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.

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 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.

LOVE !!! 4 Paws Kingdom. The owners are a hoot and have some awesome originality and PR skills! Went here for a Sisters son The Fly event, though I had heard of it before. You can rent a camper, cabin or yurt or bring your camper. BEST of all, all have a fenced in yard for your pup! Then there’s the multiple fenced dog areas. Our favorite was the double pond area. The Boys Loved it! Lake Lure is nearby and Chimney Rock, the whole area if excellent for hiking, shopping and whatever else you want to do.

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 found my happy place here at Hippie Holler! No kids or loud obnoxious other campers, felt at home, safe,understood and able to relax completely. Hidden Gem for the neurodivergants and chill seekers. Cool solar lights made it trippy ful lol

This is an excellent place to be, especially if you are looking to get out of the city for a while. The hikes are pretty strenuous, but thew views are well worth it. The people are friendly, and maps are easy to come by. The trails are easy to follow, but be sure to bring plenty of water.

I visited Crowders Mountain in December, and the weather only required a sweatshirt. My brother and I spent the day rock climbing. It was his first time climbing, and we were able to set up some beginner-friendly routes.

As for the camping, your only option is a walk-in campground, about a mile-long hike. Drinking water and outhouses are available though.

The trails are strenuous but views are amazing! Its definitely worth it and right outside town, not far out.

A little hard hike but worth the view.

Crowders is a great place to spend the day or even a few hours. The scenery is beautiful and everyone is really friendly. The trails are maintained and kept clean with easy use of blazes. This is a good place for a family or solo hike. There is a trail for everyone so you will find something that fits just right for you.

Has a great hike, it’s not too challenging and good view.

I haven’t camped there but have hiked plenty. If you go you need to hike up to the top it has absolutely breathtaking views and is a perfect hike for the family.

Good campground for beginners of families with kids or those that love to hike.

We chose crowders mountain as first time campers since we had heard it was a nice campground, and we were looking for a “hold your hand” type experience the first round. This campground lived up to expectations. The hike in was only about a mile. Not terrible, but if you’re out of shape and carrying a pack it may be slightly daunting, but still do able (I made it, so can you! 😃)

They have firewood available for purchase, but they also let you collect/scavenge the surround area for your own and we did well just doing that.

All in all a great first trip. Would definitely return! 🏕🏔👍🏻

This was a pretty good place to camp. There is a hike to the campsite from the parking lot so we definitely got our workout in bringing our gear in. 

The hikes here are really awesome and the facilities are nice and clean! We really enjoyed all of the different hikes and the lake as well as the hike to the top of the mountain. The hike to the top was a little strenuous for smaller kids. 

The trails were also pretty crowded. Overall is was a great experience!

Took 3 boys camping here. The 1.5 mile hike to the campsite was very much an uphill climb. The primitive outhouse scared them. It was extremely seclusive. Went on up another .5 miles the following morning and looked out over the clouds. Quite a sight! It was an experience they won't forget!

U have 2 walk in thay said 20 minutes. Took us 2 hours . it is primitive . but beutifull check out Grammy and pappy at it again on YouTube

We enjoyed our stay. The park office had everything well taken care of. We arrived late almost at sundown but they had an envelope waiting with instructions, a parking tag and a map. This is a hike in campground so we were in a hurry. The campground had lockers with firewood and you could leave the money in the envelope at the trailhead. The site was very private with a fire ring and picnic table and two pads for tents. The only complaint (and this isn’t the parks fault) is you aren’t far off the beaten path so car exhaust and jet noise was prevalent throughout the night. All in all happy with the stay and it served us perfectly as we were just passing through the area!

Crowder Mountain State Park is indeed a perfect place for day use--but in contrary to what some previous reviewers mentioned, it is also a neat place to camp if you don't mind a one mile hike in to the campground. See the camping info here:

https://www.ncparks.gov/crowders-mountain-state-park/camping

It isnt a rugged hike, but you must be prepapred to pack everything in. The part of the park that is best to go to is the Sparrow Springs access, some folks may not be aware that there are actually several entrances to the park, and the main entrance with trails to the Crowder Mountain overlook is NOT what you want, that is indeed only a day use area. See park map here: https://files.nc.gov/ncparks/maps-and-brochures/crowders-mountain-park-map_0.pdf

If you start off in other areas of the park you would have a much longer backpack into the camping area but it is still do-able. But Sparrow Springs is the best and easiest way to go.

The campsites are located off the Pinnacle Trail, and there are actually two campgrounds, one with large group sites, and one with individual and family campsites. See campsite map here: https://files.nc.gov/ncparks/maps-and-brochures/crowders-mountain-campground-map.pdf

It is well worth the hike in for a terrific rustic camping experience!

Note: there is also a driveable gravel road that is not open for the general public to drive on, but staff can, and those with permission to access the handicapped accessible campsites at the group camp can also get permission to drive to the top. Note however, that the handicapped accessible campsites are still tent only sites, and the accessible toilet is still a pit toilet!

Nice campground on the lake near charlotte. Nice facilities. Safety gates, seemed secure and quiet at night. Some of the rv sites were in quite a slope. Access to lots of good recreation in the nearby area. Would stay again.