What To Do At Breaks Interstate Park
The Breaks Interstate Park camping trip was hands down my favorite part of this summer. My grandparents actually live in the cutest little yellow house in the holler at the bottom of the mountains from this park. We used to visit this park every summer that we would visit that little yellow house. We never did stay in the park, so I am thankful that I finally got to experience that.
Our first morning actually started at about 5:30 AM, in which we rearranged the vehicles, ate breakfast, and headed off on our 8 hour drive. The drive ended up being a bit longer than 8 hours because we stopped to see some murals and, surprise, we ran into some storms. Unfortunately, our camping trips always seem to have the worst weather just waiting for us. Two years ago our campsite was flooded at the Tahquamenon Falls, MI. So, we didn't expect anything less from this trip!
After finally arriving at our campsite, we set up our two tents, our canopy, and got cozy.
The first mural was in Portsmouth, Ohio.
This second mural is located in Catelettsburg, Kentucky. It is sort of a tradition my family and I always did on our trip down and I am glad the group was willing to continue it.
Our second day was quite eventful... There is this secret swimming hole toward the bottom of the mountain that we always use to go to as well, and that was the first thing I shared with everyone. Kyra and I woke up before the sunrise this time to see if we could catch it on one of the overlooks. Unfortunately, the cloud coverage was too thick but the view was still beautiful! After everyone rolled out of their tents, we all got prepared to make breakfast and get ready to hike when we realized we didn't have a mixing bowl for our pancakes. First official day and we were already making the trek into town for the dollar store. On the way back, we swung into Russell Fork Overlook and saw the river at the foot of the mountain.
In Autumn, this campground is packed because of travelers wanting to whitewater raft on the river! So if you are looking for a place to whitewater raft in the fall, this is a hot spot!
After getting back to camp, one person prepared the pancakes, one person made everyone lunch sandwiches, and everyone else got ready to hike. The swimming hole, we we to, is part of the purple 'Grassy Creek Trail' and it follows a small creek that eventually bellows into small falls, a natural water slide, and the swimming hole!
On the way back to camp, my Jeep fell into the biggest hole I have ever seen. Thankfully, the fourth truck to drive by had a tow-hook and pulled me out! Once back at the camp, we started up the fire and began mixing our canned goods into a pot to make the most delicious camp chili. We had just finished the last of the chili when a crack of lightening fell across the sky giving us just enough of a warning to pull all of our chairs together and huddle in the center of our canopy. Shortly after huddling together, the thunder rolled and a major downpour arrived. The storm was short lived, yet it still soaked one of the tents (ours). So we called my grandma to tell her we were coming down the mountain!
Day 3: After having a nice refreshing shower in a proper bathroom, we all trekked back up the mountain! Sundays are for brunch - my grandparents even agreed. Afterwards, the rest of our day was spent at the overlooks of the park, resting by the fire, and then my grandparents journeyed back up the mountain to take us to see the sunset in the bed of their truck.
Day 4, and our final full day, was spent hiking the ‘Grassy Overlook’ trail from camp, down the ‘Laurel Branch’ trail, continuing on ‘Grassy Creek’ again, following ‘River’ trail to ‘Prospectors’ trail, and finally arriving at Tower Tunnel. Needless to say, we were all dead tired by the end of it! We did get a good amount of rock climbing in though! (Mom, please don’t yell at me later).
The Breaks Interstate Park is full of wonderful trails, overlooks, and other activities: Horse back riding, boat rentals, elk tours, Zip Lines, mountain bike rentals, and a water park. Perfect for everyone!
As always, I would love to hear from you! So if you read this blog post, leave a comment to let me know I’m not talking to myself!
Thank You
XO Searra (313 Studios Photography)
