Best Glamping near Gastonia, NC

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.

I gave this campground four stars, but only for RVs and travel trailers. I would not give it four stars for tent campers. Tent campers would have a hard time finding a suitable site that would not be too rocky. When I checked in, the lady was nice enough to find a site with grass behind the gravel so I could set up my tent. She didn’t warn me that it was sloped. With that said, it is a campground in a beautiful setting. The lake and the sitting area beside the lake are both beautiful. There is a paved walkway down to the lake to a sitting area and a dock. The bath house was air conditioned, almost too much. It is a shock to the system moving from the intense South Carolina heat into the bath house. However, it was a nice break from the heat. Be aware that when you take a shower, you may have to wait a few minutes for the hot water to start. When I first turned it on, I wondered if there was any hot water. Eventually it came, and it was HOT, so I had to adjust it quickly. Also, take your own hand soap with you. There are paper towels but no soap. There are several trails, and you can rent boats, peddle boats, canoes, and kayaks. There is also a disc golf course. If I had known beforehand, I would have taken my own discs. That’s my fault for not doing the research. My favorite part of this camping experience was waking up early in the morning and sitting by the lake. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to capture a photo of the ducks taking off and flying in a perfect v-formation, but it was so peaceful there. Overall, this is a great campground to get away from civilization.

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.

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.

We stayed 3 nights in a 31' travel trailer at site 80. Staff at counter was very friendly and provided all the information needed. Site was level side to side and paved with asphalt only wide enough for the camper. The hookups were standard location and heights no issues. Our steps come out to a large level dirt pad, not grass. Lots of trees providing shade which is nice. It had started raining after setup and the dirt quickly became mud. The bathhouse is close and clean, all tile. I wish there were curtains separating shower from dress area though. The shuttle to Carowinds was frequent and convenient. All in all, the campground was nice, we would stay again.

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.

Overall: 2.5-3

Bathrooms: 2

County park that offers 67 campsites. Offered bathroom with showers (2 locations only), water and electric hookup, sewer hookup, fire pit, picnic table, boat ramps, and playground. We had spot 9 which was an end spot that was roomy for our teardrop trailer (T@G XL). This spot was closer to the water but not in wooded area. Many spots were in an open field with the RVs on top of one another. Other spots were in more of a wooded area but they were close together.  

Campground was good if you were into fishing. Many campers had their boats plus in early morning trucks were trailering their boats to place in the lake.  

There were no trails to explore at the campground. Does offer swimming in the lake starting around Memorial Day. Not much else to do unless you were going to fish for bass or other fresh water fish.  

Bathrooms: One set for campground (67 sites) and another by the marina. Very outdated, dingy, and dark. Women’s - stall was out of order, some didn’t lock, in evening - messy - papers and other garbage on floors. Showers were the darkest area of the bathroom - icky looking. Woman who had just used it said only the last one really worked. Mens - shower handle was broken, did have hot water but were icky and run down.  

Overall - convenient for a stop over - near highway, good access to lake for fishing.