LEARN ABOUT BRYSON CITY CAMPING
Bryson City Camping: The Full Story
Hi, we’re Bryan, Christy and Savannah (Savvy) Maher. We landed in Bryson City, NC, after traveling and searching for a few years for the best place to build our second campground. We fell in love with its beautiful Appalachian Smoky Mountain charm. Our previous glamping ground was located on the other side of the Smokies, near Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge, TN. Although we enjoyed hosting guests there, we felt that the hustle, bustle, and growth had become too loud for us. We decided to shift our focus to a quieter, peaceful, yet adventure-filled area in Bryson City. Western North Carolina offers just what we were looking for, specifically in Bryson City, NC. Situated on the east side of Great Smoky Mountain National Park, our Bryson City camping ground, surrounded by breathtaking mountain views, is where you’ll find us.
Where our Campground Began
We broke ground on our campground in December 2023, doing almost all of the work ourselves. Canopy Cove campground in Bryson City quickly met us with so many unexpected challenges, from ground and storm water issues, to complete excavation of an old homestead that had been buried. But the vision and our determination to share our unique retreat and campground with others remained.
This area is rich in culture and has deep roots in the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Appalachian folk traditions, a variety of wildlife, including elk & bear, and beautiful forests. So, of course, we aimed to be good stewards of the land and community while building Canopy Cove Campground in Bryson City.
Most of the lumber used came either from Canopy Cove or a nearby sawmill. Bryan spent countless hours and days felling trees (that needed to come down), which later became perfect beams used for building the tent frames, bath-house, and guest lounge. Timber from the property was also used for retaining walls and fencing.
We have made an effort to minimize our environmental impact as much as possible to preserve the beauty of the camp. An example of a tasking yet rewarding project was the relocation of the spring-fed stream, which involved carefully relocating several species of salamanders, crawfish, turtles, and frogs.