Lodging near Ocoee Adventure Center is abundant, but my personal favorite place to stay is in a tent and sleeping bag. Sleeping under the stars has always had great appeal to me. This blog is about a recent adventure where my best friend and I enjoyed a night of Ocoee camping and Astrophotography.
When we arrived we pitched a tent at Thunder Rock Campground and set out to explore the area that night. Thunder Rock Campground is located about 6 miles downriver from the Ocoee Adventure Center outpost and is a US forest Service controlled campground.
https://www.recreation.gov/camping/thunder-rock-campground/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=NRSO&parkId=139491
This campground is unique to the region since it is the only one with access to the actual Ocoee River from the campsites. It is located in the spot that the Upper Ocoee flows into the Middle Ocoee, In fact our camp site was directly across from the final rapid of the Upper Ocoee which is named Edge of the World.
Other camping accommodations can be found at https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/cherokee/recarea/?recid=35076
Our night consisted of hiking around and shooting pictures of the Milky Way. The Ocoee has so many wonderful spots for Astrophotography, not to mention an abundant amount of local scenery. Through the night we visited a large number of scenic locations in the Ocoee gorge. If you ever get the chance to spend the night here make sure you stop by Boyd’s Gap, Blue Hole on the Upper Ocoee and Chillhowee overlooks. These 3 sites were our favorite of the night. If you want to stay up to catch the sunrise the best spot is up Oswald Road on the east side of Chillhowee Moutain. The views from there are breathtaking watching the sunrise over the mountains.
If you have any questions about the Ocoee River or Region feel free to contact us at Ocoee Adventure Center. We love to share our knowledge of the area with prospective visitors.
