We booked the Wolf Lodge for a several day getaway in Maggie Valley, because we were hoping for some cool mountain hiking and no crowds. The home is on a very quiet driveway, and other homes are not really visible from the back deck - where we rocked most nights under blankets listening to a babbling brook you can hear from the house. It’s quite near the Maggie Valley Country Club, which allowed my son and I do go for early morning runs on the golf course paths. The location is about 1.5 miles from Soco Road, which is very convenient for local Maggie Valley restaurants and shops, as well as the routes to head to sites and attractions. About 4 miles away is Lake Junaluska, allowing us a couple of pretty evening strolls after dinner. I’ll admit we did not do any restaurants. The COVID-19 situation diminished our appetite for eating out, so we cooked in or packed a picnic for every meal. Compared to some vacation rentals, Wolf Lodge kitchen is very well appointed with cooking pans and cutlery. We got quite creative, and we had all we needed to make it happen.
The Wolf Lodge decor was a treat. The home is furnished with tons of Native American inspired art. Pieces appeared to be from a diversity of cultures, and I would have loved to ask the owners about the pieces in the collection.
We had only 2 kids (a teen and a tween) with us, although we had hoped a couple of other teen family members could join us. The game/entertainment room on the lower level would be a super spot to toss the teens, and allow the adults some piece and quiet upstairs. This home would be a great spot for a couple of families to enjoy.
What’s great about Maggie Valley is that you can access some not so crowded areas of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Again, COVID-19 drove us to look for low crowd options. We sampled several hikes where we hardly encountered any people the whole day. We took a pre-sunset drive into the Cataloochee Valley part of the park and saw elk and bear. Another lovely hike was along the Cataloochee Divide Trail to Hemphill Bald. At the top of Hemphill Bald is a scenic picnic area in a grassy meadow, which we had all to ourselves.
All our communication for the rental was via the Vrbo app and email. We picked up and dropped off our key packets at an office. It was easy, and we had what we needed. There was plenty of information and support numbers in the packet. I suppose this no-contact approach was also best for the times.