Campgrounds in SE near good cycling & kayaking areas plus short hikes

[kudzu]

Am looking campground recommendations in SE USA, preferably less than 300 mile drive of Atlanta area. We'd like nice camping near areas that offer cycling, kayaking and leisurely hikes. We are no longer the sort of folks who do intense exercise but we do love to go bike riding and kayaking plus a little hiking. When camping, we often do all of those on the same day.

Our bike rides are usually short, about 5-10 miles at a time. We might ride 2-3 times in a day, so a daily total of 10-30 miles. We like to explore so would love to do somewhat different rides each time. We are recreational cyclers, not mountain bikers. We do happily incorporate parts of easy MTB trails if those are nearby. Bike trails, greenways, and campground roads are preferred but we also do road rides in low traffic, lower MPH areas.

Our kayaking is basically just paddling leisurely around for a couple hours on flat water. We don't mind driving to a put in spot. Being able to put in from our campsite is always a huge bonus.

We still do short hikes but these days I'd describe those more like leisurely walks in nature. We're not backpackers and no longer do anything long. Usually only go a few miles at a time, say 3-5.

Anyone have suggestions?

 

[GaWalker]

Huntington Island SC - Walks by lakes (lots of birds) and ocean. Kayaking in creek side of park. Bike park roads and bike path along highway. More than 300 miles away and pricey.

Stone Mountain would seem to check your boxes but too many people for me.

 

[kudzu]

Hunting Island is a place I'd love to try. Have heard of it, though had not realized it offered a kayaking area. Hopefully we will make it there. Thanks for mentioning it. The distance thing does make choosing places harder. My parents need a good deal of care and I'd had to cut a couple of trips short when there was a problem. So I'm trying to stay closer to home.

We camped 4 weekdays at Stone Mountain late this Summer. It seemed really odd to go camping practically in Atlanta. lol It was my partners' suggestion and an experiment. I'd been determined to camp somewhere every month until Winter. Camping effectively in the middle of suburbs, I was expecting, well not anything particularly good. Yet, we had a really nice time. That actually surprised me some. We got cooler weather, no crowds or anyone bothering us, easy kayaking put in and biking plus some nice hikes. As you say, it ticked the boxes. I think one key was doing it mid-week, after school season started.

 

[GaWalker]

I was hoping there would be more replies with ideas. I spend more time mountain biking and mountain biking areas tend to have better hiking. Tsali is a favorite with good hiking and MTB and has Lake Fontana for kayaking. I love Cloudland Canyon for MTB and hiking but no kayaking. George L. Smith is our favorite for kayaking through the cypress trees and has decent hiking but no biking.

 

[kudzu]

I was hoping there would be more replies with ideas.

Well I was asking for a lot. lol Never hurts to ask. Cloudland was our second date. Still love it. Will check out Tsali and Lake Fontana. We've not seen either. Have heard of George L Smith but never checked it out. I LOVE the idea of paddling among cypress trees.

 

[Hilldweller]

Lake Powhatan in Asheville.

Right off the BRP. Right next to the NC Arboretum (you can walk to the back gate and get in for free). Hike and bike in there.

FS roads all over the place between the campground and the BRP for hiking and biking. Or run the single track mountain bike trails all around.

Kayak the French Broad River.

Dine in Asheville if you don't want to burn your own food.

We'll be back up there a week from Saturday for Xmas camping.

Lake Powhatan Recreation Area & Campground · 75 Wesley Branch Rd, Asheville, NC 28806

★★★★☆ · Campground

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