Campers, hikers, bikers, kayakers and sightseers are taking to the mountains for the unofficial start of summer 2010.
On Friday, the telephone at the Ocoee Ranger Station was ringing regularly with callers checking on the last available camping spaces in the Cherokee National Forest.
“I don’t think the idea of staycations ever went away,” said Denny Perrine, forest service employee at the station.
On Chilhowee Mountain, U.S. Forest Service volunteers Clinton and Glenda Martin were busy making sure the campers had everything they needed, including a lake beach free of litter and clean restrooms.
They live in Etowah but, as volunteer hosts, they have a reserved camp space where they spend most of the year.
“It keeps us hopping, but we meet lots of people,” Mr. Martin said. “We met this couple from Finland several weeks ago. They had their motorcycles shipped over here.”
And just in time for summer, the Tennessee Overhill Heritage Association is reminding motorists of the region’s two Tennessee Scenic Byways, the Cherohala Skyway in Monroe County and the Ocoee Scenic Byway in Polk County.
“It makes sense to capitalize on these important assets by finding ways to encourage byway travelers to explore the land that lies between the two roads,” said Linda Caldwell, executive director of the Overhill Heritage Association.
The Cherohala crosses the north side of the three counties — Monroe, Polk and McMinn — served by the association. The Ocoee crosses the south side of the area, winding up the Chilhoweee Mountain to where the Martins spend their springs, summers and falls.
The Overhill Heritage Association has new information on its website promoting the National Scenic Byways, a program of the Federal Highway Administration and the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
ON THE WEBFor Overhill Heritage information, go to www.tennesseeoverhill.com and click on “Scenic Byways Day Trips.”
The U.S. 64 rock slide has been cleared so the highway through the Ocoee River Gorge is once again ready for traffic, Mr. Perrine said.
“I think U.S. 64 has come back pretty good,” he said.
And with the highway open, and the economy still not looking all that great, more people are staying closer to home.
“We seem to have more people here for just the day,” said Mr. Martin.