Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Gastonia, NC

Campground is huge & within walking distance of the raceway. Camping world is across the street if you forgot anything! Win! We parked across from the playground for the kids and it was so nice. They have a sand volleyball court there too. Dog park in the far back corner. Different vibe off of racing season. Very affordable & nice quiet stop! Off season, they turn two sites into one so you get 100' to yourself. All gravel. Grassy areas around for pets. Some sites have a grass backyard area. Fences & picnic tables separate the sites.

From the moment we arrived at the campground the manager "Larry"  ( a workamper) signed us in, show us our site on Wagging Tail Dr.  We arrived on their opening weekend the Owners provided BBQ meal and live music "Jose Wales" band.   It was a wonderful time.  As for the "Dog Retreat part - 18 acres of wonder open areas fenced in to keep you furry friends from running away, there is agility park, puppy park, the main dog park, a private park (single or you can invite), a Lure run, a Ball Park, and a Pond for those watery dogs.

Price for Fire wood - a little expensive and 10 lbs of Ice was reasonable.  There are fully fenced sites, a couple of sites with a fenced area.  The larges rig I saw in there was a Solitude at  38 ft.

Over all, if you want the peace and quiet in the North Carolina foot hills with your furry friend and have a good time.  This is the place to be.

One other note:  It is the only park in NC that is a dedicated dog campground.

We camped here back in August and had a blast! We brought our two dogs and they also had a great time. This site is very dog friendly (obviously), with many sites having their own fenced in yards. We opted for a site without a fence, which we regretted once we got there. The gravel at our site was painful for our dog’s feet and they had a hard time walking on it. The dog parks made up for this! There are multiple large dog parks located at the campground. The restrooms were awesome, but are single person use only. We felt like we were the only ones using them (that’s how well maintained they were). Campsites are close together but we didn’t mind. The staff was great, they helped us find our site and even helped us back our camper in. There was power and water hookup at each site. There is tons of stuff to do around the area too. Chimney Rock and Lake Lure are right around the corner and SO FUN.

This campground is more for a temporary place to stay and not a place to hang out. There is a playground and a dog park, but there is no grass near where the RV’s park. It’s mostly gravel. Good for temporary staying.

We visited this park a few weeks ago and wished we could have stayed longer! It's a well-kept, clean park within approximately half an hour from Lake Lure (where Dirty Dancing was filmed). It is an adult only campground that is dog-centric... For us the best of both worlds! Includes several dog parks for large and small breads, and a pond in which the pups can swim and splash around. We've never been to a park like this one and highly recommend it if you can get in. We'll be back for sure!

This place was a 13 hour drive and so worth it. All of the cabins and trailers available to rent are so reasonably priced and have AC and fully fucntioning appliances. Every cabin or RV rental has its own private gated yard with your own firepit. Several dog parks and a private pond for the pups means days of fun for an active, social dog. Everyone is so kind, the women who run this place are so sweet and they were incredibly accomodating. The camp store has tons of treats and necessities for dogs and people, and a dog washing station and laundry are available communally. We spent our days hiking the nearby Chimney Rock and hanging around Lake Lure (FYI Dirty Dancing was filmed here whoa). We also checked out the Equestrian center which was an awesome recommendation of the staff and also dog friendly. Definitely recommended for people who like day hikes and adventures and coming back to a cozy camp cabin.

Stayed a 4 Paws numerous times now and have always had a good time. There are options as to how you want to camp. This year I had one site with a fence all the way around and most recently my site had a small fenced in yard for the dogs to use. Ownership has changed as of Thanksgiving week, we will see what the new owners do. There is a laundry, dog wash and shower building that is well maintained and very modern. We visited several EXCELLENT hiking trails that had the views! Then there’s sampling of local cuisine and shopping. Asheville, Hendersonville and Greenville are all nearby. Or you could easily sit at the campground and just hangout at the dog parks. For Thanksgiving they served a meal and had other events. They also have other event weekends that are a lot of fun.

Overall, this is a very nice, clean park conveniently located to the interstate I-85) and attractions in the area. It has all the amenities you would expect to find at a KOA such as a swimming pool, playground, dog park, miniature golf, store, clubhouse, and more (including goats). It is by far the nicest private campground in the area that we have stayed at.

This KOA has 127 sites offering varying degrees of services to accommodate RV's, tents, and those wanting to rent cabins. We chose a 50-amp full hook-up back-in site but were upgraded to a pull-thru so we could be in a sunny location to mitigate the chilly air. How nice of them! Our site (#79) was perfectly level as were most others (but not all). Water, electric, and cable hook-ups were well placed at the site and worked fine. We paid $37/night(with the KOA member discount). Nice, large grassy area for dogs to walk and sniff and there is a decent size dog park.  Roads and pads are hard packed gravel with grass in between sites. Some sites are set in a wooded area while some are out in the open with plenty of sun and satellite coverage. The park is big rig friendly and the roads are easily navigable. All sites have a picnic table and some had fire pits but ours did not. Cable is included and offered over 50 channels. Wifi worked well at our site.  The laundry was small with three washers and three dryers but very clean and had a decent book exchange. The bathroom and showers were super clean and looked like they were updated recently. 

The campground is extremely clean and the owners/employees are super friendly. There is a short hiking trail (less than a mile) through the woods and plenty of green space in front of some of the pull-thrus. playground large swimming pool with large deck putt putt with lots of goat humor. 

The only downside would be the closeness of sites but that is pretty much what you expect from private RV parks. Fortunately, we did not have neighbors right next to us which gave us more space. I'm usually not a KOA fan but have to say this one was great for our overnight stay and we would recommend it.

A fun place to take your travel trailer or RV for the weekend. Sites are large and plenty of space to spread out and enjoy with your pets. Campground store was well stocked with essentials including bundles of wood.

The pool was closed and so was the game room and kitchen. The bathroom and store was a long walk from our tent and so was the pet are. The road noise was bad. And the store had no suplise. The staff was not kind

The campground is nice and some sites have more room than others. Lots of clean bathrooms throughout the campground and park. Nice play area for kids. Good hiking. The rangers dropped off flyers on Friday night to let us know the events for the weekend at the military park (which were free events). Very pet friendly.

We were traveling form ma to SC. I needed a place to rest for the night and we went here. Unfortunately during the night or cat got out and we didn't realize it until morning. The staff there went out of there way to look for our cat unfortunately we didn't find him. We are grateful for all they did including a couple of free nights so we could continue to look for our cat

I camped here with a women’s hiking group and was impressed.

There are lovely trails, a large playground, nature center, the beautiful lake Wylie {no swimming, NC fishing license required}, geocaching, clean bathrooms and shower rooms, electric sites with large tent pads, good sized fire pit area, picnic table.. there’s even a loving gate with a code for a more secure camping experience..

We could fit 3 tents in one pad AND had a hammocker camper too.

If you are wanting some nature near the city, this is a good option - especially if you are checking out city things in Charlotte.

You can hear traffic at night when camping here so bring ear plugs, headphones or a white noise fan if that bothers you.

Pet friendly 🐾

I saw both dogs and camping kitties

There’s 56 camp sites: these include tent, RV hook ups and some primitive.

There’s group camping at Copperhead Island.

I highly recommend, especially for families with children, lots to do and a safe, secure feeling.

Great campground near Moss Lake, Shelby and Gastonia/Charlotte.

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.

Truly a dog-oriented campground, there are tons of activities and plenty of room to roam for the dogs.

No camper? No problem. They have campers, yurts and tiny cabins for rent.

Everyone is extremely nice and the grounds and facilities (bathrooms, laundry, dog wash, etc) are very clean.

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.

This is our favorite getaway from Charlotte, NC. Level lots, nice pool, enclosed dog lot, clean bathhouse, clean laundry room & activities. As of April 2024 they have added a nice playground. Lisa is the best host.