Forest Lake Campgrounds

I stayed here in mid-July, a week after the holiday weekend. Although the majority of the sites are season, there are about 25 sites available for short-term campers, including a number that are within site of the water(although most of the waterfront in the area is occupied by boat slips, there is a walkway to the beach). Four sites are near the rec hall. Near the entrance are 10 sites(half of them pull-through) that are a combination of grass and shade, near the ballfield. My site was in this area. The sites were spacious and level. Sites T 1-10 tended to have sloped access and sometimes had trees to maneuver around, but I saw large trailers in some of these sites; most had tents. All sites offer water/electric. A dump station is available near the entrance. I had 3 bars of Verizon service.

As a seasonal campground, there are a lot of weekends scheduled throughout the weekend. While I was there, there were organized cribbage& horseshoe tournaments, cornhole, and bingo as well as a potato roast. Most of the seasonal campers have golf carts, so you’ll see them buzzing around the campground and providing seats for tournament viewers. The playground with swings, slides, and a see saw saw a lot of kids action throughout the weekend, as did the tennis court and basketball court. The ballfield was the only area I didn’t see in use.

The beach is sandy with a roped off swim area and raft; a boat ramp gives you a spot to launch. Fishing from the boat ramp area yielded bass and bluegill. Millfoil is a problem in the lake, particularly the southern end, and boats needs to be cleaned to prevent spread.

I wasn’t given a map when I checked in, so I looked it up online to locate the bathroom. Initially I only saw the one nearer the beach, which was a bit of a hike from my campsite. It was also very tight with limited space between the sink vanity and the toilet stalls. There was 1 shower in this area. Closer inspection of the map revealed a second, larger bathroom, that had more space, toilets, and showers. That said, they need to do a better job lifting the mats and cleaning the shower drains so they’ll drain. I was grateful for shower shoes! To turn on the shower, you have to pull on a rope or bar hanging from just above the showerhead. As long as you are pulling the rope, the water is on. I’m not sure a child could reach it. It’s annoying, but it certainly enforces a ship-shower approach to water conservation. If you have a self-contained unit, I'd rate the campground a 4.

You’ll need to call to make a reservation and plan to pay by cash or check; no credit cards allowed. My site was assigned upon arrival; I was able to call just a few days earlier to obtain a site, but the weather was bad leading into the weekend, so that may have affected it.

Seasonal site setups vary from spotless and landscaped to ones that have seen a better day, but as a short-term camper, you really only need to pass by them en route to the rest rooms or the beach. 

There are a couple of restaurants nearby if you want take-out: Rustic Table and A1 Pizza are just around the corner. Pisgah State Park is nearby with miles of hiking trails and ponds.