Charit Creek Lodge, one of the National Park Service's best-kept secrets, closed December 31, 2010, as the concessionaire's contract expired. It will remain closed until a new concessionaire is approved and the contracts are signed in Washington, D.C., according to a park employee speaking on January 15, 2011. (Writer's note: Updated April 20, 2011, I have received a call from the new management of Charit Creek Lodge, and it has reopened.)
Howard Duncan with the National Park Service, who supplied the photographs for this article, e-mailed on Jan. 20, 2010: "At this time we do not have a firm date for the reopening of Charit Creek Lodge. We hope sometime this Spring, perhaps by April. However, it could be longer."
The Big South Fork website states, "We intend to complete this process as soon as possible. During the interim, it will not be possible to make a reservation for the 2011 season. When the new concessioner is selected, we will post the information as well as create a link to the new concessioner's website when it is operational. Please check periodically for updated information or contact the park at 423-286-7275."
On Charit Creek Lodge's Facebook page, a tentative opening date of Tuesday, February 1, 2011, was posted on December 9, 2010. A new landline phone number of 931-879-2776 was posted on Facebook on December 17, 2010. An answering machine promises a return phone call for anyone who leaves a name and telephone number.
Larry McMillan, an outfitter at Big South Fork for 22 years, did return the call on Jan. 21. He stated that he and a partner have formed "In the Woods, LLC," and have been promised a contract to become the concessionaire at Charit Creek Lodge. He hopes Charit Creek will be ready to open by March 1. However, no deposits are being accepted until the contract is signed, and he is unsure when that will be, he said.
He said that In the Woods plans to keep Charit Creek Lodge rustic, and that the park itself sets the rates.
The appointment of Dr. Niki Stephanie Nicholas as the Big South Fork's new superintendent was announced in early January, and she assumed her duties there in mid-January.
The Big South Fork Is Reached by Hiking, Horseback Riding or Mountain Biking
The Big South Fork encompasses about 125,000 wilderness acres in the Cumberland Plateau of the United States, and lies in both Tennessee and Kentucky. The area attracts nature lovers who wish to escape the fast track to wander leisurely into the quietness of nature.
Nearby towns are small, and the Big South Fork Recreation Area is reached along winding country roads. Once at a trailhead, vehicles must be parked, and people either hike into the area or ride horses or mountain bikes. However, cyclists are allowed only on weekdays. The weekends are reserved for hikers.
Hike to Charit Creek Lodge Is a Challenge and Offers the Treat of Massive Rock Arches
One of the favorite destinations of hikers in the Big South Fork is Charit Creek Lodge, which is located in Tennessee. The log structure is situated in a pasture at the juncture of Charit Creek and Station Camp Creek, described on the Charit Creek Lodge webpage. Numerous trails lead from the lodge, and two main ones lead from the lodge to the parking areas, and vice versa.
The lodge is less than a mile from the closest parking, but the most popular way to the log lodge is a hike of slightly less than two miles. Both hikes are through rugged territory that abounds with wildflowers in bloom during the spring, glorious leaf colors in the fall and massive sandstone rock formations in all seasons.
The short hike entails a creek crossing in front of the lodge. So, if hikers do get their feet wet, they can quickly change into dry gear. The longer trail takes a hiker to the magnificent "Twin Arches," a sandstone formation of massive joined orange-colored rock that is the largest arch formation in Big South Fork and possibly in the eastern United States.
Charit Creek Lodge Is Rustic, Without Electricity or Running Water
"Charit Creek may be the oldest operating lodge in the National Park system. It has this honor because the main lodge building is a series of additions to a cabin built in 1817, and that original cabin is still part of the structure," according to a National Park Service website.
The good-sized log structure without electricity or running water is the only lodging available inside the park. Those who wish may bring and cook their own food, but the most popular way is to eat hardy country cooking "family style" in the dining room with other guests.
In addition to the rustic main lodge where guests bunk dormitory-style are smaller log cabins along the creek bank that will sleep 12. The cabins have rocking chairs on the front porches overlooking the creek and are lit by oil lamps. The sparse furnishings include bunk beds, a table and a wood stove, for which wood is provided.
There are primitive "facilities" and showers.
Whether stargazing, hiking, rock climbing or engaging in other outdoor pursuits that appeal to the nature lover, the area around Charit Creek Lodge has much appeal. It is hoped a new deal will soon be approved and the remote destination again open to the public who desires to "get away from it all."
Read more at Suite101: Big South Fork, Obed River Areas Get New Superintendent.
Velma Southerland - Velma Southerland has been employed in the lifestyles section of an award-winning East Tennessee community newspaper for more than 20 ...
