey west.  I crossed back and forth between Virginia and Tennessee until I settled in southeastern Kentucky.

The weather had changed from mid 70’s for highs to low 90’s for highs.  By the time I arrived at Daniel Boone National Forest near Corbin, Kentucky, I was ready to plug into some air conditioning.  The Grove Campground has multiple loops and two different campgrounds.  One is called the Drive-in campground, where campers drive in and set up.  The other one is the Boat-in campground, which is not accessible by vehicle.

The drive-in campground is past season.  There were only a few trailers when i arrived.  Rates are discounted, and reservations aren’t being accepted. The header photo shows the large hickory nuts that have been falling on my trailer, both in Virginia and Kentucky.

After setting up for one night (leaving the Brew Hut hooked up to the truck), Callie and I hiked down a path recommended by the campground host.  We walked down the Closed C loop to the dumpster, and then hiked past the “road closed sign.” From that point, the asphalt turned to gravel and then to dirt. Eventually, we reached the Boat-in Campground, which it turns out is accessible by foot.

After hiking back up the trail, we continued to walk each of the campground loops.  Before you know it, Callie and I had our 12,000 steps in for the day, despite a full driving day.  Dinner tonight was burgers and cold beer.  Later, I went over and sat with an older couple with a Casita who had traveled tens of thousands of miles during their three years of ownership.

They keep a home in Florida but are no strangers to adventure on the road.. After we solved many of the world’s problems and philosophical issues, I headed off to bed.  A cold sweet tea sounded better than a beer, so that was my nightcap.