Best Cabin Camping near Durham, NC

This is an excellent campground! It’s really woodsy and the creek is fabulous. Nice laundry facilities. Especially nice are the tent sites. They seem to have some of the most scenic spots. The Sanctuary area is awesome and the tent sites are right on the creek. It is for those with no pets or kids and is limited to 2 people per site. It’s a quiet zone. There is one tent cabin and 4 tent sites with water and electric. You CAN park at your sites. We weren’t sure before if it was a walk in area. The bathhouse for this area has two toilets and two showers.Each is completely private. There are outlets and sinks in all four. There is also a very nice sink and counter on the end for dishwashing. It’s all in excellent condition. Very nice picnic tables too. They were easy to wipe off. Sites S1-3 have an awning/ shelter. S4 does not but is much larger. S4 is higher up so you look down on the creek. It is more off by itself. S1 even has access to a 2nd picnic table close to the creek. It is the smallest as far as tent space. We would love to visit again!

Clandestine?  And Camping?!  Yeah, that's kind of what I thought too when I first saw this place.  To begin with, hats off to the great state Rangers in North Carolina who take real pride in their campgrounds and take really great care of the parks.  This was, by far, one of the cleanest, most well-organized, perfectly sign-posted and utterly trash-free state parks I have ever been too (and let's say that I've been to a few).  

In fact, this place was so incredibly well taken care of ... that I'm not sure I felt like I was actually in nature!  Is that even possible?  Well, let's just say that one of the biggest challenges I have with camping in the first place is convincing my family to come with me, as they aren't fans of bugs, getting dirty, sweating and especially .. public restrooms and shower facilities.  But they would be impressed with this place.

Located just due South of Raleigh-Durham area, you'll find Raven Rock State Park, that doesn't get as much recognition as a lot of the other SP's have bodies of water attached to them, like in and around Jordan Lake, Falls Lake or further afield Lake Kerr.  That aside, and back to this particular campground, if you're looking for something that's a bit off the beaten path, but that offers a completely different camping experience, then I would strongly encourage you to come check out this place.  Amenities are standard, but as with everything here, it's either brand new or completely spartan!  Add on top of this that there's a number of really amazing guest cottages (think little log cabins, but modern), then this SP is definitely setting the pace for the rest of the state in terms of quality control on their campgrounds.

Happy Camping!

This was our first time staying in a yurt and we loved it! 

Its like tent camping except you get to sleep in a bed. We stayed in September so the fact that there is no AC or electricity in the yurt was not an issue because the weather was moderate. Yurt 1 is a bit of a walk to the bathrooms, that is the only negative thing I can think of. The beds were comfortable. You have to bring your own sheets and pillows.  There is also a small table and chairs inside the yurt. Loved that there was no tent to pack up when it was time to leave! There  was a fire ring and picnic table outside as well as a large deck around the yurt with two rocking chairs. Driving around the campground, there are some fantastic waterfront sites in the same loop as the yurts that we'd love to come back and stay at! They have great views of Buggs Island Lake.

We did some hiking while we were there but there are not a ton of trails. We spent most of our free time at the splash pad. The kids loved that! 

Overall this is a great little park! I only gave it 4 stars because there's not a ton to do.

We stayed in Cabin #3 and it was perfect. It’s a 3BR/2BA spacious cabin, wooded and lakeside. Great sunsets and nice big deck (some areas of the porch are covered, and have rocking chairs). Kitchen is equipped with microwave, toaster, coffee pot, water glasses, coffee mugs, plates, bowls, utensils, can opener, etc. If you have the space to pack them, I recommend bringing a couple of your own pots and pans; limited options there. Bring your own dish towels, dish rags, linens (including pillowcase if you don’t have room to pack your own pillow), towels/wash rags, etc. We loved the coziness of this cabin without the cramped feeling. High ceilings, open floor plan, and fireplace were lovely. The bundle of complimentary wood was very nice. 🪵🔥

Next time we tent camp we will definitely stay in Campground C where the sites are RIGHT on the water. Check out spaces 25-31, my personal faves. Since with these sites you’re kind of out in the open, I wouldn’t book these in the heat of the summer. The wooded sites in Campground B looked really nice and well-spaced. It was closed about halfway in, so we couldn’t see all of the sites. It looks like some of them might be wooded with water views. Would be nice and shady🌲

We hiked the Plantation Trail, a large historical site that was once a homestead. Mellow, family-friendly walk with a cemetery, historical markers, and an old chimney. Lots of old growth - from the gigantic boxwoods (hundreds of years old) to the wild daffodils growing in the woods. 🌼🌳

On our last day, we paddled around Bugg’s Lake. Used the boat launch near the office - nice place to put in. The whole trip we saw lots of birds, squirrels, deer, and raccoons. Occoneechee is a spacious park with lots of day-use facilities. Would be a great place for socially distant outdoor gatherings 💚. Lots more trails to visit when we come back! 🛶🥾

Oh, and the campground has a few yurts that have excellent “backyard” wooded views! There’s also a good bit of space between them. Lots of porch space, too. 🛖

This was our 3rd time staying here. This park has a wonderful creek running through the middle of it and most short-term sites back up to it. There are also a couple of camping cabins and some tent sites. The campground road is sort of narrow and the sites can be a little tight, making it awkward to back in if you have a large TV and full-size camper - but once you’re in it’s all good. The creek and nice natural landscaping of the park are very worth it. The owners have done a fantastic job over the years with this piece of property, keeping that mountain forest feeling and just tweaking nature a little. No pool and no playground, but there are spots to get into the creek. Good clean bathhouse with newer washers/dryers and a covered porch where you can hang out waiting for your laundry (or just hang out, period). A good contingent of spots that are booked for the season and plenty of weekend campers like us. It’s a good balance. No full-timers, as the park is closed during the winter. The campground is conveniently located between Sylva and Waynesville and very close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Surprisingly good cell reception for being in the mountains and having lots of tree cover. Got 1-3 bars ATT depending on where I was within the campground, and we had no issues using our TMobile hotspot to stream videos/tv. They do have wifi at the camp office but we didn’t need to use it.

This is a new and clean campground. Very nice rangers monitor the campground and are extremely helpful. Each site is large and well spaced out from other campers. Most RV sites are gravel with a fire pit, picnic table and a gravel tent pad beside it. The bathhouse was clean and well maintained. Their RV sites are full hookup which is great for a state park. Water pressure was excellent. Primitive tent sites and cabins were available. The campground is walking distance to Raven Rock trails and you get a free walk up pass to get in. We had a very good time and will definitely go back.

Starting at $30/night for a camping lot. I came here with a 25 foot shuttle bus. There are people here with deluxe buses, car+tent campers and everything in between. I reserved it through their website. They offer a small discount for senior citizens and military. Bathroom facilities with hot showers located near every loop. Swimming areas at certain places around the lake. Kayaking and boat access also. Great restaurants and gas stations near by. Biking and hiking options. Fire pits and picnic tables. Firewood is $5/bundle. I'd definitely stay here again. Cozy camping spot.