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Christopher: Well, Buck Hill Campground has actually been here in Plumtree, North Carolina for a long time. It’s changed hands – my understanding – over the years, going all the way back to either the late ’50s or early ’60s. So, it’s been here a long time. Our family acquired it back in 2002, and my wife and I moved up to live here year round and kind of take over the responsibilities five seasons ago, and we just absolutely love it. It’s just a beautiful spot here in the North Carolina Mountains.
Christopher: I would say, in and around the area, probably my personal favorite is you can go to Linville Falls, which is maybe a 15-minute drive from our property. And that is a State-supported area of hiking trails and just absolutely beautiful waterfalls. Really, really well maintained and a beautiful spot. They also have Linville Caverns that you can go see. And then gem mining is very big. Our neighboring town, Spruce Pine, is really known for mining. And in fact, and I’m not going to remember the exact name of the mineral, but about 98% of all computer chips in the United States and the world – the little CPU chips. Part of what’s in those chips is mined right here, form Spruce Pine. So, that’s kind of a big deal for the locals here; that it’s known as a mining town and a gem town. A lot of people enjoy doing that as well.
Christopher: That’s a good question. If I could just choose one site, damn, that’s a tough one. I guess I would probably say, when you first enter our property, you have to cross a bridge to get over the Tow River, where we’re located. And the first few sites right over our bridge, there is a large water structure, where, years ago, engineers came in and put a pretty rock piece. It’s just to help with the flow from Mother Nature when you have a lot of water, if there’s storms or high waters. So, it creates a very nice rapid kind of waterfall, where you can just hear that water. So, I know a lot of our campers that are towards that entrance part of the campground love it, because you could literally sit in your camper and just hear the rush of that water all night. So, I would probably say that would be, and that would be one spot, but you’d probably have a good half-dozen – six, seven, or eight – spots right there at the front where you really get to enjoy those rapids. I, myself, love hearing that. It’s a nice way to fall asleep.
Camp North Carolina had the pleasure of speaking with the owners of Buck Hill Campground. They shared with us their proximity to some of North Carolina’s natural beauty, Nashville, and what you should do when you visit the area. Listen to our full interview here:
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Buck Hill Campground NC
Camp North Carolina: I’m talking with Christopher today. He is one of the Owners of Buck Hill Campground in North Carolina. Christopher, why don’t you start with telling us how long the campground has been there and how it got started?
Christopher: Well, Buck Hill Campground has actually been here in Plumtree, North Carolina for a long time. It’s changed hands – my understanding – over the years, going all the way back to either the late ’50s or early ’60s. So, it’s been here a long time. Our family acquired it back in 2002, and my wife and I moved up to live here year round and kind of take over the responsibilities five seasons ago, and we just absolutely love it. It’s just a beautiful spot here in the North Carolina Mountains.
CNC: Okay, and what types of camping do you offer there?
Christopher: We have 64 full hook-up RV sites that each site does have 20amp, 30amp, and 50amp service. And of course, water and sewer hook-up. And then we also have tent camping and have primitive tent camping in the back without hook-ups, although we do have a couple of sites in the back that do have water. So, I guess not completely primitive. And then we also have two bathhouses on the campground for those tent campers that have access to.
CNC: Okay. And what are the most popular activities for guests there?
Christopher: Probably the biggest single attraction – we sit on the North River, which is supported by the State Hatchery, so we have wonderful fishing trout. Fishing bean. Kind of the biggest lure, and that starts the first weekend in April, and there’s really good fishing throughout the year. We also have a property. We have 144 acres, so you can hike to the top of Buck Hill Mountain, and there are some very pretty lookout views. And then we are located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so we have some really nice spots off the parkway – a very quick drive from the property.
And then, a lot of our campers that stay on the property, besides the fishing, it’s just a very family and pet-friendly campground. Very quiet. We do a lot of social activities together. We’ve got a game/exercise room. We’ve got a large gathering room that we do bingo night and cards, and fun things like that.
CNC: Very cool. What are some of your favorite in and around that area?
Christopher: I would say, in and around the area, probably my personal favorite is you can go to Linville Falls, which is maybe a 15-minute drive from our property. And that is a State-supported area of hiking trails and just absolutely beautiful waterfalls. Really, really well maintained and a beautiful spot. They also have Linville Caverns that you can go see. And then gem mining is very big. Our neighboring town, Spruce Pine, is really known for mining. And in fact, and I’m not going to remember the exact name of the mineral, but about 98% of all computer chips in the United States and the world – the little CPU chips. Part of what’s in those chips is mined right here, form Spruce Pine. So, that’s kind of a big deal for the locals here; that it’s known as a mining town and a gem town. A lot of people enjoy doing that as well.
CNC: Interesting. So, regular folks can get involved in that?
Christopher: They can. There are several places in Spruce Pine, and again, we’re ten minutes from Downtown Spruce Pine, where you can go and actually mine for gems and do that. That’s a fun activity. I know a lot of kids enjoy. I haven’t myself done it, but I know that that’s a big attraction to a lot of people that are in this area. And then a few others. If you go a little bit further, more like, say, if you’re willing to do a 30-minute radius, we’ve got some beautiful golf courses in the area. Of course Grandfather Mountain is a very big attraction that’s not far from us. Blowing Rock. Tweetsie Railroad. And then we have a lot of really nice apple orchards in the area, both here and in our neighboring towns right next to us. So, I’d say those are probably the most popular. And then, if you want to take a little bit longer drive, we’re about an hour from a Biltmore in Nashville, and that’s obviously a big attraction to anyone in Western North Carolina.
CNC: Huh. You know, people are starting to invest in precious metals more. Maybe I need to get a pickax and get down there and dig up my retirement.
Christopher: There you go. There you go. That’s why gem mining is as popular as it is, but yeah, there’s Gem Mountain. I was trying to think here. There are a couple of others. A pretty big place called Gem Mountain. That’s a place that you could go, and they’ve got mines that you can work in, and shopping. And it’s a cute little place. Like I said, I know a lot of kids enjoy that.
CNC: It sounds really neat. Two more questions for you, Christopher. If you were going to spend just one hour at Buck Hill Campground, how would you spend your time there?
Christopher: For me, if I could actually enjoy it without keeping the grounds, we work a lot here to keep things moving.
CNC: Yeah, that’s definitely the question, if you had a little downtime.
Christopher: Yeah, if I actually had the downtime, truthfully, I would either say getting an inner tube and going down the river or fishing in it. I mean, it is just a beautiful river. We’ve got some nice rapids and it’s just, like I said, a beautiful spot where you can lazily just float down a river and look at mountains all around you, because we sit in a really pretty, almost like a valley, where you’ve got Spirit Top Mountain and Buck Hill Mountain. Every direction you turn you’re looking at just Mother Nature. Just the beauty the God has blessed us with in this area.
CNC: Very cool. And last question: if you could spend just one night at Buck Hill Campground in North Carolina, which specific campsite would you choose and why?
Christopher: That’s a good question. If I could just choose one site, damn, that’s a tough one. I guess I would probably say, when you first enter our property, you have to cross a bridge to get over the Tow River, where we’re located. And the first few sites right over our bridge, there is a large water structure, where, years ago, engineers came in and put a pretty rock piece. It’s just to help with the flow from Mother Nature when you have a lot of water, if there’s storms or high waters. So, it creates a very nice rapid kind of waterfall, where you can just hear that water. So, I know a lot of our campers that are towards that entrance part of the campground love it, because you could literally sit in your camper and just hear the rush of that water all night. So, I would probably say that would be, and that would be one spot, but you’d probably have a good half-dozen – six, seven, or eight – spots right there at the front where you really get to enjoy those rapids. I, myself, love hearing that. It’s a nice way to fall asleep.
CNC: That sounds really relaxing.
Christopher: Yes sir.
CNC: Well, hey, thank you so much, Christopher, for taking some time out of your day to explain a little bit of the features and some of the amenities there at Buck Hill Campground in North Carolina.
Christopher: Thank you very much.
