Best Dispersed Camping near Durham, NC
Butner Lake Wildlife Management Area provides free dispersed camping in a primitive setting near Durham, North Carolina. Located in Butner, the area offers basic sites with fire rings and hanging lines but no toilets or other amenities. The camping area operates seasonally, open only during hunting seasons (September 1 to February 28 and March 31 to May 14), and rangers enforce a requirement that all campers must possess a fishing or hunting license, which costs approximately $30.
The sites at Butner Lake WMA accommodate both tent camping and some RVs, though opinions vary on trailer accessibility. "Very few places. This is a place to pitch a tent or to Car Camp," noted one visitor, while another mentioned seeing "one other person come in with a 30 foot trailer." The campground provides convenient access from the interstate with minimal privacy between sites. Shallow Ford Natural Area offers an alternative with tent sites along the Mountains to Sea Trail featuring fire rings and flat ground. A visitor described it as having "lots of shade" where you can "hear the river in the background and lots of birds and squirrels."
