Do you love the outdoors and horses? If you're looking for a rustic but comfortable experience, horse camping in Columbia is the way to go. Equestrian camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. These scenic and easy-to-reach Columbia campsites are perfect for equestrian campers.
Located in Gates County 10 miles south of North Carolina's northeastern border with Virginia, Merchants Millpond State Park centers on a 760-acre millpond more than 190 years old. Hiking the surrounding trails or paddling the placid, shallow waters of the pond offer a great way to explore this wetland environment. Old-growth cypress trees adorned with Spanish moss create an "enchanted forest," particularly at Lassiter Swamp. Visitors have even spotted the American alligator here, at the northernmost point of its range.
$15 - $110 / night
Traveler
Plenty of room..showers/bathrooms huge..water NOT at all sites but easy to fill tanks. Some sites close to main road but not a lot of traffic.
Ranger
We went for Valentine's Day weekend. Only a couple of other people were there, and we hardly saw them. We used site 11. I still think it's the best one, it's the largest, right next to the main trail head, & bath house trail right ahead of the site. The bath house was real nice. They had heaters running and they were so toasty, also very clean. Trails were nice too, we used our ebikes on the bike trail.
TravelerOverall amazed at the cleanliness of the campground. The staff is very friendly. The park was very quiet going into the night.
ScoutStayed on Friday and Sat nights at family campground. Bathrooms ok but in need of maintenance. Park clean and well maintained. Biggest issue is the noise. Neighbors played music and were loud until well after midnight. Other neighbor had dog barking all night. Not a great campground for people with young kids like we have. We will be looking for campgrounds with onsite hosts in the future.
LegendIn the middle of nowhere, but it was peaceful and everyone was friendly. The trail system was magical. We hiked early in the am and it was such a therapeutic hike through the forest and swamp. Stayed in our Tepui tent and had a great time.
GuideStayed a few nights leading up to Memorial day. Our site was a good size, and tent pad was nice. Lovely shaded site, and large picnic table. Did not have to use our popup shade. Downside were the large gravel throughout the site - tough for small dogs and crawlers. Nice 0.7 walk from the campsite to the visitor center to rent canoes! Just a short drive to some other trails. Enjoyed the Cyprus Point trail which you access at the boat ramp section of the park. If you canoe long enough, you'll come across two alligators who live in the pond.
TravelerThe campsites are great with ample room for privacy, and easily accessible to the restrooms and trails around the pond. The visitor center is fantastic and offers canoe rentals as well as a spot to unload your own canoe or kayak.
I would recommend visiting in the cooler months of spring or fall. In April, the site was probably only 25% occupied and it’s still cool enough not to be bothered by mosquitoes.
Taking a canoe or kayak out to explore the pond and swamps is a must and total unique experience. Turtles, birds, cypress trees, and alligators.
GuideWe tented here and really liked the campground. We stayed in the family campground since we had a vehicle. There are float-in and hike in spots we did not investigate. Our site was clean and separated well. The bathhouse was nice and warm and clean. The rangers were very nice. This has a much better swamp experience than the Great Dismal Swamp.
ScoutGreat staff. Very helpful and keep the park clean. They have firewood at $6.00 a bundle. We went on a sellout weekend but was still pretty quiet
ScoutGreat campground. Very quiet and each tent site is very far from one another. You could have music or a generator going and not disturb your neighbor
Legend
Arrived shortly after 8 pm after a long day's drive. The sun was going down but it wasn't dark yet. The campground office was locked and deserted. No posted instructions about after hours registration, no pay box. Ran into a park ranger who informed me the campground was closed for the evening; as in, would not take my money. Seriously? The campground is behind a gate with a keypad, so no chance of driving in and talking to the camp host. The ranger was kind and apologetic at least.
Drove a little further south and found a nice site at Bells Island Campground. The host there was happy to take my money.
ScoutBath houses were clean & the trails were awesome!
ScoutPlenty of things to do for the active camper. Put put golf, kayak, hiking and much more.
ScoutThis is our go-to campground since it’s only a few miles from our house. Great park and nice campground with plenty to do. The only downside is that they don’t have any hook ups and it gets pretty hot in the summer months.
GuideSo we arrived pretty late. Around 7pm because we had a late start. Unfortunately we didn't stay because our site was hike in and I thought I did drive in. So we ended up getting a hotel instead. The staff were very nice and very knowledgeable. I wish we could have stayed. Next year we will definitely be more prepared and will visit this beautiful Campsite again.
TravelerLove this camp ground. Just love how clean it is. Bathrooms, showers are a big plus. Nice trails and fishing. Will be visiting again.
TravelerI enjoyed my stay at this beautiful park. Couple of suggestions, when I went they were not renting canoes so doing any pre trip planning wasn't easy. The kayak/canoe round was not easy to navigate so bring your 3rd party map/GPS. The maps they provide are almost useless because it outlines the terrain but because it's a swamp the terrain changes with the water level. Islands can appear out of nowhere. The campsite was clean and enjoyable. I would go again.
TravelerA great nights sleep. Lovely setting, shady and quiet. Bathrooms were brand new, showers were clean & HOT. Coin laundry available. They are in the process of adding another bathroom/shower building so only running at half capacity when we visited. Lots of fun activities for families!
TravelerThis park was great but do recognize that is a true swamp. Alligators included. The water there does not move therefore is not recommended for filtering for consumption. The campsights are pretty close together so don't expect privacy on a busy weekend. The scenery is TOP KNOTCH! Absolutely beautiful in the lake which is not well marked due to limited visibility in the swampy environment. Lots of underwater obstructions so use caution. U DO NOT want to end up in that water.
GuideMy group and I stayed at the Benett’s creek high ground primitive camp sites 1-3. It was a 4.5 mile paddle to the site, then roughly 1.5 down to the dock with a staged vehicle. The only complaint is the houses near the sites had a dog that barked all night. Super annoying.
ScoutAfter seeing some of the pictures I decided to call them ask how bad all the algae and overgrowth was and was told it was pretty clear. That was not the case, if you don’t plan on paddling with a kayak or maybe a canoe don’t risk it. I was going to take a Jon boat with a trolling motor and there are countless limbs and the overgrowth is terrible you will not make it through. Not the place to consider going if you want to camp out and fish
RangerI have camped here many times throughout my childhood and adulthood. Miles of trails and so much to do. Always with clean sites and attentive staff
LegendThe campground at Northwest River Park is small and pretty basic. For a tent camper that is used to wooded, private sites these leave much to be desired. There is not much privacy. The campground was full the night we stayed there and very busy and noisy through the night. We stayed on a Memorial Day weekend though so maybe it is not typically like that. All night our young children were woken up by the noise from the nearby RV's AC units.
What this park lacks in it's campground, it makes up for in it's recreational activities! There is a putt-putt course! Canoeing! Tons of hiking trails! Multiple playgrounds! Lots of wide open space for kids to run and play! Fishing! This is an excellent park for kids and families to come for the day!
Overall not a horrible experience but this is the closest campground to our house and we have not felt the need to come back and stay overnight. Maybe would be better for camping mid-week when it's not so busy.
GuideCampsites are nice but be careful the wooden borders is included in dimensions. Nice bathrooms with hot showers. Over 5 miles of easy hiking good for everyone. Gas station right outside visitor center entrance in case you forget anything. Not very many people here so its nice and quiet.
RangerI have spent my childhood here and I am excited to share it with my kids. We hike here when visiting grandparents. Chesapeake Public Park’s does a great job with events and education at NWRP! Equestrian trails available, which is always a plus.
TravelerThis cypress pond is a great place for anyone! They have a family campsite loop with a nice bathhouse in the middle, they have group walk-in and canoe in campsite and well as family canoe in. They have a fishing area and a on site canoe rental. The Millpond itself is huge!! They use a buoy navigational system on the water. No swimming though due to the huge Alligators that live there. Overall this is an affordable and momentous getaway that I visit every chance I get.
LegendMerchants Millpond is a great state park if you want to explore a different kind of ecosystem. The heart of the park lies in its swamps filled with cypress trees and cypress stumps. There are several camping areas of different kinds. You can canoe in to one of their primitive campsites, which is on an island in the swamp. There are other hike-in primitive sites, group camping sites, and there are also the family camping sites. I stayed at the family camping site and decided to set up my hammock instead of a tent. If you stay at Merchants Millpond, make sure you take and use insect repellent and lots of it. I had the biggest problem with mosquitoes and ticks. If you stay in a hammock, make sure it has mosquito netting. The family camping sites have tent pads, lantern poles, and fire rings. The bath house is centrally located within a short walking distance of all of the campsites. The showers have hot water, but the bath house itself looks outdated. The canoe-in site that I explored only has a pit toilet, but it did have fire rings and picnic tables. You can hike to the island by way of a wooden bridge across the swamp, but it is mainly for those who want to canoe in. If you can go off trail, you can see lots of wildlife. I had the opportunity to do so since I was invited to participate in a search and rescue exercise. I only saw one snake, which is unusual not to see more, but I also saw a deer and couple of turtles. There is a bicycle trail, but the one I hiked on the most was the Lassiter Trail, which has a few wooden bridges and opportunities to experience the eastern woodlands and great views of the swampy millpond. Fortunately, I did not run into any bears or alligators, which are common in this area. The visitors center is large and modern, and there is a meeting facility. The person that I talked to at the visitors center was pleasant and was able to answer my questions. The staff is great to work with, and I know this because I volunteered to teach camping skills to 4H kids a couple of years ago at this state park. Overall, it’s a great state park, but it lacks the amenities of modern RV parks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Columbia, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Columbia, NC is Merchants Millpond State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 23 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Columbia, NC?
TheDyrt.com has all 3 equestrian camping locations near Columbia, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
