Best Glamping near Elm City, NC

I have camped in this state park several times, including with the Boy Scouts. Other than the park itself, I really enjoyed the camaraderie when our Scout troop and another Scout troop that was camping were playing“Capture the Flag.” I say all of this because it is a great place for group camping. However, it also has conventional camping and cabins. When I first started camping at Cliffs of the Neuse, it did not have more than a mile of trails. Now it has added some more trails. It also did not have showers or cabins in times past. This park has improved significantly over the years and now has showers that are frequently maintained. One of the things you have to be aware of is that this park is sandy, so when you are camping, you will probably want to put some kind of rug in front of your tent or RV to minimize the amount of sand that you track in. Don’t think choosing another site will move you away from the sand. It won’t. Another thing you have to be aware of is that in eastern North Carolina, fire ants can be a huge problem. Some of the trails are easy, but the Spanish Moss Trail is quite steep in some places. Also, the Galax trail is almost always flooded during the spring or after a series of rains. There is a lake for swimming and a large picnic shelter. On weekends, it is not unusual for there to be lots of people at the picnic shelters, so you will have to reserve them. The sites have picnic tables and fire pits as well. This is a great park for swimming and boating, but the hiking is limited. If I am not mistaken, the total length of trails is fewer three miles. However, the main attraction is the view over the Neuse River and the new visitor’s center. Even with limited trails, it is still a great park for relaxing.

Our stay in Site #4 on February 25 in our 20' Mode LT was quiet and restful.  The park has an interesting geomorphology, sitting atop cliffs overlooking the river below, and there are miles of hiking trails.  The Campground Host was particularly helpful, checking us in when we arrived early.  Unlike many  state parks they offer their Senior Discount to out-of-state campers.  The campground is very clean and sites are very large with gravel pads, but only 14 sites have hook-ups.  Our stay was marred by heavy fire smoke from campfires penetrating our van.  The distance from I-95 adds an extra hour to your travel if you are just planning a one-nite stopover, so we might not make the trek again.

Beautiful location with lots of varied sites. Some are more wooded, some have beautiful water views, all have water and electric, and some have sewage, pump out service is available. Fire wood delivery from Thumper is incredible. People are extremely nice, and we made lots of friends. A beautiful lake, perfect for fishing, tubing, wakeboarding… Has laundry, but machines weren’t great. I was a little worried about the first come/first serve site assignments, but it works out really well being able to choose your site. Highly recommend for singles, couples, and families with children. We brought our boat and the ramp is a bit steep, but the slips were great. Such a fun lake to explore.

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.

This was a fun and simple outing. Nestled in the countryside, a very small "Americana" vibing town down the road, boating on the lake, no frills or gimmicky glamping here. This is an RV park for nature lovers or just wanting to be away from hustle and bustle. Young kids may be bored if they do not like to ride their bikes or walk up and down steep streets but it is a nice place, overall. Take everything with you that you may need though. Not a lot of options for food and such to arrive and stock up. I would not be surprised if we go back at some point.

This is a thousand trails RV resort. the road to the campground is fine. The campground is an older one and bigger rigs will find it a bit of a challenge to get into areas, especially the area where there is just water and electric. That is another issue, most of the park is water and electric. Lucky for us we usually come into this park early in the season or latter. 

  There is an area near the lake that has pull thru sites with WES setups 200 to 323 ( some small cabins and tiny houses are included in this number set ), I believe there is 31 total, all 50 amp, 22 are pull thru.

The camp sites from #1 thru 174 are 30 and 50 amp setups and the area is tight to maneuver thru you are definitely going to work at getting bigger rigs in and also, leveling is a bit challenging in some spots. But 90% are in partial shaded areas making it a comfortable feel once settled in.

  Our ATT and T-Mobile hotspots worked as did the cell service ok. Most of the amenities were closed as it was early in the season. I will say, the laundry is small for this big of a campground. They were also doing work on the office but that is supposed to be completed soon. All in all, the views of the Lake are spectacular and there is plenty to see and do during the peak season for families.

They have a separate dump station as well as a dumpster area as you first enter the park.

We stayed at Tranters Creek while we visited Greenville NC for a graduation. The campground was 20-30 minutes from the college so it was an ideal place to stay. There seems to be a lot of permanent type campers set up there and most of the campers seem to be there to fish. The campground itself was clean. The bathrooms were also clean and stocked. Since we were there in early May there wasn't a lot going on but we did stop by the campground yard sale. Overall there doesn't seem to be much to do unless you fish. There is a pier but they don't sell bait at the campground store and you must have a fishing license. 

OH! Make sure you adhere to the speed limit!