If you're searching for a place to camp with pets near Gatesville, look no further. Camping is an adventurous and unique way to escape the city—and you can bring along your furry friend. The Dyrt can help you find the perfect pet-friendly campsites that are scenic and easy to access.
Located in Gates County 10 miles south of North Carolina's northeastern border with Virginia, Merchants Millpond State Park centers on a 760-acre millpond more than 190 years old. Hiking the surrounding trails or paddling the placid, shallow waters of the pond offer a great way to explore this wetland environment. Old-growth cypress trees adorned with Spanish moss create an "enchanted forest," particularly at Lassiter Swamp. Visitors have even spotted the American alligator here, at the northernmost point of its range.
$15 - $110 / night
$30 / night
Located on 25 acres of high, sandy land Rocky Hock Campground provides its customers with a quiet, secure camping experience in the beautiful Rocky Hock area that will have you coming back again and again.
Drive-through or back-in RV sites, and full facilities provide every service the dedicated camper needs. Clean bathrooms, laundromat, & phones.
$25 - $45 / night
If you haven’t experienced Virginia Beach Camping, get ready for an amazing experience at North Landing Campground RV Resort & Cottages. From RV sites to cottage rentals, North Landing Beach RV Resort & Cottages has it all!!
Come stay with us in "Vera" our Class C RV, for a stationary stay.
Visit our cozy area of Suffolk, Virginia within walking distance to Nansemond River, Hilton Garden Suffolk Riverfront Conference Center and Main Street (think Farmers Market Saturdays and countless festivals and parades).
Have furry friends? We welcome up to 2 pets on our property. We don't go anywhere without our fur babies, Henry and Olive.
We provide a fire pit, but firewood bundles are not provided. Please plan accordingly.
Come visit us! We'd love to have you!
*Reach out if you are interested in renting "Vera", our Class C RV for a travel trip.
$154 / night
$15 - $65 / night
$26 / night
Traveler
Plenty of room..showers/bathrooms huge..water NOT at all sites but easy to fill tanks. Some sites close to main road but not a lot of traffic.
Scout
Very clean and peacefully. Rigjt by the river.
Traveler
We stayed here for two nights during our trip along the Outer Banks. We had a great time and enjoyed our stop here. Our site had a great view of the water and we could see the Currituck lighthouse at night. Our boys enjoyed kayaking around the sound and riding their bikes to the playground. It seemed like they are working to add more amenities and upgrades so I’d stay again next time we make it that way. Also, Diggers Dungeon is only a few miles away so if you have kids make sure to stop and let them see the monster trucks.
Legend
We have family in Edenton and have stayed at Ricky Hock many times. It is just north of town and has large mostly pull through sites with full hookups.
Ranger
Overall, this campground is utilitarian at best. We stayed for five nights in April in a 25' Airstream. It is on a military installation so you need to have access.
- RV office does not open; if you have any issue, you have to call the reservation line or see the camp host...but there was nothing to mark who the camp host was and they never stopped by.
- Roads are decrepit with major potholes and in need of repair. The roads and some sites flood when raining. There are two one way roads in, but without a map of the campground available, you don't know which one to turn down in advance.
- Bathrooms are dated but clean.
- Dumpster not emptied in timely fashion. It was overflowing the first two days here and people were piling trash around it until it was emptied on a Wed.
- Full hook up (electric/water/sewer) on sites; some have fire pits, some don't. Also the connection boxes are set back pretty far on the sites, so you need longer hoses/cords. We had a long electric cord that reached and had to add a second water hose and second section of sewer hose to connect. Water pressure was good.
- Concrete pads and free laundry were nice. Ground around the concrete pads were rutted where folks either parked off the pad or didn't know how to park on it.
- Free wifi if you sign up for MWR's, but we used our T-Mobile home internet with good connection (4 bars). AT&T on our phones was 1 bar at best.
- Several small hiking trails nearby on base that were good for walking the dog.
- Traffic getting off base starting around 1500-1600 is bad, so plan accordingly.
- Expect to hear aircraft all the time. You get used to it quickly, but can be loud.
- Seemed like some active duty personnel were staying here, as we saw them leaving in the mornings and coming back at the end of the day in uniform.
- We didn't find firewood for sale on base and bought some out in town near another campground.
- Follow the signs on base to the golf course and keep driving past the driving range to find a small beach on base.
Not the best look for a military campground, but if you just need a place to park to access the other amenities of the base and area cheaply, this is it.
Ranger
We stayed for one night. People were friendly. Park had a tight turning radius and we struggled turning down aisle D in our 42 ft 5th wheel. Despite it saying it was 60 ft, spot was still tight. You can’t park on grass so we moved to overflow parking. Bathrooms and rec area were clean.
Ranger
We went for Valentine's Day weekend. Only a couple of other people were there, and we hardly saw them. We used site 11. I still think it's the best one, it's the largest, right next to the main trail head, & bath house trail right ahead of the site. The bath house was real nice. They had heaters running and they were so toasty, also very clean. Trails were nice too, we used our ebikes on the bike trail.
RangerWe just stayed one night as we were passing through the area, but we were very impressed with this campground!
The spots are spacious and well maintained. There’s a large pool and a hot tub, as well as a small mini golf course. The mini golf did look a little rundown, but our daughter still really enjoyed it.
The staff was friendly and helpful, and we were able to fill our propane tank while we were there.
If we are ever in the area again, we will definitely stay here!
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TravelerOverall amazed at the cleanliness of the campground. The staff is very friendly. The park was very quiet going into the night.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! Devane & Co has a great east coast spot to relax, wether you have your own camper or choose the on-site RV. Check them out and leave a review about your stay on the Dyrt!
ScoutStayed on Friday and Sat nights at family campground. Bathrooms ok but in need of maintenance. Park clean and well maintained. Biggest issue is the noise. Neighbors played music and were loud until well after midnight. Other neighbor had dog barking all night. Not a great campground for people with young kids like we have. We will be looking for campgrounds with onsite hosts in the future.
ScoutWe loved staying here for the weekend! We were the only ones in the tent area underneath beautiful trees. We kayaked in their creek that goes out directly to the Chowan River. Large fishing pond, firewood available, clean shower house, game room and tidy clean sites. Will return!
Scout
This is by far the best campground I have stayed at. Lots to do, right here at your home away from home. The campground hosts several activities. Currituck Ferry is 10 miles away. After a 45 minute ferry ride, you are only a few miles from Kitty Hawk. Va Beach is 30 minutes up the road. The military aviation museum is 10 minutes away. A word of caution though. If you are coming from I-64, go to exit 286-B which will put you on Indian River Rd. Follow this til you turn right in Princess Anne Rd, then follow til you get here. Take your time driving. The vast majority of the roads leading here are very rough, and you can damage your rig like I did. This trip was well worth it. My wife and I have had the vacation of our lives. We are already making plans to come back.
Scout
Wooded location with Kayak access to the low country. Water service is inadequate, it’s a water meter box that is in the ground under water itself. Quiet place with clean restrooms.
Scout
The park is centrally located with easy highway access. Plentiful parking, lots of trails to choose from. The staff was top notch and super kind and helpful. They were very insistent about the "no alcohol" rule.
Sites are first come, first served. Must reserve in person. Visitor's center is open 9-6.
The sites were located about 1/4 mile from the parking lot down a trail. They were spaced nicely apart and had nice sand tent platforms with a picnic table and a fire ring with a grate. Trash cans were very close by, which was super nice. The bathrooms were flush toilets and running water faucets and located behind the parking lot, so a bit of a hike in the dark if you need to go. Other than that, expect no amenities. Bugs weren't terrible but were present. Definitely bring bug spray.
The biggest negative was that no matter where you were in the park, there was significant noise from the highway. Horns honking, sirens blaring, the general rush of cars going by. There is no sound barrier between 64 and the park so every noise just filters right through the trees. Not anyone's fault, but definitely a downside.
Overall when you consider the dirt cheap price of 10.60 per night, this campground delivers as advertised.
ScoutPaid for a water view spot, got a spot obscured by trees. Internet kept cutting out TV last night. Other than that it has been ok so far.
Scout
We love this place. They are always hosting activities, there's a beach and a pool, playground, movie nights, pizza and ice cream shop. We stay here multiple times a year.
Legend
Stopped here as we were doing the NC state park challenge. Spent the night. The campground was full and spots were close together. A lot of people stay here to hunt locally. They stay here as it was convenient. We did have neighbors that had a huge spotlight and brought a deer back to skin. I found out from my other neighbor the next day that it isn't allowed here. We didn't know so I guess they got away with it but they kept to themselves...
we otherwise just hung out, checked the old plantation and took a hike on moccasin trail. Be careful!!! It was brisk and damp and we of course, came across what appeared to be a moccasin on the trail. My dog jumped over it...startled it and I saw its head pop up. We had a standoff and some how came out of it unscathed. Phew!
Also, along the same trail that is parallel to the trail there are local houses with two pitbulls that came flying out to greet us on the trail..not neutered and owners nowhere to be found. We, my female pit mix ignored them and they thankfully ended up going home.....otherwise the trail was a nice walk along the lake, but sure wasn't dull for us!
The plantation is a neat part of history and I learned a ton about this area and park though the slave history is pretty sad.
LegendIn the middle of nowhere, but it was peaceful and everyone was friendly. The trail system was magical. We hiked early in the am and it was such a therapeutic hike through the forest and swamp. Stayed in our Tepui tent and had a great time.
ScoutPerfect for us—quiet and easy to park. Plenty of room on site. Clean and organized. View of Currituck Sound is beautiful.
Traveler
The website tells a much different story than the camp itself. Mostly long term here and they don’t do a great job of making sure the sites aren’t full of junk. Can tell it used to be pretty nice but seems very run down now. A storm hit right after I got here and now I’m sitting in about 8 inches of water! Good for a night if you just need a stop over, but can’t say I’d like to be here any longer than that.
Scout
Owner on site, propane available, showers & restrooms are newer and very clean. We reserved late so had one of the spots right next to the restroom. Owner explained that the wrong kind of sand had been delivered so it would not compact, it was a challenge pulling our trailer thru the sand. This seems to be an issue in only a few of the spots.
GuideStayed a few nights leading up to Memorial day. Our site was a good size, and tent pad was nice. Lovely shaded site, and large picnic table. Did not have to use our popup shade. Downside were the large gravel throughout the site - tough for small dogs and crawlers. Nice 0.7 walk from the campsite to the visitor center to rent canoes! Just a short drive to some other trails. Enjoyed the Cyprus Point trail which you access at the boat ramp section of the park. If you canoe long enough, you'll come across two alligators who live in the pond.
ScoutWe are new rv travelers and this is our third stop on our way down to Florida. This place is quiet and so easy to get to. The hot tub was awesome after a stressful drive. Laundry area is clean and works great! We came in off season so the pool was closed but still had activities to use (pool table, darts). No cable even though they have plugs but that’s not all that important to us. Would recommend and will more than likely come back!
ScoutSuch a quiet and safe place to stay! Just minutes from town!
Scout
The pricing is incorrect on The Dyrt and their website. The Dirt states $20-$60 then I went to their business website and the cheapest (tent no hookup) was $40. So I called to find out what was correct. The young girl on the phone stated that the cheapest price was $45 (again tent and no hookup). The girl was very rude. Be aware of the pricing issue. I will not visit.
TravelerThe campsites are great with ample room for privacy, and easily accessible to the restrooms and trails around the pond. The visitor center is fantastic and offers canoe rentals as well as a spot to unload your own canoe or kayak.
I would recommend visiting in the cooler months of spring or fall. In April, the site was probably only 25% occupied and it’s still cool enough not to be bothered by mosquitoes.
Taking a canoe or kayak out to explore the pond and swamps is a must and total unique experience. Turtles, birds, cypress trees, and alligators.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Gatesville, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Gatesville, NC is Merchants Millpond State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 23 reviews.
What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Gatesville, NC?
TheDyrt.com has all 34 dog-friendly camping locations near Gatesville, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
