Best Campgrounds near Chapel Hill, NC

My fiance and I camped out a little longer than the actually extension period for individuals, but never had a problem. Several others have showed up to camp out a couple days but were gone shortly. For the most part it was just us. And whatever it is running around in the woods. I heard many coyotes elks and a an owl but nothing never stumbled to our campsite close enough to get a look at it other than one young fox which was running away when we pulled in one late night. I think the animals are aware that the campground is human territory so they stay away. It's at 10 different spots to set up with your car parked right next to your tent. Our Boost mobile wi-fi worked perfectly fine. There is a lake 2 mins away one way and another 7 mins away the other way. The city dump is also 2 mins away. And town is 5 mins away. I wish the gates never closed because we would still be there.

Whenever a few friends and I want to do a quick overnighter to hang out or test gear, we go to Shinleaf. It's in a convenient location, right off of Hwy 98 on New Light Rd. The campsites aren't very far apart from each other. But if you choose any of the campsites off of any of the "leafs" (not in the main gravel path), you will find more solitude and not have many daily walkers or trail runners coming down the leafs of the campground since they mainly stick to the main path. Every campsite here has a fire ring and picnic table for convenience, and you can bring in a few bundles of firewood or cut up some of the dead fall trees that are in your campsites general area. Shinleaf is great for the family or just a quick night or two outdoors. Oh, and bring a fishing rod if you have a fishing license. You can fish from many of the "leaf" campsite spots.

No amenities, but the price reflects that. Conveniently located to everything this area offers. Fun to check out whatever is happening at the fairgrounds and the horse complex is across the street. Big rig friendly but you might need to park your your truck/road a ver short walk away if you have a very large rig. The issue here is lack of oversight. There are security folks, but only if you call and request them. There is trash pickup, but no other staff anywhere. So people break the various rules often. Mainly they stay longer than 14 days. There were squatters when we were here one time - about 5 rigs and they wouldn’t leave and had no reservations. They were gone two weeks later when we came back (state troopers and Raleigh PD had to get involved).

We stayed at Jordan Dam RV Park for a year while waiting for our house to be built.  The campground is a great, quiet place.  There are not a lot of recreational amenities, but there is pond for fishing.  The site maintenance man, Earl, will direct you into your site, which was a bit tricky in the site we were in.

The RV Park has on-site propane filling, and if you leave your tank on your picnic table, Earl will come and fill it.  This was extremely convenient during the winter months, when we were filling one of our tanks every few days.

If you are looking for someplace close to Jordan Dam boat launch, or are looking for a long term site, this is for you.