Plan your stay
The practical things: getting here, what your phone will and will not do, what to bring, and what the year looks like up here.
Before you set off
The last part of the drive is a mountain road and the inn sits at the end of it, which is most of why it is as quiet as it is. Take it gently, allow a little longer than your phone suggests, and arrive in daylight the first time if you can.
Robbinsville is the nearest town, about nine miles away and roughly twenty-three minutes by road. It has the shops, the fuel and the restaurants, so buy what you need on the way in rather than driving back out for it later.
Download your route before you leave town, because mobile data out here is slow and patchy. If you are running late or you have taken a wrong turn, call us. There is usually someone at the inn.
Directions and contact| From the inn | Distance | Drive |
|---|---|---|
| The Cherohala Skyway, where you join it | ~1.3 mi | ~4 min |
| Rattler Ford Group Campground | ~3 mi | ~11 min |
| Horse Cove Campground | ~3.8 mi | ~14 min |
| Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest | ~4.1 mi | ~15 min |
| Massey Branch boat launch | ~7.6 mi | ~21 min |
| Downtown Robbinsville | ~8.9 mi | ~23 min |
Wifi is good here. Mobile data is not
Starlink wifi runs throughout the inn and it works well. Video calls, streaming and uploading photographs are all fine. Mobile signal is a different thing: voice calls generally work, but mobile data out here is slow and patchy, and on the Cherohala Skyway there are long stretches with nothing at all. Use the wifi while you are with us, and download your maps before you drive.
Use the wifi while you are here, and download routes and trail maps before you drive out for the day.
What to bring
A short list. Everything else you would normally pack, you already know about.
Shoes you can walk in
The trails start where the mown grass stops, and the walk down to our dock is through the woods rather than along a path from a car park. Nothing technical is needed. Shoes you do not mind getting wet are better than shoes you do.
Something warm for the evening
The firepit is outdoors and this is high country. Evenings cool off faster than the afternoon suggests, including in summer, and the people still sitting out at eleven are the ones who brought a layer.
Your maps, already downloaded
Save your route, and anything you mean to walk, before you leave a signal. It takes two minutes on the wifi the night before and it removes the only genuinely annoying thing about driving around here.
Groceries, bought on the way in
Breakfast is here and it is included. Everything else is about twenty-three minutes away, so pick it up in Robbinsville before you turn up the mountain rather than after you have unpacked.
A towel, if you are paddling
The kayaks, canoes and paddleboards at our dock are there for guests to use, at no charge, and the walk back up is more pleasant dry than wet.
Bringing your dog.
There are miles of forest here and a creek to get muddy in, and we would rather your dog came with you than stayed home. Up to two pets per room. We ask that they stay with you rather than being left alone in the room for long stretches, and that barking and scratching are kept in hand. Eight rooms is a small inn and sound carries.
Breakfast is included
Breakfast is made here in our own kitchen by our chef, and it is included for everyone staying at the inn.
There is nothing to add and nothing to book.
Breakfast and dining
The inn through the year
April and November are two different mountains, so it is worth knowing which one you are booking.
Spring
Things open back up. Deals Gap is running again from late February, and the developed swimming beach and campground at Cheoah Point are open from 15 April. The forest fills in over a few weeks, and the roads have the mountains largely to themselves before the summer traffic arrives.
Summer
The long days, and the season the dock earns its keep. Cheoah Point's beach and campground run through to 31 October. Afternoon rain is part of the deal up here; the pavilion is covered and open-sided, which is exactly what you want when a mountain shower does its twenty minutes and then stops.
Autumn
The colour reaches the high country before it reaches the valleys, so the Skyway can be turning while the lower ground is still green. October is the busiest month of the year here and it fills first. The lake is drawn down through autumn and winter, so if you are coming late in the season with paddling in mind, ask us where the water is before you pack for it.
Winter
Our quietest weeks, and the ones to take if you want the place to yourself. Deals Gap is closed from the middle of November until late February and the lake is low. What is left is the forest, two fireplaces and the great room, the firepit if you dress for it, and a night sky with nothing at all competing against it.
Questions before you book
If yours is not here, call us and we will answer it.
Yes. Breakfast is made here in our own kitchen and it is included for everyone staying at the inn.
Starlink wifi runs throughout the inn and it works well. Mobile signal is a separate question: voice calls generally get through, but mobile data out here is slow and patchy, and there are long stretches of the Cherohala Skyway with no signal at all. Download your maps before you drive.
Yes, up to two pets per room. We ask that they stay with you rather than being left alone in the room for long stretches. There are only eight rooms here, and a dog on its own in an unfamiliar place tends to let all of them know about it.
Robbinsville is about nine miles and roughly twenty-three minutes away. It is worth doing your shopping on the way in rather than driving back out for it.
The last part is a mountain road, and the inn is at the end of it. Take it gently, allow a little longer than your phone suggests, and if it is your first time here, try to arrive in daylight.
Breakfast is here. Beyond that, Robbinsville is about twenty-three minutes away and has the nearest restaurants and groceries. Plan dinner before you set out, particularly on a Sunday.
Book your stay
Have a look at the eight suites or at what there is to do nearby, then pick your dates. If you would rather talk it through, call us.