The Smoky Mountains for fall colors

I'm considering a trip from Colorado to the Smoky Mountains for the fall colors. I want to find some places in possibly Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, and for North Carolina to hike, fly fish and bike. I prefer national Forest or state campgrounds and I would like to stay somewhere for a minimum of three or four days with good hiking, biking, flyfishing nearby. After seeing the fall colors in the mountains I plan to travel to the coast of north Carolina head south to Florida Panhandle across New Orleans into Texas and back up to Colorado through New Mexico. I have about two months for this trip.

Suggestions for camping areas that provide these activities nearby would be greatly appreciated. As would recommendation for the best times for the fall colors.

I have the Trailmanor 2431 KS, so I would need campgrounds or forest service areas that could accommodate the larger of the TM trailers.

Thanks in advance,
Buck Mills

[SCBillandJane]

The higher elevations of the Smokies will probably reach their color peak around the second week of Oct. Lower elevations last through the end of Oct. depending on many factors. These dates are the most popular for campers with the pleasant temps and colors. Be prepared for full campgrounds. Look at Mount Rodgers area in SW Virginia. Off the beaten track and beautiful. Consider biking the Cades Cove area in the Smokies, going over the mountains into NC and traveling the Blue Ridge Parkway. Also you are going to be very close to the Trailmanor factory if that is of interest to you. The Florida panhandle has several excellent state parks. Our favorites are in Panama City and Pensacola.

If you like National Forest Campgrounds try Deep Creek near Bryson City. You can fly fish near the campground. If you have a full day go to Hazel Creek for some of the best fly fishing in the park. To get there you will need to catch a ferry from Fontana Marina or do like we did and kayak in from Cable Cove. In Hazel Creek you can catch brown, rainbow and brook trout. Send me a PM if you want more details. If you want to stay at a commercial campground I can recommend Yogi of the Smokies on Big Cove Road about 6 miles outside of Cherokee. The Cherokee tribe stocks the stream that runs 10 feet from your campsite so you will have no problem catching fish. When we stayed there in early summer during the week we almost had the whole campground to ourselves. Cades Cove Campground is nice also and the area also has a lot of good fly fishing opportunities.

For New Orleans, you have a few choices depending on what you want to see. There is a "cement" campground in the heart of the city if that is what you want to visit. There are a few decent SPs in the area that are only 10-15min from downtown. Bayou Segnette is one of these. It's on the westbank, straight down hwy90. The camping area is relatively new, and very roomy. The park is convenient in that its a straight shot to the right to go downtown. Not much hiking here though.
If you want to be further away, there are some nice SPs on the Northshore as well. Fontainbleau SP is right on the lake. Riverview is right on the Tchefuncte river. This is great park, but the camping area is a bit cramped, but does take larger rvs. These would put you 30-45mins from downtown. Let me know if you have further questions on New Orleans.