Imagine camping along the banks of the French Broad River. You put your boat in at the headwaters and the first day you paddle for four or five hours before pulling off the river into a “clean, rustic, camp site” right next to the river.

You and the kids pop your tent, light a small campfire, and spend the night. The next day, you pack up, get back in the boat, and paddle another four to six hours and stop again to spend the night. Imagine all the wildlife you would see and the sound of the water bubbling past your camp campsite all night. Imagine being away from your computer that long! Imagine the kids being away from the TV and the video games.

Thanks to a grant from the Pigeon River Fund, RiverLink is working hard to create overnight camping sites along the river that will enable you, your family, and your fishing buddies to spend the night on the river looking up at the stars.

In the past five years, RiverLink has funded three separate river discovery trips: a 17-day trip on the French Broad River that started in Rosman and ended in Knoxville. We discovered the beauty and mystery of the river during these trips, but also realized that we don’t have enough places to camp along the river.

Around 1995, we developed our river access guide for the main stem of the French Broad River. Ann Vasilik, the well-loved, local watercolorist, donated a painting of the river which we used for the cover and the state helped us fund the guide and put it on waterproof paper. You can buy one on our website at riverlink. org or at most of the outdoor stores and commercial outfitters throughout Western North Carolina.

Our camping trails could become part of the North Carolina’s state parks system. The parks provide important benefits to local residents and visitors in the form of conservation, outdoor recreation activities, and educational opportunities. Additionally, state parks and their facilities, services, and amenities contribute economically to local communities and the state through the expenditures of tourists.

We may end up with varied types of camping sites. Years ago, we worked with the Richmond Hill Inn to produce the “Snooze then Cruise” overnight camping excursion. The possibilities generated at our public meetings seem endless, from very simple overnight river accommodations to packages involving local B&Bs. Stay tuned, it is not just about recreation. It is about economic development and conservation and fits so perfectly with our mission of making the river a destination where everyone is invited to live, work and play.

Here are some interesting facts from the NC Department of Commerce: 1.86 million people, or 27 percent of the population, participate in wildlife viewing in North Carolina annually. North Carolina’s state parks contribute $289 million to local economies annually, while providing $120 million to local residents’ income. Wildlife observers account for 2.6 million visitors per year in North Carolina; this group spends $916 annually.

Helping our region connect the dots between recreation, tourism, conservation, education, and the French Broad River and its watershed is our mission.

See you on the river!

Karen Cragnolin is the executive director of RiverLink, a regional nonprofit organization spearheading the economic and environmental revitalization of the French Broad River and its tributaries as a place to work, live and play. For more information, visit riverlink.org or call 252.8474, ext. 16.