Top Free Dispersed Camping near Albemarle, NC

Searching for a dispersed campsite near Albemarle? Dispersed camping means that no facilities or amenities are provided, so that you can truly disconnect and get back to nature. Find dispersed campsites you've visited before, or discover new spots from other campers.

Best Dispersed Sites Near Albemarle, NC (3)

    Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
    Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
    Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
    Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
    Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
    Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest

    1. Uwharrie National Forest

    15 Reviews
    51 Photos
    131 Saves

    There are approximately 51,000 acres of National Forest System lands in Montgomery, Randolph and Davidson Counties. The Uwharrie National Forest includes the Uwharrie Ranger District Office, located at 789 NC Highway 24/27 East, Troy, NC 27371. At the district office you can obtain information about the area, get brouchures, camping information, trail passes, and permits. You can also obtain a Senior pass, Disabled Pass. We also have USGS Topo maps for sale. Primitive dispersed camping is allowed throughout the Forest, except in those areas that are posted "No Camping". These sites can be found along most of Forest Service roads and trails. Please remember when using these sites to be careful with camp fires and carry out your trash and debris. Please leave your campsite in good clean condition so that others who follow you may also enjoy the Forest. The Uwharrie National Forest is part of the 2 million acres of public lands managed by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission for public hunting, trapping and fishing, and are designated as Game Lands. In addition to the appropriate basic annual hunting license, a Game Lands Privilege license must be obtained to hunt on the Uwharrie National Forest. Information concerning seasons, bag limits, and special Game Lands Restrictions are found in the annual N.C. Inlands Fishing, Hunting and Trapping Regulations Digest, available where licenses are sold. Camping and Day-use Information Enjoy camping or a picnic at one of the many day-use areas. A list of camping and day-use areas in the Uwharrie National Forest can be found here. You may enjoy this story on a QR guided trail in the national forest. OHV Trail Vendors. Shooting Range Vendors. Recreation Maps Uwharrie National Forest map Trail Strategy Documents, Presentations and Maps Badin Lake Area map Morris Mountain Area map North Eastern Portion map South Eastern Portion map Wood Run Area map Documents... Presentations... Be Safe The national forests in North Carolina offer a wide variety of outdoor recreation opportunities. From the mountains to the sea, there are many exciting adventures awaiting your visit to these national forests. Please keep in mind that all outdoor recreational activities on the Croatan, Pisgah, Nantahala and Uwharrie national forests, including activities at recreation sites, have inherent risks due to the natural setting in which they occur. Always remember, your safety is your responsibility. Badin Lake OHV Trails close December 18th at 8:00 am OHV Trails will reopen April 1st in the morning OHV annual passes will be available from the Uwharrie Ranger District office or the Eldorado Outpost

    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • ADA Access
    Camper-submitted photo from Dispersed Camping off Falls Dam Trail
    Camper-submitted photo from Dispersed Camping off Falls Dam Trail
    Camper-submitted photo from Dispersed Camping off Falls Dam Trail
    • No image available

    Recent Dispersed Reviews In Albemarle

    17 Reviews of 3 Albemarle Campgrounds


    • Marvin D.
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      Nov. 11, 2022

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Good challenging hiking, and plenty of campsites along the trails. This is a good place for a 'shakedown hike' if you ever plan on through hiking the AT. There are a few different trailheads, so you are never too far from your car or civilization. 23/27 trailhead has a decent sized parking lot and allows for overnight parking for backpacking etc. Rt 109 trailhead has slightly smaller parking.

      If you are car camping, there are established campsites for that, and you can basically disperse camp anywhere there is a site in the Uwharrie.

    • Mike L.The Dyrt PRO User
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      Jul. 29, 2022

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Good location in the national forest

      Beautiful campsites, plenty of room for our camper. Neighboring sites were a bit rowdy when we were there, no ranger to enforce the rules. Other than the loud neighbors the campground was very nice, lots of nearby trails to ride and hike.

    • e
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      Mar. 7, 2022

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Camping near the water

      Drove out in the Tacoma and slept in the bed of the truck near the water pulled off on the side of the road. The spot we found already had a fire pit made which was so nice. Only a short hike down to the water and the weather was beautiful!

    • Terri F.
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      May. 25, 2021

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Into the woods

      Nestled in the middle of NC is this great forest. There were lots of established camping spots. We picked a nice one near a stream. There was a lot of road traffic even late into the night. People were friendly when we saw them but everyone kept their distance.

    • b
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      May. 22, 2021

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Uwharrie campground

      The State Forest has camping. We used our pop-up with a generator in rustic locations. There are hiking, horse, OHV, dirt bike, ATV, and mountain bike trails.

    • Myron C.The Dyrt PRO User
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      May. 1, 2021

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Truly Primitive Camping in a National Forest

      Personally, I would give dispersed camping here four or five stars, but I have to be objective from the point of view of many campers. This is not an RV camping area, at least not the dispersed camping area. You cannot drive up to the campsites. There are no electric, water, or sewer hookups. There might be at the more developed campgrounds, but if you are camping along the Uwharrie Trail or the Dutchman’s Creek Trail, it is completely primitive. With that said, I have enjoyed camping in the Uwharrie National Forest. 

      This makes my third time in the Uwharrie National Forest. The first time was with a Royal Ranger Junior Training Trails group when I was a Royal Ranger leader. We camped along the Dutchman’s Creek Trail. The second time was with the Boy Scouts when we were preparing the boys for a longer backpacking trip to Philmont in New Mexico. This time was my third time, and I was by myself. I hiked along the creek at what was marked as campsite 1 along the Uwharrie Trail. It was a short hike and easy to moderate. Unfortunately, it wasn’t far enough away to hear distant noises from Hwy 24, so if you want to get away from traffic noise completely, hiker farther in. 

      Obviously, there are no facilities, so I had to take my own water and a water filter. Since I was close to a stream, I had to take care of personal business about two hundred feet farther away. There was evidence that others had been at this site because of the trash, but as always(and I am not patting myself on the back), I left the site cleaner than I found it. I am sure there are other views, but my favorite view was from Dennis Mountain, which is only about 700 feet above sea level. I didn’t make it to Dennis Mountain this time, and I wish I had taken pictures when I was there before. On my previous trips, I also wish I had taken more photos. Nevertheless, backpacking and camping in the Uwharrie Mountains gives you a sense of being in the wilderness.

    • Zachary S.
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      Nov. 26, 2020

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Dispersed camping

      This is a great area for dispersed campers with 4WD or AWD. It's pretty popular so head out early to secure your spot. Some of the sites may have a little trash left from the last user, so please try to leave it cleaner than you came to. No toilets for disperesed areas. Most sites have rock fire pits and room to set up. Love it here. Plenty of OHV trails as well.

    • Chris
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      Sep. 14, 2020

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Nice sites

      The tent sites nice and clean and level. The host drove through many many times in the 3 days I was there. Bathrooms are what you can expect from a state park clean with little bugs here and there but nothing you can do about that in the middle of the woods. Overall great place good four-wheeling and nice accommodations

    • Sean R.
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      May. 30, 2019

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Backpacking In Uwharrie

      It should be no shock to those familiar with North Carolina’s geography that if one is seeking higher altitudes and breathtaking overlooks, Uwharrie is not the place he should go. Notwithstanding, as much of the higher elevations are impassable during the winter months, the forest offers backpackers an opportunity to stay on the trail a few days. The Uwharrie Trail, which pretty much spans the park north/south is about 20 miles point to point. The trailhead is kind of hard to follow sometimes, sections of the trail are prone to flooding and creek crossings can become difficult following heavy rains. Overall, however, the forest is a good place for backpacking in this region of the state. Th streams, provided one has filtration or iodine tablets, provide ample sources of drinking water.

    • Erica
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      May. 26, 2019

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Great off-roading

      First time at Uwharrie and we drove about 5 hours to get there but it was worth it! It’s a huge area with several campgrounds. We stayed in 2 different dispersed primitive sites and they were both great. Plenty of space and trees and privacy! There are a 6 different stores/gas stations that have the overnight passes available for purchase. We got our passes from Eldorado outpost and the attendants there were very knowledgeable and helpful! We also took our Jeep on the OHV trails and had a blast. There are several places you can take a canoe or kayak on and the scenery on the lake was beautiful as well. They also have several hiking trails throughout. Canebrake horse camp is located in Uwharrie and has horse trails throughout. We didn’t come across a park store but they did have showers and bathrooms in the actual campgrounds. There’s a store/gas station (Eldorado Outpost) right down the road and they also have an air compressor for inflating tires (which is handy for off-roading). It was definitely a long drive but we will definitely be making the trip again. We really liked the secluded primitive campsites and the various trails we were able to take our Jeep on.

    • Wyatt M.
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      May. 22, 2019

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Dispersed camping/hunting area

      This area was a place that I went often to deer hunt in the fall. I have never came across another camper/hunter at this location. It is a good location if you are looking for an area that is away from camp grounds and heavy traffic. I never shot a deer here but they are in the area.  The area is just SW of Troy, NC down HWY 109/24. On the map below, it is the most western forest area. 

      Link to Map: 

      https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd485941.pdf

    • Wyatt M.
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      May. 22, 2019

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Little River National Forest Area

      This area was one of my favorite ares for dispersed camping in Uwharrie National Forest while living in North Carolina. The area can be accessed by boat on the Little River, or by hiking in. Me and my friends would always float our kayaks down the river to a place we called "Bird Dog" and camp for the night. If you are looking for a place that has very little traffic, this is the place you want to go! This area would be limited to dispersed camping due to no campsites. It is a National Forest so be mindful of rules and regulations while visiting!

      link: 

      https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd485941.pdf

       There is a boat ramp where PEKIN ROAD crosses the Little River.  PLEASANT GROVE CHURCH ROAD pretty much cuts right through the area on the PDF.

    • Brandon D.
      Camper-submitted photo from Uwharrie National Forest
      Oct. 10, 2018

      Uwharrie National Forest

      Wear bright colors during hunting season!

      Make sure to wear bright colors during hunting season because there are a tong of people out deer hunting in this area. That being said there are a ton of great campsites that are private and secluded.



    Guide to Albemarle

    Camping near Albemarle, North Carolina, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are several campgrounds to choose from.

    What to do:

    • Hiking: Explore the many trails available, especially at Morrow Mountain State Park Campground. One visitor mentioned, "Lots of hiking nearby. Beautiful area! Highly recommend."
    • Fishing and Boating: At Lake Norman State Park Campground, you can enjoy fishing and boating. A reviewer noted, "Well maintained hiking trails branch out from the campground."
    • Wildlife Watching: Campers at McDowell Nature Preserve have spotted deer and other wildlife. One camper shared, "The sites were spacious and private...lots of trees for shade."

    What campers like:

    • Spacious Campsites: Many campers appreciate the roomy sites at Badin Lake Campground. A review stated, "They have really nice established spots with great views of the lake."
    • Clean Facilities: Campgrounds like Cane Creek Park are noted for their cleanliness. One visitor said, "The bathrooms were great! Private to each person with a bathroom and shower."
    • Friendly Staff: Campers often mention the helpful staff at places like Lake Norman State Park Campground. A reviewer remarked, "The campground host were courteous and friendly."

    What you should know:

    • Limited Cell Service: If you're camping at Morrow Mountain State Park Campground, be prepared for spotty cell service. One camper warned, "Beware! Cell/Internet coverage is non-existent."
    • No Alcohol Allowed: Some campgrounds, like McDowell Nature Preserve, do not permit alcohol. A visitor noted, "NO alcohol allowed."
    • Crowded Sites: Campers at Hagan-Stone Park mentioned that sites can be close together. One review said, "The spots are very close to each other but that didn’t bother me."

    Tips for camping with families:

    • Playgrounds Available: Many campgrounds, like Cane Creek Park, have playgrounds for kids. A camper shared, "There are several playgrounds for kids to play."
    • Family-Friendly Activities: Look for campgrounds with activities like fishing and hiking. One family at Andrew Jackson State Park Campground enjoyed, "The pond was fun to kayak."
    • Safety Features: Campgrounds like McDowell Nature Preserve have security patrols, making it feel safe for families. A visitor noted, "The campground is guarded by two gates."

    Tips from RVers:

    • Check Site Levels: RV campers at Statesville RV Park I-77 recommend checking site levels before parking. One RV owner said, "The site was not even close to level."
    • Electric Hookups: Many campgrounds, like Lake Norman State Park Campground, offer electric hookups. A reviewer mentioned, "RV sites are paved, with a picnic table and fire ring."
    • Noise from Highways: Campers at Statesville RV Park I-77 noted that highway noise can be an issue. One camper said, "You will hear the road 24/7 due to proximity of the interstate."

    Camping near Albemarle, North Carolina, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just be prepared for the unique features and quirks of each campground!

    Frequently Asked Questions

    • Which is the most popular dispersed campsite near Albemarle, NC?

      According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dispersed campground near Albemarle, NC is Uwharrie National Forest with a 4.3-star rating from 15 reviews.

    • What is the best site to find dispersed camping near Albemarle, NC?

      TheDyrt.com has all 3 dispersed camping locations near Albemarle, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.