KICKIN’ BACK AT WARRIORS’ PATH STATE PARK – KINGSPORT, TN

After three weeks of non-stop touristing, we were ready for a break, ready to kick back and slow down.  From Asheville, we drove into yet ANOTHER state (seems like we cross a state line almost every time we move!), to Warriors’ Path State Park (click here to read our campground review) near Kingsport, Tennessee.  The drive was just over 90 miles – short, but the steep grades required re-energizing those brain cells that deal with downshifting.  We haven’t had to do that for quite awhile!

Holston River from Devil’s Backbone Trail	Our Site at Warriors’ Path State Park

Warriors’ Path is a very large state park with amenities that make it seem more like a regional or county park: soccer fields, huge swimming pool (not yet open for the season), stables, golf course, marina, Frisbee golf, and miles of trails.  The park gets lots of use by the locals.  We felt lucky to snag one of the very few sites that could accommodate our motorhome, especially when we saw other big rigs circle the campground, then head back out, over the three days we stayed.

Here’s something I’ve learned while traveling in the east: there is a LOT of history here!  I was determined NOT to fill our three day stay with sightseeing, so I refused to research “things to do” in Kingsport.   That was fine with Odel, because once he saw the golf course, his plans fell into place.  So, after our first night’s sleep, I found myself heading out to run a few errands after dropping Odel at the golf course.

With the help of my GPS, I found my way to the main post office, which was near the historic downtown… and soon I was engrossed in some of the local history.  Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, former presidents Andrew Jackson, Andrew Johnson, and James Polk – they all passed through here.   Here’s Daniel Boone’s house (moved here from its original site in Virginia), where he and his wife Rebecca lived from 1773 to 1775.  I nosed around town, visited a small farmer’s market, stopped at the grocery store, then headed back home to do as I had intended – nothing!

We did take a hike each day, saving the Devil’s Backbone Trail, the longest here in the park, for last.  Since it’s been quite warm, we got an earlier start today, but the long steep slopes and the humidity made for some warm, sweaty hiking.   Lovely countryside, though.

The park has slowly filled today, and I’m sure someone will be thrilled to find our site vacant for the weekend after we leave tomorrow.  We’re on our way to another Escapee park, near Knoxville, for a few days – always curious about what the Escapee parks look like.