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Secret in the Smokys
by Craig Litz
Fontana Village Resort, a year round destination resort, is set amidst the pristine beauty of the Nantahala National Forest of Western North Carolina, gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Located in the southern reaches of the Appalachian Mountains, visitors come to explore all that the Great Smoky Mountains and surrounding national forest lands have to offer.
Fontana Village’s beginnings were rooted in the need for electrical power generation during World War II for the war effort. Five thousand workers, with their families, came to the forest in 1942 and proceeded to build the largest dam in the eastern United States in record time. Fontana Dam was completed in just 36 months, The almost half-mile long, fifty story tall hydroelectric dam is still in operation today and stands in testament to the builders and their families who are the original residents of Fontana Dam, North Carolina.
The greatest legacy of the dam building project has to be Fontana Lake. Fontana Village sets above the shores of this incredible waterway, formed by the waters behind Fontana Dam and the Little Tennessee River. The panoramic mountain vistas from the lake draw outdoors and water sport enthusiasts alike. The lake is bordered by the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the north shore and the Nantahala National Forest along its southern shore. The reservoir’s 29 mile length and 238 miles of shoreline offer endless hours of exploration and excitement starting from Fontana’s Marina. Fishermen come to fish the endless hidden coves and creeks for stream trout, bass and walleye.
Fontana Marina harbor offers a majestic view as guests head onto the lake for fishing, casual boating and skiing and access to the park’s most remote trails & creeks. Photographers and film crews have visited the lake for years to capture the incredible beauty of this mountain waterway. The marina rents a variety boats to guests and the marina store is well stocked for any activity.
Over the decades, Fontana has gained a well deserved reputation as the ultimate mountain getaway for families and groups in the Appalachians. Guests, with their family and friends, continue to return each year. Of all of the different types of entertainment and adventure that draw guests to Fontana Village Resort, the magic that is the Great Smoky Mountains is the most irresistible. Many visitors to the Village take advantage of the lakeside and lake view trails in the National Park that can be reached by pontoon shuttle from the Marina at Fontana Village or by crossing Fontana Dam. The diversity of plant life and animals has earned the National Park the status as the largest protected biosphere on the planet. Over nine million visitors per year visit this great wilderness. And yet, there is little evidence of man in this stunning wilderness because of the efforts of visitors, volunteers and the park service personnel to keep this pristine national treasure as it is for future generations.
After breakfast at the cabin or in the lodge’s Mountview Bistro overlooking the western range of the Smokies, many guests begin the day with a trip into the forest by foot, mountain bike, motorcycle, car or even horseback. The Village maintains miles of trails in the surrounding forest for hiking and mountain biking enthusiasts. Two NORBA (National Off-Road Biking Association) sanctioned mountain bike races are held each spring and summer. The winter brings the annual “Icycle” mountain bike race event, a regional favorite among cyclists and spectators. Cyclists from all parts of the East converge on the Village for these events to compete and play. Weekend trail warriors can find mountain bike rentals at the Adventure Center for an afternoon of exercise and thrills. The casual day hiker can find any type of gear and shoes at the Hazel Creek Outfitter. There are always a few people on the porch enjoying a coffee or soda, trading stories about their trip into the woods and streams that day.
Each March brings the Appalachian Trail hikers through the Village. The Trail runs across the ramp at Fontana Marina. The Village provides restrooms, information and shuttle services for hikers into the Village. The post office is a resupply drop-point for the hikers after their first leg of the journey from Springer Mountain in north Georgia. Many hikers take what is commonly known as a “zero day” to resupply the pack in the General Store and gather a fresh wind before entering the National Park. The restaurants and porches are filled with smiles, stories and trading before they say good bye and return to their 2000 mile adventure along the AT.
The roadways surrounding Fontana Village offer their own unique entertainment. Visitors take to the country highways and byways to visit the many waterfalls and overlooks or to simply stop by one of the area’s creeks to have lunch in the shade of a grove of poplars. For the car and motorcycle enthusiast there is the renowned Tail of the Dragon on Hwy. 129, the challenging Hellbender 28 that saddles up lakeside for twenty-two miles along Fontana Lake and the Cherohala Skyway, a fifty mile ridgeline drive overlooking the Slickrock Wilderness and Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. Large gatherings of cycle and car enthusiasts gather in the Village every year to ride all day and relax in the evenings around the campfire or curled up on a comfortable sofa in the Bear’s Den lounge at the Fontana Lodge.
For the day tripper to the mountains surrounding the Village, the stops are endless... the Cherokee Reservation and Harrah’s Casino, whitewater rafting on the Cheoah River and Nantahala River, shopping in Gatlinburg & Pigeon Forge, Dollywood theme park, skiing in beautiful Maggie Valley, boating and fishing on the pristine lakes and the spring through fall mountain heritage festivals.
The event schedule at Fontana and the surrounding mountains stretches across all four seasons. The Village will be featuring events and activities in conjunction with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s 75th anniversary all year long leading up to 2009 celebration of this national treasure. The “75 on the 75th” is seventy-five planned hikes throughout the park and Nantahala forest, educating guests and visitors about the history and treasures of the National Park. The HiYak festival in April highlights the need for stewardship of the Park and surrounding forests and features guest speakers from around the country. Fontana’s 4th of July celebration is steeped in mountain history and heritage with one of the biggest fireworks displays in the mountains. The Spring Bluegrass Festival is becoming the mountain music event to attend with national recording artists and outstanding local musicians alike.
Fontana has been undergoing wide ranging transformations over the last three years with upgraded and new cabins throughout the Village, the completely remodeled Lodge at Fontana and the new Stone Creek Pool & Lazy River in the Village center. The Pitstop for road enthusiasts, the new Fontana Marina and store with slip and boat rentals and the Hazel Creek Outfitters were opened to take care of any outdoor activities imaginable. The Village and Wildwater Ltd. offer whitewater rafting in the Nantahala Gorge on the Nantahala River, one of America’s favorite whitewater playgrounds.
For those wanting to leave the kitchen at home, the Village offers a variety of options for every meal and snack. The Mountview Bistro at the Lodge features a casual dining atmosphere with an inventive menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Bear’s Den Lounge is open seven nights a week for the guests’ enjoyment. The Wildwood Grill in the center of the Village, offers an American food & spirits menu and a view of everything going on from its deck everyday for lunch and dinner. The Ice Cream and Coffee shop is the first and last stop for many guests each day. The morning stop is almost always a good cup of dark roast coffee and a bagel or pastry. The Ice Cream Shop is the place to be after dinner each night for a cone or hot fudge sundae before hitting the field for Fontana’s classic evening softball game. The General Store is a complete country grocer with food, snack and souvenirs.
The Village has a wide range of accommodations, including rooms in the intimate settings of The Lodge, suites, cabins, houseboats on Fontana Lake looking into the Smokies, as well as RV & tent camping on the beautiful Cheoah. Add the catering and convention spaces restaurants, outfitters, day spa, pools, marina, bike shop, horseback riding, miles of on-site trails suitable for biking and hiking, and it’s easy to see why Fontana is the Great Smoky Mountain Destination for families and outdoor enthusiasts.