Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

This was always a great place for me to stop and camp. A different experience than Crosswinds. It’s not too crowded in April and I like that it is dark at night and has plenty of shade from the trees. Loop B could use a little TLC but not too bad.

Poplar Point Campground at Jordan Lake quickly became one of my family’s favorite spots, offering the perfect mix of nature and convenience just outside Raleigh. With over 500 shaded sites, many right along the shoreline, the kids had room to play while we enjoyed peaceful lake views and easy access to boating, kayaking, and fishing. The campground has plenty of family-friendly touches from playgrounds, picnic tables, fire rings, and boat ramps along with water and electric hookups at most sites, though I learned that some loops have cleaner bathhouses than others. Bald eagles overhead, herons by the water, and fiery sunsets made it feel like we were far from the city, yet Apex and Pittsboro were just a short drive away when we needed a meal or groceries. My tips: aim for a lakefront site in Loops C, F, or G, pack serious bug spray for summer, and plan to catch at least one sunset across the water as it’s the kind of view the kids will remember long after the trip.

This is such a pretty camp site. Even if you aren’t on the water you still have a beautiful view of the lake. The spots are well spread out so you don’t feel like you are on top of each other and it’s very kid friendly

Like the way the campsites take advantage of the rolling terrain.  Campsites are roomy.  Lots of shade.  We had a substantial deluge while there, and the water drained just fine.  Nice shower facilites.  We stayed at the F Loop.  Sites F36 and F40 are situated so the awning side of the camper has a direct, unobstructed view of the water.  Also liked the numerous trash cans near the sites.

Popular Point campground is one of my favorite places to pitch a tent in the Jordan Lake area.  It's often not as crowded as the others at Jordan Lake are, esp., during the week and outside of holidays or summertime.  The views are nice, with sites next to the water.  Tents and RVs can camp in the same areas.  We normally camp in a tent here, but never in the hottest part of summer, which is most of the summer in the Piedmont area of the state.  You gotta go up to 3000 feet, as in the mountains of NC, for a cool weather experience in summertime, but for a night to get away from your regular routine or a weekend when the weather is nice, this is a suitable place.  Locals like it because the drive isn't far from Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham or Pittsboro.

Amazing spots for RVs on the water! There are TONS of spots that are right on the lake yet have plenty of trees for privacy. Each has a nice fire pit/grill and picnic table. Dump stations are not far from any of the circles, and were not too busy (we were even there on 4th of July). There are options for boat or jet ski rentals VERY close. For those that care about working on laptop or streaming TV while camping, our cellphone hotspots worked great. We got anywhere from 30-55mbps with our Verizon cell coverage. There are tons of small beaches that you can walk or boat to that are secluded enough to allow your dog to run freely. Also, Idk how....but we had VERY few bugs at our site the whole week we were there...lol. I can not speak for the restrooms (which seem to get bad reviews), as we only used the one in our RV. We loved this place and will definitely be back.

Spent one night camping at Jordan Lake. The site was plenty big for two cars and two tents in addition to a mosquito net over the picnic table. Best part was the waterfront access and we were able to tie our boat up to a tree overnight. Only complaint was the bathrooms/showers. They were completely covered with dead mosquitos. Overall, great value and I would highly suggest booking in advance since waterfront sites book up quick.

We’ve stayed here for 4 nights, couldn’t be happier. The sites are private enough and many have lake access (ours does) right from the campsite. It’s very peaceful, friendly people, lots of fun. We fished for hours, kayaked on the lake and the kids caught minnows. Lots of wild life to watch (turtles, fish, birds and more). Beautiful well kept, clean and private.

Poplar Point is located on the banks of the lake in the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area has several campgrounds with plenty of lakeside sites, if you make your reservation early. We happened to camp in Poplar Point during the busiest time Labor Day weekend. Even then it was surprisingly quiet, because campsites are generously separated among the pine forest. And after the weekend we were practically alone. So, If you love to be alone in nature, this is a great place for that experience. We have a video about this campground on our YouTube Summertime RV Rovers channel- 4 Great Campgrounds in North Carolina. We stayed there in our Super C Dynamax DX3. We camped at Poplar Point Campground- Jordan Lake SRA in a Motorhome.

Loop G had access to park your boat, no ramps or docks. Bathroom with shower was close. Had a great time.

We stayed in loop G.  Nice sites with adequate privacy.  Mostly all shaded or partial. Be careful with some larger rigs some of the sites would require a PH.D in backing.  Some sites are right on the magnificent lake.  Very nice beach with adequate parking nearby.  Gets a bit crowded with day users on a nice hot weekend,  Boat ramps very nice.  Only 4 stars due to fact that shower/ lavatories were not well maintained.  Not cleaned thoroughly, nor functioning.  Water and power availability at sites could be updated.  However they were functional.

Sites are well kept and mostly shaded. Waterfront sites have great views of the lake and easy access to the water. You’ll get more wind, and in early spring/late fall it can get quite cold, but it’s great during warmer months! Bathrooms could be better- bring your own toilet paper and soap.

The sites are big and woodsy. Some are even lakefront!

Have been enjoying Jordan Lake for years!  We live about an hour away and whenever we want to just get away, we hop online and reserve a spot.  I think the only time they are booked solid is maybe a holiday weekend.  If you want like on the lake, you can't do it last minute, but we don't care.  The sites are HUGE..they aren't those parking lot type sites where everyone is on top of each other, except around the lake they are a little closer.  Electric and water and two dump stations, so be prepared for along wait if you are leaving like a sunday.  Each site has a very clean picnic table and fire pit.  Bathhouses are very clean.  Lots of walking trails or just enjoy the quiet.

Bathrooms: 5/5 clean & air-conditioning in all of them.

Sites: 3/5 just average/fine

Pools: 0/5 no pool

Beach: 2/5 private beach but not upkept. Loads of rock/Carolina clay/trash sea grass

Waterfrontness: 5/5 weird water but pretty to look at

Closeness to other sites: 1/5 you are up each other's buttcracks

Dog rating: 4/5 no problem but also SO dog friendly we had to be very mindful of others not having their dogs on leash.

Sites are clean and well maintained, no issues with hookups. Facilities are not very well kept up an little to no Verizon service but overall a beautiful campground and lake for fishing.

Site was nice and level. Clean bathhouse. Water and electric only. Dump station.

Nice big sites cut into the trees with pretty good privacy.  Clean bathrooms and showers and easy access to the lake from most loops of the campground.

AT&T coverage was a couple bars, enough to get connected to email and check in with the rest of the world.

We passed through here during our cross county travels. The staff was super helpful and nice. The lake was absolutely perfect for swimming and cooling off. We even got to see some bald eagles as we floated on the lake. The showers and bathrooms were clean and there was even hot water. The campsites are a little close to one another but it wasn’t an inconvenience and it still felt private. Overall a great spot !! Highly recommend.

We were on a two week trip across NC and actually stayed here twice. It was clean, had hookups (which was really nice!), and great sites. First night we had a couple stair walk up which I really enjoyed as a separate space so the kids could sleep and we could hang. Second night was closer to the lake and had a great view of the sunset. Several dumping stations, pretty flat, and enough space to maneuver. Would definitely stay here again!

My family and I come to this park often for little reunion trips and for family camping get aways. It is such a nice park and the spaces are spread out beautifully. Sometimes you get a loud neighbor out here in the summer months but there is a noise curfew and almost everyone is respectful of it. We keep coming back for the nice lake, great views, and large spread out sites.

I have camped here 3 times and loved it every single time. The camp sites are large and have room for two mid size tents. You can reserve a camp site or do first come. We have gotten the water front camp sites each time and loved it. We have a boat and kayaks so leave them in the water and enjoy the small beach. There is great phone signal and you feel very safe. We did Halloween weekend here and lots of people were carving pumpkins! It was a great time! Family friendly but also you have your privacy. Little secret is if you get a spot with the beach you get an amazing sunrise!

We camped at C-52. This site was very spacious, easy to back into, and level. This was a HUGE site, lots of space between neighbors. We love camping with lots of trees and nature. Great campground for biking.

I absolutly love this campground. Everyone that works here has always been super helpful and friendly. My kids love the swimming areas and playgrounds too.

We enjoyed our mid-July trip here. There are so many loops and roads within this park, we had a blast on our bikes. We were in site G41 and loved the private feel of the site. We had trees and shrubs on 3 sides. This is a huge campground. The only downside is that they literally lock you in at night. You cannot attend an event or concert that runs late....because YOU WILL BE LOCKED OUT....LOL.

I guess I didn’t take any photos of this trip...not sure why.

We stayed in Loop B and it was the loveliest lakeside campsite, nice level spot for our very large tent and a private sandy beach just below the site. This was especially nice over the summer because the public beaches were closed due to COVID. 

This would have been one of my favorite campsites if it weren't for the noise. Some people were fishing on the lake between 1-3am just off our campsite, being really loud and shining a large flashlight over our site. We didn't sleep very much. I'm going to assume this was a fluke and give this campsite another shot because the beach is so nice.

We enjoy this campground because it is so close to home. It's pretty basic. The bath houses need updating. Most sites are well spaced and there are plenty of shade trees. Sites on the water are really great but you can usually find a path to the water even if you aren't waterfront. (Beaches have been closed during COVID however, you can still access water from campsites.) Some little hiking trails are between loops.

Plenty of wooded space between camp sites, good for pets or families who aren’t looking to have a neighbor.