Hanging Dog – A new push to transform Cherokee County’s shuttered campground into a full-service state park appears promising, according to state Rep. Karl Gillespie.
Gillespie and state Sen. Kevin Corbin (both R-Franklin) said they are working to establish what it will take for the U.S. Forest Service to lease a sufficient amount of acres to the state of North Carolina for such a park. During a July 25 “legislative update” in Murphy, the pair told local elected officials they recently met with and received favorable responses from two officials who are key to the process.
Corbin noted that Hanging Dog campground sits adjacent to thousands of acres of Forest Service land, and that the goal is to go through a process that will encompass a significant chunk of that land into a new state park.
“More than just 20 or 30 acres, maybe 500 acres or 1,000 acres,” Gillespie added. “We will then be able to turn that into a state park that will fit with the state parks recreational program so that it’s going to have day use, it’s going to have camping and it’s going to be a full-service state park.”
The reopening of the campground was a popular point of discussion by local candidates during the 2022 primary election earlier this year.
The campground, which sits alongside Hiwassee Lake in the Nantahala National Forest, was initially closed in 2014 due to declining use and increased management costs, according to the Forest Service. It went through two “trial periods” in 2016 and 2017, when the Forest Service and Cherokee County attempted to partner in operating the camp.
However, the Forest Service said fees collected at the campground were well below the operating and managing costs, with an occupancy rate of just 11 percent in 2017.
Gillespie said his office initiated an investigation into the history of the campground. He said he and Corbin typically take the lead on different projects in order to better serve the district.
“This is one of those, when we were dividing stuff up, I chose it,” Gillespie said. “My take on why the campground failed is much like some other campgrounds in the district.
“The way folks like to camp is different than it was when I was growing up. They want full hookups, they want water, they want TV, they want power, they want these conveniences.”
Corbin said he and Gillespie have received general cost estimates about what it will take to renovate and operate the campground.
“I want to say it’s $13 million or $14 million, but don’t hold me to that, to upgrade that campground and get those types of amenities,” Gillespie said. “We’ve also looked at the tract of land that it lies on, and we feel like based on the data we’ve ascertained, it’s more than just a full-service campground. There’s room for primitive camping, bike trails, and all of the things that fit into the state recreational plan.”
Gillespie said amenities such as small cabins also have been discussed.