Wood Booger Top 5: Favorite Outdoor Stores

This past weekend I went to the grand opening of the new REI in Alpharetta and it got me to thinking about a new Wood Booger Top 5 and that is my favorite outdoor stores.  I have been to a lot of outdoor stories from the small ones to the large with a national footprint. So, there are going to be some good stores that I leave off the list but here is my list of my five favorites.

Honorable Mention:  REI – Six Locations. I have to admit, REI is one of my favorite stores. I am a member of the Co-op and have bought many an outdoor item there. There are many things to love about REI like the dividend members receive every year, but my favorite thing about the store is the “garage sale” the store has from time to time. Bins (or in Asheville a room) are filled with items returned to the store and will be discounted up to 70% off. I have found quite a bit of my outdoor equipment at these sales.  The reason I have put it in the Honorable Mention spot is that it is a national outlet and I have been to six different ones myself.   

  

Number 5:  The Day Hiker – Gatlinburg, TN. This little store located in The Village, on the main drag in Gatlinburg has always been a place I love to visit. It is small and somewhat cramp, but that is one of the appeals of the place. As the name says it has all of the things one needs for a day hike in the Smokies. Yes, Nantahala Outdoor Center down the road is bigger (& excellent in its own right) and has more stuff, but there is just something quintet about this place that I love.

Number 4: Woodland’s Edge – Dahlonega, GA. This lovely little store is in downtown Dahlonega just off the main square. My first trip here was during Dahlonega Trail Fest last March. Like most small outfitters its selection might not be as big as say REI, but this store has a surprisingly good stock of items. It also really has a nice shoe selection with people who will help with a fitting. Also, since Dahlonega is an Appalachian Trail (AT) community it has a nice supply of AT related items.

Number 3: Bluff Mountain Outfitters – Hot Springs, NC.  This is another small town outfitters that the AT actually passes right by its front door in Hot Springs. As anyone who has been to this small hamlet in North Carolina knows the AT goes right through the middle of town and past the store. Like Woodland’s Edge, Bluff Mountain Outfitters has an excellent selection of outdoor gear and supplies, plus plenty of AT merchandise. What puts this place at Number 3 is its map room. It has a great selection of maps including the hard to find raised relief maps. It was here that I found the Greenville, SC one, which includes part of North Georgia with all four of the Georgia Giants (Brasstown & Rabun Balds and Blood and Tray Mountains).

Number 2: Mahoney’s Outfitters – Johnson City, TN. This is my original outdoor store. Hell, I have been going to it since the late 80’s when I started to University in Johnson City at ETSU. I remember when Mahoney’s was just the small store that now is the gun section upstairs (where that has always been). I also remember when they opened their outfitters store on Roan Street in 1993. It is now all located at Sunset Drive, after the bottom outfitters was opened in 2005, and anytime I am in Johnson City I have to stop by. This place will also have a special place in my heart, but it comes in second.

Number 1: Mountain Crossing at Walasi-yi – Blairsville, GA. For a place to top Mahoney’s it would have to be special and there is no place more so than the iconic Mountain Crossing.  You can’t beat its location; it is at Neel Gap near Blood Mountain (its historical marker is at the store). As the AT goes right across the door of Bluff Mountain Outfitters it cuts right through Mountain Crossing…literally. It is the only place on the AT that goes through a building. This archway is so iconic that it is in this year's AT calendar. The building that houses the outfitters, known as the Walasi-yi Interpretive Center, was built by the Civilian Conservation Corp in the 1930’s. It didn’t become an outfitters until 1983 and it is now an oasis for hikers just starting there trek north on the AT. It is also famous for its shakedowns, where the staff (all hikers) gives advice to thru-hikers on how to lighten their loads for their trip to Katahdin in Maine. For the day hiker or people just passing through it offers some great AT related gifts and souvenirs. There is also a hiker hostel, with bunks and showers for weary trail travelers. Oh, and I almost forgot from their deck is a wonderful mountain vista which just adds up to the top spot on this list.