Mountain View Campground is in Hiawassee, Georgia about 2 hours from our home.  About 3 weeks before Memorial Day we had the thought that we should take Mattie out again and as we searched we began to realize that all the state campgrounds were booked up.  We changed our search towards private campgrounds and stumbled upon Mountain View.  This campground was also the reason why we joined Passport America, a discount site for campgrounds.  This campground is half off using Passport America (depending on the weekend), so it was like getting the membership for a year for free.  No brainer, right?  I am not sure it is worth getting every year but being new to the Airstream life we thought it would be worth a try.

The name of the campground is accurate, there is definitely a “Mountain View”.  It’s a small campground with about 31 RV sites and 5 tent sites. There are also “cabins” aka trailers on the grounds but they are not available to book at this time.  The campground was purchased about a year ago by the gracious hosts, Mike and Damien, who now run the campground. Mike greeted us as we pulled up and checked us in.  We had originally booked site 27 but he asked us if we’d be ok moving to site 15.  It was a slightly smaller site at the top of the hill.  We were fine with that, Mattie is petite after all.  Site 15 ended up being very nice and probably better than site 27!  There was decent shade coverage, it is right near the bathrooms, showers, laundry, and was perched at the top of a hill overlooking the entire campground and the mountain.

Amenities

Each site has 30 and 50 amp plug-ins, a 120 outlet, water, cable, and sewer.  Sites have a picnic table and fire ring but no grill.  Luckily, we brought our portable Weber which we prefer to campground grills.   There is wifi.  It was spotty while we were there because they got struck by lightning, but when it did work, it wasn’t bad.  Cell signal is spotty.

The campground was very different from the state parks we’ve stayed at.  Many of the sites are very close together and it overall had a more of a residential feel to it.  Campers can stay for up to 3 months here so it makes sense.  There are also a number of very large RVs here.  We were one of the smallest that weekend.  No one really hung out outside or built fires.  That being said, it was very quiet. 

If you are looking for a campground with a B&B feel look no further.  Many Friday/Saturday nights they have live music in the barn at the center of the campground.  It’s free to campers and kids under 12.  $10 for others.  There is also a communal fire pit at the front of the property with breathtaking views of the mountains.  The last night we were there Damien and Mike took the fire pit for a spin and offered free marshmallows for roasting.  Our last morning Damien and Mike made the entire campground blueberry pancakes and Mike’s famous Sausage Egg Casserole.  They generally do free breakfast on the Sunday or Monday on holidays when there isn’t a show the night before.  This was a nice amenity to not have to cook breakfast before we packed up and shipped out.

The bathroom facilities were older but very clean and each contained a shower.  The laundry room was $1 donation per load to wash and $1 donation per load to dry.  You can buy ice and firewood ($5) at the front office.

Dog owners!  Mountain View loves pooches. Frankie totally fell in love with Damien and they became best friends during our stay.   Your dog can go almost anywhere with you with the exception of inside the barn.  Poop stations are located all around the property.  Heading out for the day without your dog?  Let Mike or Damien know and they’ll arrange to have your dog walked while you’re out.

Damien’s goal is to make the campground feel like home and I think they definitely do that.  Heck, I would say better than home!  Who gets free breakfast and dog walking at home?

Things we learned

• This was our first time at a full hookup campground having a full hookup spoiled us.  It was so cool not having to worry about how much to flush and we even tried our shower for the first time.  It is like taking a shower in an airplane bathroom but smaller.  I highly recommend having a shower head that you can turn “on” and “off” with a toggle switch.  You won’t have to readjust your water temperature every time you shut off the water.  Turning on and off your shower will save water and your tank doesn’t fill up so fast.
• Personalizing our camper makes it a “home away from home”.  We added framed pictures of our kids and dogs and decorated with wall art and a vase of pretty faux flowers.

Activities

During the day, there isn’t much to do at the campground or very close to the campground.  There are no playgrounds and the owners don’t allow tying anything to trees so we didn’t do any hammocking.  Damien did say that if there are enough kids camping that they’ll do a kid’s night out with a movie in the barn to give the parents a break.  Nice touch.

Hiking

There are a few trails within driving distance:

• Appalachian Trail – 10 minutes away
• Hemlock Falls Trail – 20 minutes away
• Jackrabbit Trail – 15 minutes away
• Coleman River Trail – 20 minutes away
• Brasstown Bald – 30 minutes away
• High Shoal Falls – 20 minutes

Lakes

Lake Chatuge and Lake Burton are close by for canoeing, kayaking, boating, fishing, etc.  You can also zip line and rent tubes to go down the Chattahoochee River near Helen.

Shopping

Clayton and Helen are both about 30 minutes away and both have cute little downtown areas with shops and restaurants.