Best Equestrian Camping near China Grove, NC

Canebrake Horse Camp has 28 sites with parking spurs for horse trailers. Four of these sites are double camp sites. Each site has a picnic table, grill, fire ring, lantern post, tie posts, tack tables, and electrical hookups. Up to two vehicles are allowed at each site.

I was there alone and had the whole campsite to myself. The camp host was so kind. He always made sure me, my horses and my grandson were comfortable and safe!

Great hosts, spacious spots, nearby dog park, loved staying here. The bath houses are a little dated but very clean. There is horse shoe, volleyball, soccer goals on the camp ground. I would stay here all the time if I could!

What a lovely campground. Sites are long and wide but some have quite a slope to them. There are large shady trees but no vegetation between sites. 3 camp hosts that rotate duties. Walking path paved. Bike trails and horse trails. Near to I40 but any noise from that is very minimal. Full hookups. Wi fi present but not strong enough for any streaming. Will definitely return

We hit this campground right at the perfect time of year, BEFORE the opening day of off-road vehicle season in April.  When National Forests post on their signs “Land of Many Uses,” I get it; there’s a lot of stuff people like to do in the woods. I have a lot on my list, but OHVing really ain't our thing.

If it is your thing, then by all means come on down, cuz this place is made for it. There are trails for days within these stunning mountains that serve as the foothills for the Appalachians. Horse trail riding is second on the list of activities within the park judging by the number of trails. Sharing these trails with horses isn’t difficult if you’re just hiking, but remember to be kind to those riders since horses can be skittish. Mountain biking is also not to be left off the list, and there are some great trails through here as well, that you don’t have to share with the motorized enthusiast. 

The campground is a quaint, and only $5 per night!  With only 6 sites and what appears to be an over-sized parking lot right next to it, the lot accommodates the OHV trailers. The campsites are rustic, grassy and comfortable, though no privacy in between.  Most sites are a short walk from the parking lot, so you might have to do a little bit of schlepping, but not much. The campground had a couple spigots and the pit toilets were clean.  We also found the campground itself very clean, but it was still early in the year and we were the only campers in the area in early March. The hunt camp is closer to the OHV trails than some other campgrounds in the forest so I suspect during the season this is a popular place to bring the side-by-side. 

There is a small convenience store in Uwharrie, offering sandwiches and made-to-order food, but not much in the way of groceries. Another 10 miles and you’ll be in Troy which has a bigger grocery store, and restaurants.

Uwharrie National Forest-Arrowhead Campground

https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=48934 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE\_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5368418.pdf 

Uwharrie National Forest is fairly vast, but several camping areas are located in one general area. Equestrian campgrounds, hunting camps and then Arrowhead and Badin Lake campgrounds, along with the boat launch area. Arrowhead Campground has had a bigger budget compared to its lesser sibling Badin Lake Campground. 

Campground roadways are paved, as well as the campsite parking pads, The restrooms are newer, larger and offer paved parking for users. 

Sites are reasonably large and offer a picnic table, firepit, charcoal grill and metal hanging pole for lanterns, etc. some foliage exists between Campsites, but you still have a visual of your neighbors. 

It appeared during my visit that most users were off-roaders with either 4x4’s or quads. The onsite host advised that it is very popular with the off-road enthusiasts. Enclosed and flatbed trailers filled most of the sites. 

Caution: During hunting season, the National Forest is open to hunters...wear brightly colored or hunter orange clothing especially dawn and dusk.

Reserve well in advance if you desire a site...these campgrounds fill quickly. 

Arrowhead also offers an inner-campground paved walk/bike/stroller trail...and the drive down to the boat launch(which has a fairly sizable paved parking lot and latrines). You can also pick up the lake loop trail by the Boat Ramp.

Being located so closely to the Raleigh/Durham area...and the Fayettville area...I can see this being filled to capacity most days and definitely weekends. Mid-week it was filled.

We made a reservation well in advance but the owner decided to cancel our confirmed reservation to accommodate a previous renter who decided to stay longer. THANK YOU YATES FAMILY! Obviously there was no consideration if we were left without a place to stay. Did they offer help finding another campground, NO. Did they offer to compensate us, NO.

We’ve loved staying at Yates due to the flexibility and excellent communication of the owners. There aren’t really any extras here but if you’re just looking for reliable water/electrical/sewer and wifi near Charlotte this is a fantastic option.

Well not much here , no office or bathrooms. Water and electric and a dump station. Friendly owners and very close to Charlotte motor speedway.

First visit this past weekend for an off-road weekend at Uwharrie. We had a crowd of 12 and booked one of the "double" sites, which was well worth it.

Massive fire ring, two picnic tables, flat ground for 6 tents and surprisingly clean bath house. Great campground and, if you like Jeeps, FJs, Broncos, you'll be in heaven.

Great camp sites, easy to get to, lots of trails, shooting range and off road trails.

Camp here if you want to be tucked in by a forest ranger at 10pm for talking at a normal volume. Not friendly to anyone who doesn’t have crotch goblins. Also, all of the campsites are literally on top of eachother.

This is a great little place to get away from it all. The sites have electric but you will need in-house water and septic. There is a dump station along with a potable water source at the entrance to the campground.

Happy to report that there is a new host here as the one that was working in 2021 was AWFUL. Great sites but hardly any are level so be prepared to manage that. Nice fire pits and grills - love having both. Great bathhouse with hot showers. Terrific paved trail that is awesome for walking, biking, strollers, wheelchairs. Plenty of hammock trees! Zero noise except from other campers/vehicles and the occasional aircraft passing over. Cell signal is pretty spotty but passable. Would need a booster or satellite internet in order to work or attend school, though. Nearby El Dorado Outpost has everything you might need (gas, ice, hot food, small groceries, outdoor supplies, GREAT biscuits!!, etc) and locals sell firewood bundles for $4-5/each. 10-15 min drive into Troy where there are restaurants, gas stations, small regular grocery stores. Really nice new playground and skate park in Troy, too. Tons of hiking, offroading/overlanding, mountain biking, horseback riding nearby.

Clean bath house with hot showers. We enjoyed the hiking trails. Dump station was open, but did not have water to flush tanks or fill water tanks as water was shut off for the winter. There were water spigots throughout the campground that we could use. It was pretty empty and quiet.

Clean bathhouse.  Plenty of hot water for shower.  Camp host flexible and takes seriously the safety of the campers.  Pull through pad was paved.  Badin Lake was beautiful at sunset.  My car is small and I had to drive very slowly on the dirt road (1.3 miles to the campground) as it had many large rocks (softball sized) and holes.  A Jeep or SUV would be better equipped than a car that runs low to the ground.  A speed of 5 to 8 mph was fine.  Campground road was nicely paved.

We have been coming to Arrowhead for about 4 years now. We make time to come at least twice a year. Camp hosts are very accommodating. Very family friendly! I love how close we are to the lake for when we bring the boat.

Great place to commune with nature.