News

Cold Spring Basecamp offers rustic cabins, mountain biking

Evan Carson, Hartwell Carson, Steve Waggoner, Wilder Carson and Teela Waggoner pose on cabin steps.

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 30, 2023

Cold Spring Basecamp, made up of three rustic historic cabins, camping, mountain bike trails, hiking trails and a waterfall amid 38 acres of secluded woods, is now open in the Green River Watershed, the owners announced.

The basecamp is a family owned business spearheaded by partners Steve Waggoner and Hartwell Carson. Waggoner knows the basecamp intimately, having grown up camping on this property as a child. His father, Bill Waggoner, was the owner of Camp Windy Wood, on Lake Summit, and the Cold Spring Basecamp property was used for overnight camping and adventures. Bill and Steve built some of the original cabins by hand, which have recently been refurbished. One cabin, the Corn Crib, even predates the summer camp. It was the old corn storage barn for the homestead which was located on the property.

"All three cabins have been meticulously rebuilt to restore and improve them, but we have worked hard to keep the old rustic charm intact,” Waggoner said.

The cabins feature a stocked kitchen, two bunk beds with mattresses, and an eating table.

Carson, the co-owner, has worked for almost 20 years to clean up and protect the waterways in Western North Carolina as the French Broad Riverkeeper and is putting his environmental ethic to work by creating a green business. Almost all of the trees have been protected, invasive plants are being removed, creek buffers protected, solar power installed in the cabins, and a future EV charging station is in the works. A portion of the proceeds from each cabin rental will go to provide water filters for the Riverkeepers in Africa, through the nonprofit, Clean Water for Africa. These are the same filters that are being used to provide drinking water to campers at Cold Spring Basecamp.

The basecamp is just down the road from Ride Rock Creek and Ride Kanuga, two popular mountain bike parks near the back entrance to Dupont State Forest. The basecamp worked with popular local trail builder Chris “Shrimper” Khare to design and build two fun mountain bike trail loops. One is a flowy green loop that meanders down the hillside, and the other is a more challenging blue loop that features some flowy sections, but also some fun drops, steep downhill sections and some skinny log rides. The basecamp is also located on a headwater trout stream that feeds the famous Green River, which provides class 1 to 5 thrilling paddling options.

"Even if mountain biking or paddling isn’t your thing," Waggoner notes, "the basecamp has hiking trails to the their private waterfall and lots of options to relax in the cabins, sit by their private fire pit or venture into nearby Saluda, Flat Rock, Hendersonville or Asheville for great restaurants, shops, drinks or adventure. Cold Spring Basecamp is designed to be the basecamp for your adventure in Western North Carolina.”