Best Equestrian Camping near Hollister, NC

This was our first time at Medoc Mountain State Park in Hollister, NC. There are bike trails, horse trails, and walking trails at this state park. When we went the trails were too wet for us to do but I understand that they are beautiful right along the creek. We were there with a group of Bigfoot enthusiasts and we found out that this area of NC is known for Bigfoot sightings. The group had a thermal image hit the night before we got there. Anyway, the RV park and Tent sites are intermixed which I kind of like. The campground is like a figure 8 with the top of the 8 as mainly RV with electric sites and the bottom with sites without electricity. Most sites were recently graveled and were in good status especially on the tent side of the site. You could park a small RV in any of the sites, even the “tent” sites but there would be no electricity. There is no water or sewer at any of the sites but there are water faucets spread around the campground to fill freshwater tanks and there is a dump station out the way out of the camping area. This is an older park so it is Not setup to handle larger RVs. Angles getting in and out of some of the sites will be challenging for some RVs. We stayed 3 nights and enjoyed our time there. Fred, the camp host, was the best camp host ever and fun to talk with.

If you are ok with dry camping with electricity only, this is a great place to try and especially at such a low site cost.

A small (only 34 spots) but relatively new (or refurbished) state park. Our site required minimal leveling. Interior roads were all paved and easy to navigate -- no low-hanging branches. The camp hosts were visible and attentive. Unlike other NC State Parks, the bath house seemed quite new and was spacious. Showers were hot and had great water pressure. Half the sites have electric, none have individual water. There are communal water spigots throughout the campground, but they don't easily allow hose connections, so be sure to fill your water tank before arriving (there's no potable water at the dump station, either). LOTS of hiking and horse trails throughout the park. The mountain biking trails were closed during our visit. Limited cellphone coverage (3G was spotty). The Ranger and local Sheriff made several drives through the park. Overall, another top-notch experience at an NC State Park.

This was my first time hiking with my teen daughter by ourselves, setting up camp, tent, cooking, etc. Picnic table, fire pit w/grill, level gravel tent pad on site, water spigot and trash can right in front of camp site. Bath house had doors for shower stalls as opposed to curtains, with shelves and hooks for your things. We brought our furbabies with us and we enjoyed 2 or 3 wonderful trails with beautiful views, some rock climbing, just a wonderfully happy place. My girl rode her bike around the campground and it was perfectly safe. I've been waiting to get back for quite a while.

The name of the park is deceiving because it is not in the mountains, but it has beauty in its meandering streams and trails.  The campsites have gravel tent pads, and tents must be set up on them.  The gravel on the site where I stayed was deeper than my tent stakes were long, and I could not get a good hold.  I was trying out a newly required tent, which was not freestanding, so it was frustrating.  My advice is to make sure you take a tent that IS freestanding.  Deep gravel tent pads and non-freestanding tents do not go together.  The tent site was large, had a fire ring, and a lantern pole, but the pad itself was NOT level.  I had to move the picnic table so I could set up my tent on the only level spot I could find.  Something you have to be careful about is poison ivy.  There was poison ivy all around the perimeter of my campsite.  The bathroom facilities were surprisingly modern and had spacious showers with hot water.  As far as I know, there are no electrical, sewer, or water hookups, but there is a dump station.  There is a mixture of pull-through sites and back in sites for RVs.  There are plenty of trails to explore, and plenty of fishing holes.  The Bluff Loop Trail leads from the campground and along Fishing Creek.  To see Medoc “mountain,” you have to hike quite a distance, or you can drive to the park office down the road and hike from there.  Cross the road to the Bear Swamp Trail, get on the Saponi Loop (which is also a bicycle trail), and then head to the Summit Loop Trail.  There are several miles of bicycle trails as well as hiking trails, and some of them are one way only, meaning that hikers are required to hike in one direction and bicycles go in another direction.  Even though this is in the Coastal Plain, the Bluff Loop Trail will take you by a couple of sections of whitewater.  They are small, but if you like a (mostly) easy hike through the forest, this trail is a good one.  There are no swimming pools or playgrounds, but if you want to just enjoy nature, there are hiking, biking, and fishing opportunities.