What: Charit Creek Lodge, a rustic hike-in wilderness lodge
Where: Located within Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, just 129 miles north of Chattanooga. Address for mapping: 299 Dewey Burks Road, Jamestown, Tenn., 38556
For more information: Visit the Charit Creek Lodge website. For reservations, email info@charitcreeklodge.com or call (931) 879-2776. Visit the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area website for more information or call (423) 286-7275.
Set deep within the woods of the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area on the Tennessee/Kentucky border, Charit Creek Lodge is the perfect weekend getaway for those wanting to rough it—with some amenities. Accessible only by foot, mountain bike or horseback, visitors must pack their way in to the lodge on one of two well-maintained trails, which range from less than a mile to about two miles in length.
A former hunting lodge, the first cabins at Charit Creek were built by Jonathan Blevins, a renowned long hunter who settled in the valley in 1817. Today, the buildings at Charit Creek are listed on the National Historic Register and considered some of the oldest buildings still being utilized within the nation’s park system. Accommodations include two private cabins and two private rooms in the main lodge, which can sleep up to 12 guests each. For equestrian guests, Charit Creek also offers an 11-stall stable and tie-out, which both include hay.
There is no electricity at Charit Creek, but each room and cabin is equipped with a wood stove and kerosene lamp. The lodge has complete restroom facilities and showers are available seasonally. Visitors should come prepared with flashlights and warm clothes for cool woodland nights.
One of the highlights of roughing it at Charit Creek Lodge is eating homemade meals in the lodge with other guests, family style. Hearty meals are made fresh daily, with breakfast served at 7 a.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. Reservations can be made for lunch at the lodge; however, sack lunches are included in the lodging rate for guests staying more than one night.
Charit Creek Lodge offers access to the 125,000-acre Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, with hundreds of miles of hiking and horse trails, as well as 80 miles of navigable river. Part of the Cumberland Plateau, the recreation area protects the free-flowing Big South Fork of the Cumberland River and its tributaries and features scenic gorges and sandstone bluffs.
Historically, the area served as American Indian hunting grounds, and today it claims more than 1,368 known American Indian archaeological sites—more than any park in the Southeast. A park-wide assessment has been underway as part of a federal mandate to protect American Indian archaeological features.
Last spring, Larry McMillan became the new operator at Charit Creek Lodge, an authorized National Park Service concession. McMillan also owns Southeast Pack Trips, an equestrian guide service on the outskirts of Big South Fork. Previously, the lodge was run by Stokely Hospitality Enterprises, the same company that manages LeConte Lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Jenni Frankenberg Veal enjoys writing about the natural world and the people who work to protect it. She is rarely found without her daughters and a pair of shoes appropriate for hiking and rock-hopping in creeks. Visit her blog at YourOutdoorFamily.com.
