Best Cabin Camping near Catawba, NC

We stayed for one night only on our way to Dreher Island SP. We didn't get in until after 4 pm, but there was still enough daylight to see how pretty the campground was. We had site 60 for the night. We tow a 19' a-frame camper with a Toyota Tacoma and had lots of room on the pad. The pad was pretty level so set up was easy. The site also had a huge area for the picnic table and the fire ring is far away from your camper. There was a huge grassy area behind our site with a creek, lots of space for our dog. We were in campground B (electric) and the sites were decent. There wasn't a lot shade for us, but up in the tent area they were surrounded by trees and it looked like they all had tent pads, some better than others. The shower house was nice, clean, flush toilets, and good showers. By the shower house they also had an outside sink to wash your dishes. We didn't get to hike, but everyone said we should if we ever go back. It's on our list to visit again.

We stayed in the new glamping cabin #2. Very clean, comfortable bed, nice AC, lovely porch to relax on. All cabins are in walking distance to the bathrooms and showers. Those as well were pretty clean for a camp ground, I was pleasantly surprised. The path to the bathrooms light up at night so you can find your way very easy in the dark. Camp ground itself was very clean and I often saw the staff working on cleaning it and interacting with the campers. The designated swimming area was like a piece of heaven. Small not to overly packed, very clean beach. We plan on coming pack to do tent camping with our dog, fantastic family or romantic couple retreat.

**Campground Review: **

This is the second year in a row of us ending our summer road trip at Honey Bear Campground in Boone, NC. Honey Bear is a medium sized campground with around 60 sites that are a mix of full hook up, RV water& electric, Tent water& electric, primitive camp sites, and a group tent camp area. There is also two small cabins to rent. All sites with hook ups also included cable hook ups. I have included a campground map in my pictures for your orientation. All the sites are gravel and most sites are wooded with lots of shade. The sites are a little sloped, so have leveling equipment ready. The sites vary from small and close together, to medium size with established plumeria shrubs separating sites for some privacy. All style sites include a picnic table and fire ring. If the campground is full, they do have an overflow area that they allow you to boondock at until a site opens up. 

Check-in was easy at the office at the entrance of the campground. We stayed on site B12 again this year as we find it private, well shaded, and close to a small creek that provided background water noise when it’s flowing good. This site does have a good slope to it and we had to use a stack of 3 Cacmo leveling blocks to get level, but if anything, this is my only minor complaint about this site. 

The bathhouse is centrally located and older, but functional and cleaned daily. There are also laundry machines available between the men’s and women’s area. 

Firewood and ice was available at the office. You can even walk down, pay for wood and/or ice and they will deliver it to your site! The office also has limited other supplies. There is a full grocery store less than 10 minutes away. Connected to the office is a coffee bar that also had some seating and a TV(Seemed to be a teen hang out in the evenings). 

We found good cell phone service with Verizon throughout the property. The campground did have wi-fi, however we only got a good connection if we were near the office/coffee bar. 

The campground also has a dog run, which our dogs loved. After being on the road for two weeks they enjoy every opportunity to get off leash and run. The dog area was surprisingly clean, so either the dog owners are doing the right thing and cleaning up after their dogs, or the staff monitors and cleans this area regularly. 

Being right on the outskirts of Boone is very beneficial. The area offers all types of outdoor activities, from hiking, rock climbing, fishing, mountain biking, and an assortment of snow sports in the winter. Additionally, you’ll find lots of shopping, restaurants, breweries & wineries, and appealing little towns around the area to explore. Also, Boone sits at 3,333 feet (surrounding mountains go up to 6K), so even in the middle of the summer you’ll find very comfortable day and night temperatures. 

Pro Tip: Check with the office for the Saturday night movie! Weather dependent, they show a movie outdoors on the front lawn. Bring your chair or blanket and a cooler/snacks, and come hang out for a movie with fellow campers. They had multiple fire pits going the Saturday we were there, so bring your favorite snacks to toast over the fire. 

With this being our second year to stop here, we have fallen in love with the area. We recommend this campground and will keep returning to this area. I wish it was a little closer to where we live and we’d come here a lot more often!

**---------------------------- **

**Product Review: **

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get to test products. At this campground, I tested the Gregory Intertia 20 H2O Hydration Pack. This backpack from Gregory turned out to be my new favorite day hiking pack. The 20L easily fits all my day hiking equipment with room to spare. The 3L reservoir is plenty of water for a day hike even on the warmest of days. What I also really like is the side pockets. They are very deep, so if you are on a shorter hike where you are not using the 3L reservoir, you don’t have to worry about water bottles popping out of the side pockets (I’ve had other packs with short side pockets where water bottles fall out easily). The front mesh pocket is also large enough to hold all that“need now” type gear and there is a small quick stow pocket that is lined and perfect for storing glasses or sunglasses. Even loaded down with more than I’d usually take for a day hike, I found that with the multiple adjustment straps, this pack proved to be very comfortable and rode perfect on my back. I highly recommend this pack for day hikes and look forward to trying some of their larger packs in the future.

Let me start out by saying we stayed in a cabin, for a week. The place is in serious need of an upgrade but as it stands is still fun for the kids. The water slide costs 15.00 per day or you can do a family plan. The cabin itself was decent but nothing has been done to it in a while. The oven didn’t work, the wall ac’s barely worked and had large gaps where they didn’t care during install. Half the curtains were missing so it made it even hotter inside.

The staff was extremely nice and accommodating. Especially in the cafe try the everything ice cream

The pool area and pool itself could use some tlc but as I said before my kids loved it.

I would return with our pup and not stay in a cabin again. 6/10

pet friendly

We came here to do some trailer maintenance and because it is very close to home. We were not expecting it to be a great camping experience, but we’re pleasantly surprised! The staff were extremely helpful and friendly, the campsites were clean, and the bath houses were newly updated and immaculate. The roads in the section we stayed in were a bit rough (a combination of asphalt and gravel), but perfectly fine for camping. Most of the sites have good shade, but unfortunately our site was in full sun. Our site had full hookups, and a picnic table that was pretty rickety. No fire ring. The sites are very close together, and most are back to back sharing a driveway. Personally we prefer a more secluded camping spot, but this KOA is perfect for an overnight on your way to another location, a trip to nearby Charlotte, or like us, utilizing the full hookups for some waterline maintenance.

Stone mountain park is amazing but the campgrounds are lacking. The park host was unhelpful and rude. The wood was overpriced and was more kindling than anything else. Very little spots with actual shade. Cramped feeling throughout. The showers/bathroom were disgustingly dirty and for the women's room there is only one large trash bin with zero in the stalls. You tell a pre-teen to walk her sanitary supplies out to the main bin and see the reaction you get! Simple things like that would improve most anyones experience. We deove the rv portion and the lack of shade and space was even worse! The pads are spacious and level but hard as a rock so staking is tricky. We crammed in 2 days worth of activities into one so that we could leave a night early. I think we might have been a little salty and maybe overly harsh in our review because of how we were treated by the host. We've only had one stay that ranked lower than stone though.

I camped here with a friend and our dogs. We were in campsite 14. It was very shaded and surrounded by woods. The tent pad was super spacious and made of gravel. There was also a picnic bench, fire pit, and a lantern pole. The campground also has beautiful little cabins. The bathouse was absolutely top notch and super clean. The park staff takes very good care of the area. Unfortunately there are some little beaches along the trails that have trash, mostly from fishing. The park offers some very nice hiking trails. This time I just did the Lakeshore trail and the dogs had a blast. We would camp here anytime again.