Best Tent Camping near Gastonia, NC

I have going to this site BEFORE it was a state park.  They developed it has a tent camping and put in two outhouses (pit toilets).  It was easy to go camp without reservations anytime.   The they installed the nice bathrooms and two RV sites.  Good Luck making a reservation.  It stays booked.  The campground has a creek running beside it.  It is stocked with trout a few times each year.  You MUST have all of your NC Licenses.  Be sure to pay attention to what season it is and what bait you can use.  Hiking is great.  Beautiful waterfall.   NO PHONE reception.  My wife loves it.  There are 16 tent sites with no power and two RV sites with power.  We love it.

Friendly host, close to lake and well shaded, clean bathrooms, large enough tent sites, great for families.

It's a very nice campground with very friendly people and nice trails around. The only issue which wasn't big for me due to tent camping, the sites looked washed out and very unlevel so depending on camper or RV might take some work getting level!

Beautiful nature preserve with large 50+ site campground. Tent sites around $28. Within 6 miles of stores and amenities. Helpful camp hosts know which sites may be best for certain equipment.

I carefully scouted online and got a great site for our tent camping (wouldn’t have been great for RVs) but there were definitely some awful sites to be had. Restrooms were clean and well stocked. Nicely stocked store. Living history farm was disappointing - not much to look at and not enough signs.

It’s not a campground really. it has places for rv’s maybe a tent site. but it is basically by the interstate and just a place to stay. cabins are nice but again they are just beside the rv’s. no scenery at all. the employees are real nice also

Nice campground for hiking, historic buildings nearby and a great camp store. Lots of regulars it seems. Sites are close but not a negative. Lots of loud neighbors the weekend that we were there. Beautiful water areas, great places to take photographs lots of friendly people. Our site was private and not too far from the tent camping area. Bathrooms were nice and kept well.

This campground is just minutes from Charlotte, but secluded from the city noise. Nice open spaces with shade. No views to speak of but several short trails and nice areas around Lake Wylie. Clean facilities and secured gate with easy access after hours for paid campers. Spaces have offerings and picnic tables. RV and tent sites with water and electric.

We were not able to make our reservation check-in time at another campground. We called Grandview and the gentleman was very friendly and told us there was a drop box for the money for a tent site. He explained how to get to the tent area and we had no trouble finding it. To me it seemed like a fairly new campground and it felt very welcoming. Would definitely stay here again.

The park is lovely, with lots of trails and nature.  Beautiful wooded setting.  So awesome to have hiking trails that lead right out of the campground. That said, there aren't many sites for RVs and some are not level - hard to get trailer level even with max leveling blocks. The tent sites all seem great and it was nice to see many families enjoying camping!

My first time back camping in 20 years and could not have picked a better spot! Close enough to not worry about gear failure, far enough to be surrounded by woods, access to Lake Wylie, CLEAN RESTROOMS and showers with hot water, power even at the Tent sites, super nice staff, and priced right.  Also, the camp was patrolled regularly by the police and I felt very safe.  I can't say enough good things here. I'll definitely be back.

Tent camping can get cramped but you won't feel that way here! The set up here is great, pads are level and big, picnic tables aren't chained down so you can move them where you need them. The showers/bathrooms are brand new and CLEAN! You are going to feel spoiled because you are. Trails lead right off the camp grounds making it easy to get up and make the most out of every day you get to spend here. The only thing lacking is a camp host but rangers patrol at night and are happy to drop you some wood if you flag them down.

In full disclosure. We bought a camper and decided on this campground as our maiden voyage. It’s close to the dealer we bought the camper from, and had available sites on short notice.

We’ve tent camped here before and enjoyed our stay and will this time as well.

I’ve never towed a camper before and I’m still learning. Any sites that have a moderate slope can be a challenge. Especially to a newbie.

I’m this case we made it work using leveling chocks on one side of the camper. No complaints. We wish we made a better site selection that’s more level. Lol.

A nice quiet place that’s well maintained, but with minimal amenities. We like the quiet and hiking trails and enjoy our stays here.

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.

Located just outside historic Waxhaw NC, Cane Creek is part of the NC Soil Conservative Sites. They offer day passes,$4.00 per car where you can launch you kayak canoe or fishing boat. If you like Bass Fishing, they rank as one of the best spots around. They have swimming areas for both day users and one for campers. This really is a gem within Union Co NC. The campground is on the other side of the lake. They have camping for RV’s, Cabin Rentals and tent sites for either large groups or individuals. The hiking trail is beautiful and takes you around the whole lake. Watch for horses, as this is a great place for riders too.

Croft State Park is a really nice campground for RV and travel trailer camping. For tent camping, it is just okay. I say that because of the gravel surfaces at the campsites. Fortunately, I took a cot to sleep on, for even with a foam pad and an air mattress, I think sleeping would be uncomfortable. The site I stayed on did have water and electricity, which was fortunate since it is very hot there in August. My mistake was not taking a large enough fan. 

The bath house was conveniently located, and it was air conditioned. There were hot showers, and when I say hot, I mean hot. If you take a shower in their bath house, I suggest that you do not turn the water all the way to hot to begin with. Otherwise, you will burn yourself. Although there was a soap dispenser in the bath house, you will need to take your own soap. The dispenser was empty. 

There is a beautiful lake at the campground, which allows several opportunities for fishing. There is a fishing dock and several types of watercraft rentals. There is also miles and miles of trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding. I was amazed at the number of trails. 

Another section of the park is devoted to equestrian camping, and there is even a show arena. For those who want to primitive camp, there is a place for that as well. I would have given the campground four stars, but because of the gravel sites and the yellow jackets, I could only give it three. The yellow jackets were out of control. 

I would suggest some pest control measures. I realize that most campers are in RVs and travel trailers, but tent campers also need a more appropriate place to camp than on large gravel surfaces.

This campground is off the beaten path, literally. It is out in the country, and without a GPS, I would have had a difficult time finding it. I had written the directions down from the website, but at night, it takes some maneuvering to look at directions and find country road signs in the dark. The campground is close to its namesake town of Hiddenite, which is a famous gem mining area known for gemstones such as hiddenite (spodumene), emeralds, sapphires, etc. I didn’t realize when I got to the campground that it also was a place for people to come watch their Christmas lights display. All of the mobile homes and RVs were lit for a beautiful display. When I first tried to book a reservation, I had to fill out an online request. After two days, I hadn’t heard back and I was going in that direction on my way home. I decided to take a chance. I stopped at the entry to what I think was the campground/Christmas lights display entrance. After a few minutes, a gentleman came out to ask me if he could help me. I told him I had contacted the campground two days ago, and after that I followed his golf cart to where he showed me a few places I could park my teardrop for the night. It had water, electricity, and sewer, as most of the sites do, and it was close to the creek. It had rained quite a bit a few days ago, so the grassy site was soft with ruts. They do allow tent camping, which is good to know for future reference. It appeared to me that most of the other campers here were permanent residents. When I went to the bath house, I was told the ladies’ bathroom was not working, so if I hear a woman in there I would know why. Most of the campers, however, would be using the facilities in their own RVs/trailers. During the summer, the bath house wouldn’t be so bad, but it was cold and there was no heat. The concrete walls made it feel even colder. There was hot water, however, but I chose not to take a shower there since I was only three hours from home and I would be leaving the next morning. The floor needed sweeping and somebody left beard hair all over the one sink. The host was very nice, and the campground served my needs for an overnight stay. There are a swimming pool and a playground for children. The road coming into the campground is dirt as was the road within the campground. There are shady spots in the campground with pull-through and back-in sites. Although the Christmas lights were on until I went to sleep, it didn’t seem to bother me that much, and other than the synchronized Christmas music, it was quiet. It would be interesting to see how the campground is during the summer.