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Camping

Established Camping

J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area

J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, near Henderson, North Carolina, is a fantastic spot for campers looking to unwind by the water. With a mix of tent and RV sites, many of which are right on the lakefront, it’s a prime location for enjoying stunning sunsets and peaceful surroundings.

The campground is known for its clean facilities, including well-maintained restrooms and showers. Visitors have praised the spacious sites, with some reviewers noting, “The campground is very pretty, lots of sites on the water.” You’ll find electric hookups available, making it convenient for those with RVs.

For outdoor activities, Kerr Lake offers excellent opportunities for fishing, swimming, and kayaking. Families will appreciate the large fields for kids to run around and a small playground for some extra fun. Just a short drive away, you can find grocery stores for any supplies you might need, ensuring you’re well-equipped for your stay.

While some sites can be a bit close together, the overall vibe is friendly and relaxed. Campers have remarked on the quiet atmosphere, even during busy weekends, making it a great choice for a weekend getaway or a longer retreat. Whether you’re here for the views or the water activities, J.C. Cooper has plenty to offer.

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Location

J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area is located in North Carolina

Detail location of campground

Address

20 Shoreline Lane
Henderson, NC

Coordinates

36.43288918314214 N
78.37321803685124 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Available
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Available

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group

Features

For Campers

  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • Showers
  • Drinking Water
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • Sewer Hookups
  • Water Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

Drive Time


Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

14 Reviews

Reviewed May. 25, 2024

Peaceful with beautiful sunsets on the lake.

We camped overnight making our way south.  There are a number of sites right on the lakefront, so snag one of those if you can!  Many of the sites offer good flat terrain, and electric hook-ups are available at many sites.  Nice, shady and quiet, the campground is very clean.  Pretty convenient to I-85.  Be sure to go out near sunset to see the beautiful reflections in the lake waters!  We will be back!

Reviewed Jul. 1, 2023

The weekend at JC Cooper Campground

Very nice campground , clean restrooms and quiet, some of the sites for tents are level some not so much but nonetheless a beautiful location and nice park.

Site7
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jan. 13, 2023

JC Cooper campground Kerr lake NC

We stayed at Kerr lake JC Cooper campground in April at the side of the lake. Nice and quiet excellent for fishing. Level site and can park right next to tent. Cell signal good.

SiteJC Cooper Kerr Lake NC
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Andy K., January 13, 2023
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Andy K., January 13, 2023
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Andy K., January 13, 2023
  • (5) View All
Reviewed Dec. 25, 2022

Very pretty, good amenities

Campground is very pretty, lots of sites on the water. Shower house is very nice. Everything is well maintained

Site30
Month of VisitDecember
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by adam B., December 25, 2022
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by adam B., December 25, 2022
Reviewed Nov. 27, 2022

Great spot!

Went for a quick trip for some cold camping, and I wish I could’ve stayed longer! Great views, spacious sites with plenty of separation between sites, well kept, and quiet even though it was packed. Will absolutely be back, and highly recommend!

Site21
Month of VisitNovember
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Tyler E., November 27, 2022
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Tyler E., November 27, 2022
Reviewed Sep. 17, 2021

JC Cooper is a solid CG

Kerr Lake has many nice CGs and JC Cooper is a good choice for stays. It is easy to get to and has spacious sites and quite a few are waterfront. Some have private beaches. We have stayed at a number of sites and all have been nice, none very level though.

Site61
Month of VisitMarch
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Kim L., September 17, 2021
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Kim L., September 17, 2021
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Kim L., September 17, 2021
  • (12) View All
Reviewed Jun. 15, 2021

Loved this campground.

We stayed at J.C Cooper Campground at Satterwhite Point Area 2.

The site was near the water with very nice lake views right from the tent.

Great for swimming, kayaking, SUP, and other water activities.

The nearest grocery store (Food Lion) was about 15 minutes drive from our campground.

Firewood was available for purchase at the gate. We didn't notice it at first and it took us quite a bit of driving around to find firewood since Food Lion didn't sell it.

On the con side, some sites are located pretty close to each other, so if you have loud "neighbors" it might be annoying. But this is not unique to this campground.

Overall we loved this campground and already booked two other dates later this year.

SiteJ.C Cooper Campground at Satterwhite Point Area 2.
Month of VisitMay
  • Aerial views of Kerr Lake near J.C Cooper Campground at Satterwhite Point Area 2.
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Sergey G., June 15, 2021
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Sergey G., June 15, 2021
  • (6) View All
Reviewed Jun. 15, 2021

Nice spot on NC/VA Border

I've only camped here twice, both times on Memorial Day weekend. Our campground was in the JC Cooper campground area. I think that this isn't fair to this campground because each time its just been too dang busy. I assume that on a non holiday weekend it wouldn't be nearly as bad as when I've been. The lake really is beautiful, though again, busy when I've been there. The bathhouses are always in good shape, with toilets, sinks and showers (and in this post COVID time, smelled of cleaning solution/bleach). When here I've only been in the trailer/electric areas. We're normally tent people, so all this trailer stuff is A LOT for me! If you know what I mean. Sites are generous, but closer together then I prefer. I'd try to camp here again, but mostly in an area where more tents were. Some of the spots along the lake looked nice, though I think I'd struggle to find a flat enough spot on some of them.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by M J., June 15, 2021
Reviewed Apr. 18, 2021

Huge Lake, nice sites

We visited Kerr Lake State Rec Area, JC Cooper Campground, Loop 1, at Satterwhite Point in April and it was fully booked for the weekend.  The sites are beautiful. Many have direct views of Kerr Lake. Water and electric were good, maintenance was good.  There are State Park quality toilets and showers. There's a small playground and a few nice trails. We're new to RVing with a tiny teardrop camper, so we were pretty intimidated by the herd of huge RVs all around, but it didn't feel crowded at all. It was wonderful to see life returning to normal after being locked down with Covid for so long. Everyone was feeling it. Dogs barked, kids played, country music was all around us, but by 10 pm it was amazingly peaceful for having so many people in one area. The motor boats start up at first light out on the lake, but the campers get up later. The rangers patroled all weekend, but there were no issues anywhere. We'll go back for sure.  It was a nice place.

Site86
Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Pam R., April 18, 2021
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Pam R., April 18, 2021
Reviewed Oct. 17, 2019

Beautiful views

We stayed at site 21 on the satterwater loop. It was a little steep for a roof top tent but we made do backing the truck in! The water was shockingly warm for October and the kids got their feet in! Highly recommend this area for families. A large field for the kids to run around play catch and a small play ground. My only complaint is late into the evening walking to the bathroom the one way road was fairly busy with a lot of big trucks and campers

  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Kaylee S., October 17, 2019
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Kaylee S., October 17, 2019
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Kaylee S., October 17, 2019
Reviewed Aug. 5, 2018

Gorgeous Views

We were able to secure a spot right on the lake with a private sandy walk in. The area was gorgeous and the camping area was shaded. It IS on sand, so be prepared to clean out your tent afterwards. The spots are a little closer together than we like, but the private “beach” was amazing!

Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Elizabeth T., August 5, 2018
Reviewed Jun. 19, 2018

Campground with Roomy Sites by the Lake

Our campsite was roomy and by the lake although we did not have running water or electricity. However, we knew that in advance and were prepared for it. Since we were by a sandy beach, we could put our kayaks in right there at the campsite. The bath house was quite a walk from our campsite, but it did have hot water and showers. We chose to drive to the bath house, especially during the night. I would give it five stars, but without water and electricity, and the fact that the bath house was so far away, I had to give it only four stars.

Month of VisitApril
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Myron C., June 19, 2018
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Myron C., June 19, 2018
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by Myron C., June 19, 2018
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Jun. 17, 2018

Tons of waterfront sites

What a great last minute find for us. We stayed in the Nutbush section in our 37ft TT, water and electric, no sewer but dump station on site. Beautiful lakefront spot, went kayaking and swimming from our site, no need to walk to the "beach" or marina. This is a HUGE lake, and water activities rule the day, so don't expect pools, arcades, or extensive hiking/biking trails.

Wal-Mart and all kinds of shopping/food about 15 mins away. Inexpensive as well, $20 weekeday, mid $20s weekend. Online booking.

Site21
Month of VisitJune
  • Campsite 21
    Play button icon
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by James P., June 17, 2018
  • Review photo of J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area by James P., June 17, 2018

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Does J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area have RV hookups?

    According to TheDyrt.com, J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area has water hookups and sewer hookups.

  • Are fires allowed at J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at J.C. Cooper — Kerr Lake State Recreation Area?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is available, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is available.