Best Tent Camping near China Grove, NC

Friendly host, close to lake and well shaded, clean bathrooms, large enough tent sites, great for families.

We have been coming to this campground for seven or eight years. We’ve camped here as tent and rv campers.

The campsites tend to be spacious and wooded- perfect for privacy and hammocks.

Once we were tent camping here, and woke up to a herd of deer on our site! There were seriously 10-15 deer just chilling on our campsite when we exited our tent.

If you’re rv-ing, be aware that while there are electric hookups, there are not water or sewer. There is a water tank filling station and a dump station on site.

The bathhouses are okay. They’re kept clean but they are older.

We have had some issues at this campground with sites being extremely uneven. We even had to just leave once because we couldn’t even begin to get our camper level, and the site was at a purely bizarre angle. I feel that some electric sites are better suited to those tent camping but wanting electricity.

Beautiful nature preserve with large 50+ site campground. Tent sites around $28. Within 6 miles of stores and amenities. Helpful camp hosts know which sites may be best for certain equipment.

Family of 6. First tent glamping with 4 boys under the age of 12. Fantastic scenery & sunsets. We launched our kayaks from our tent site and enjoyed our neighbors. The facilities are decent for the money and there is plenty to participate in besides camping.

I tent camped at Morrow Mountain state park. As a campsite it is wonderful. Great camp pad to set up your tent on and very nice bathrooms. The only thing i would say negatively about it is that it is quite off the beaten path so does take time to drive all the way through the park to the campground. Other than that it had a very nice atmosphere

I stayed at tent site #10 for 3 nights.   This site along with sites 8 and 9 have electric so I was able to run an extension cord into my tent.  This site has gorgeous views of the lake and seems to share a grill with #11.  There are trees perfect for a hammock.   There is no fire ring but I brought my own raised fire pit.   I was told I’d probably need to drive to the bathrooms but there is a path through the woods into section A.  There is no potable water on tent sites and I had to walk to a vacant rv site to get water for washing dishes.    The wifi is hit or miss at this site but it’s there. My cell coverage was good so I mostly isdd my hot spot. 

I want to emphasize that you so need to check in by 7:30 but after that you get a gate code to use coming in late or leaving early.

It’s not a campground really. it has places for rv’s maybe a tent site. but it is basically by the interstate and just a place to stay. cabins are nice but again they are just beside the rv’s. no scenery at all. the employees are real nice also

This campground is just minutes from Charlotte, but secluded from the city noise. Nice open spaces with shade. No views to speak of but several short trails and nice areas around Lake Wylie. Clean facilities and secured gate with easy access after hours for paid campers. Spaces have offerings and picnic tables. RV and tent sites with water and electric.

The park is lovely, with lots of trails and nature.  Beautiful wooded setting.  So awesome to have hiking trails that lead right out of the campground. That said, there aren't many sites for RVs and some are not level - hard to get trailer level even with max leveling blocks. The tent sites all seem great and it was nice to see many families enjoying camping!

We live close so this is usually our summer go to for an over night. we like to swim and fish. Ithas a nice playground for kids. it is pet friendly. I prefer to stay on the wooded side. We tent camp and like that every site has electric and water. The camp store doesn’t really have much so we bring everything with us. there is a nice gas station less than a mile away we get coffee from there in the mornings.

My first time back camping in 20 years and could not have picked a better spot! Close enough to not worry about gear failure, far enough to be surrounded by woods, access to Lake Wylie, CLEAN RESTROOMS and showers with hot water, power even at the Tent sites, super nice staff, and priced right.  Also, the camp was patrolled regularly by the police and I felt very safe.  I can't say enough good things here. I'll definitely be back.

**Morrow Mountain State Park is a family camping ground for all ages and has an in ground swimming pool plus a boat launch.  I enjoyed tent camping with my family and fishing on the lake.  There is a large public swimming pool and each camping area has toilet and shower facilities.  You can burn fire wood in pits and there are grills for charcoaling BBQs.  The highlight to a early morning wake up are having deer walking through your camping site.  There was a loud whipperwill sounding off with echoes coming from the hillsides.  It is a first come first serve and there is a small fee collected by a Park Ranger.  **

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.

If I wasn’t paying for the facilities and was just paying for a gravel pad within walking distance of the lake, five stars. As it is, though, this is not a “cheap” place to boondock. Yes, they do have a bath house in each loop. Our loop, which had 14 campsites, had two toilets. It also had two showers. One shower was broken. The other shower, if you pushed the button for the lower (ADA) shower, would empty the hot water in about two minutes. I had one warm shower and two very cold showers. In the middle of active camping season, this issue with facilities could be a real problem. If I’m going to have to take a cold shower, may as well do that in the lake! It’s also great when you are tent camping near the bath house and the door retractors slam the metal doors whenever someone uses the toilet at 3 am. The only other issue was the 10 barking dogs. Luckily, they all quit about 10:15 pm and didn’t start again until around 8 am. Otherwise, freakin barking all day!!

We had 4 families with children on 1 RV and 3 non-electric tent sites over Memorial Day weekend. Even though the park was at max capacity, it didn’t feel crowded or swarming. The facilities and activities at Morrow Mountain are awesome - a huge, clean pool; canoe rental from a well-maintained boathouse; hikes of various lengths; slightly aged but clean and cared for bath houses; and (our favorite) a gorgeous mountain top picnic shelter (A), which we rented due to a rainy forecast. Great place for family camping. Sites are nicely spaced, but by no means are they private or secluded. Staff were very friendly, but the no alcohol rule is a bummer. If you want to be alone in the woods, Morrow Mountain is not for you. Its also worth noting the climate is much more like south central NC (hot and super humId) and nothIng like the cool mountain air in Western NC. But if your looking for a fun, interactive family or group camping weekend, it’s the perfect spot!

Oak Hollow Campground is located in High Point NC.  It is immediately off the highway and just a couple turns through neighborhoods and you arrive at the campground.  You turn left off the main road, across from the golf course and pass by both the tennis center and the gazebo with the covered picnic tables.  You can hear both the highway and neighborhood traffic from the campground.  

When we pulled up, the first thing we noticed was the campground sign, with the electric gate with a key code.  We also were immediately greeted by a man on a golf-cart - which made us feel like they take care of who is in and out of their campground.  

Pulling in, all registration and fees can be paid in the little brown building on the right.  There were many signs on the door giving us all the info we needed, seeing as the attendant was out. 

We pulled through loop A and could hear music - we guessed from the lake, but soon realized it was from a house in the nearby neighborhood.  Several of the sites in loop A were crooked, but an RV could level acceptably.    

Loop B was an RV loop - consisting primarily of a gravel parkinglot and RV's stacked one after the other.  The lake was an easy walk from this loop - and also had a gazebo with picnic tables underneath and 2 swings, doggie pick up stations, recycling and trashcans. 

Loop C was the tent sites - many with interesting platforms that gave us a good view of the lake.  This view came at a price though - the sites were just off the road - meaning 4 or 5 feet from the road.  We parked strategically so the kids would always be between our van and our site - but there was no room for exploration on their own.  

Continuing on down the road, we came to Loop D which was another RV parking lot.  There was a semi-permanent gate separating the neighborhood from this parking lot - but people could easily walk in and out in this area.  

There was coin laundry, vending machines and a sink for washing dishes at the bathhouse.  Toilets, showers and changing areas were provided inside and a fenced in pool just behind the bathhouse.  

This is not a campground we would frequent - but I could imagine people staying here if visiting from out of town or if they needed to crash for a night.  The views were beautiful down by the lake - but it was clear we were in suburbia.

This campground is off the beaten path, literally. It is out in the country, and without a GPS, I would have had a difficult time finding it. I had written the directions down from the website, but at night, it takes some maneuvering to look at directions and find country road signs in the dark. The campground is close to its namesake town of Hiddenite, which is a famous gem mining area known for gemstones such as hiddenite (spodumene), emeralds, sapphires, etc. I didn’t realize when I got to the campground that it also was a place for people to come watch their Christmas lights display. All of the mobile homes and RVs were lit for a beautiful display. When I first tried to book a reservation, I had to fill out an online request. After two days, I hadn’t heard back and I was going in that direction on my way home. I decided to take a chance. I stopped at the entry to what I think was the campground/Christmas lights display entrance. After a few minutes, a gentleman came out to ask me if he could help me. I told him I had contacted the campground two days ago, and after that I followed his golf cart to where he showed me a few places I could park my teardrop for the night. It had water, electricity, and sewer, as most of the sites do, and it was close to the creek. It had rained quite a bit a few days ago, so the grassy site was soft with ruts. They do allow tent camping, which is good to know for future reference. It appeared to me that most of the other campers here were permanent residents. When I went to the bath house, I was told the ladies’ bathroom was not working, so if I hear a woman in there I would know why. Most of the campers, however, would be using the facilities in their own RVs/trailers. During the summer, the bath house wouldn’t be so bad, but it was cold and there was no heat. The concrete walls made it feel even colder. There was hot water, however, but I chose not to take a shower there since I was only three hours from home and I would be leaving the next morning. The floor needed sweeping and somebody left beard hair all over the one sink. The host was very nice, and the campground served my needs for an overnight stay. There are a swimming pool and a playground for children. The road coming into the campground is dirt as was the road within the campground. There are shady spots in the campground with pull-through and back-in sites. Although the Christmas lights were on until I went to sleep, it didn’t seem to bother me that much, and other than the synchronized Christmas music, it was quiet. It would be interesting to see how the campground is during the summer.

I saw state park and was excited about the potential of another great site in North Carolina. I was not disappointed in that it offered amazing hiking. But signs clearly depicted it to be a day use only facility which was a little bit of a bummer.

I spent the afternoon hiking on a trail which was marked moderate but I’d honestly say was more strenuous. Lots of people come to do the Tower hike here!!

When I pulled out I saw even more signs just further reminding me of the day use …. for camping it’s a 1 (which is what matters on this site) however for the activities it is a 4. I found it to be a good compromise to give it a 3 overall because I did like the site, just wish it had organized camping because limited information was available about permits for potential back country camping like I had seen on here.

If you can get past the fact that the building with the camp store looks like something out of Hoarders, there's piles of stuff stacked up all over inside & out & abandoned boats you'll find that this is North Carolina's Crystal Lake. The pool & water slide have been neglected sitting unused for many years & a haunting reminder of better days. It's creepy, run down, a lawsuit waiting to happen & either needs an overhaul or they need to close. The upper campground looks like it's mostly full timers & getting a rig up there would be a challenge to say the least. The ones that are occupied have stuff piled up outside it & that's also where you find the cabins but considering the state of disrepair the rest of the place is in I'd be worried about falling through the floor. There's an old abandoned camper that's obviously been neglected from the 60's & I didn't even want to know what was waiting on the other side of the bathroom door up there. The lower campground was close to deserted complete with a old van & hippie, a pop-up camper with tent & another pop-up camper with a tarp over it. The only way to distinguish between the overgrown grass & the campsites are the pole with a number on it. If you have more than 2 people you have to put picnic tables together & the fire rings are car rims without the tire. The shower house is cinder block tombs with rotting bedroom doors & the bathroom is several porta potties sitting around. In the back part of the lower campground there was an old building half enclosed/half open & stuff piled up around it. The only good thing about here is the waterfall. I don't make a habit of writing reviews this negative but this place should come with a warning label.

We made a mistake. My wife and I are moving to North Carolina, and we were looking for a place to stay for a month in the Asheboro area. I checked around and Deep River was the only local campground with long-term sites available, so I made the reservation. The owner, Scott, was very helpful throughout the reservation process and we thought we were going to have a good experience. 

When we showed up, Scott met us at the office and he took us to the "most level site" he had available. I was a little concerned from the start because the sewer pipe was sitting at a 45 degree angle and it was half buried in the ground. I had to help dig out the pipe and when I looked inside I noticed the connection was broken and any drainage would  have leached directly into the ground. Additionally, the sewer connection was more than 40 feet from the center of the site and I only carry 30 feet of line, so we had to back way up in order to hook-up. Unfortunately, that meant that our primary slide was within 3 feet of a giant pine tree so there was barely enough room to open it. Another problem with being so far back in the site was how unlevel the camper was. It took a while for me to get the trailer unhitched and by the time I had it nearly level, I had used all of my blocks and the jack was extended to the maximum height. Needless to say, I did not feel very comfortable with the arrangement and I was really starting to question whether or not to stay. 

Then I started looking around at the site and there was trash everywhere with broken pieces of metal and half chewed dog bones strewn about. I looked at my wife and I could tell she was not happy. So I got on my phone, called another campground and made reservations. Scott was understanding, he tried to talk us into trying another site but by that time we had decided to move on. I will give Scott credit, he didn't charge us a cancellation fee, so that was good.

A quick note, the WiFi was limited to close to the office and we would have had to pay Spectrum for a monthly internet connection. Also, Verizon cell coverage was weak.