Best Campgrounds near Lakeview, NC

Whenever a few friends and I want to do a quick overnighter to hang out or test gear, we go to Shinleaf. It's in a convenient location, right off of Hwy 98 on New Light Rd. The campsites aren't very far apart from each other. But if you choose any of the campsites off of any of the "leafs" (not in the main gravel path), you will find more solitude and not have many daily walkers or trail runners coming down the leafs of the campground since they mainly stick to the main path. Every campsite here has a fire ring and picnic table for convenience, and you can bring in a few bundles of firewood or cut up some of the dead fall trees that are in your campsites general area. Shinleaf is great for the family or just a quick night or two outdoors. Oh, and bring a fishing rod if you have a fishing license. You can fish from many of the "leaf" campsite spots.

Large park with a hodgepodge of level sites and not so much. Boat ramp, swim beach and a small amphitheater. No water sites with electric.

No amenities, but the price reflects that. Conveniently located to everything this area offers. Fun to check out whatever is happening at the fairgrounds and the horse complex is across the street. Big rig friendly but you might need to park your your truck/road a ver short walk away if you have a very large rig. The issue here is lack of oversight. There are security folks, but only if you call and request them. There is trash pickup, but no other staff anywhere. So people break the various rules often. Mainly they stay longer than 14 days. There were squatters when we were here one time - about 5 rigs and they wouldn’t leave and had no reservations. They were gone two weeks later when we came back (state troopers and Raleigh PD had to get involved).

This campground is right by a highway so traffic noise is high but the views are nice. I was excited to have a lake view spot with electric but my 25 foot cord was not long enough so make sure you have atleast 50 feet. Also there was dog poo right by the electrical unit. The bathrooms are pretty far and you can also see a house very close to the site. The spot is nice on a platform with a grill and your own little beach area but it's not that private and that traffic noise was pretty disappointing

Plenty of places to tent camp or RV camp! Places to fish things for kids to play on and of course places to shower after! One of my family’s favorite places to camp!

My dog Indy and I spent a night here just to try it out and it was the perfect spot. The site is #64 and there's water access right next to the pad. We will definitely be back.

The sites are level, not much shade. Garbage cans everywhere. Convenient to get into and out of with full hookup. There are no amenities at all but security drives around. Felt safe. Across from stadium. Price is worth the value.

If you find yourself in the hustle and bustle of nearby Raleigh and are looking to get away from the crowds and pavement in exchange for some nice shaded nature, hiking trails and calm, peace& quiet that only nature can offer, then make your way here to Shinleaf@ Falls Lake SRA. You’ll discover all of the basics are provided– from picnic table, fold-up fire ring/ grill, bear-proof garbage hanger and a nice pebble-strewn patch of well-maintained flat pitch, perfect for striking camp for the night in your tent amongst the best of what nature has to offer along with pristine shade from an unrelenting bit of summer North Carolina sunshine.

The only real down-side I could find to Shinleaf is that there’s not a whole lot of brush between the campsites so you will be exposed to neighboring sites, which wasn’t a problem when we visited as the place was fairly vacant, but during high season, I could see how this would be a bit of a turn-off. The on-site facilities(limited to just bathrooms& showers) are typically better than you’d expect from a state-run campground, and so this spot gets high marks versus some others– and there’s even a designated‘pot wash’ spigot that is near the campsites making for EZ clean up after any meal. There’s plenty of hiking trails to explore and the on-site rangers are incredibly helpful and positive folks that want to ensure you have a great time.

Insider's tips? Here's a few: (1) If you like to fish, there's tons of different varieties here to catch, including: walleye, crappie, white bass, large- and small-mouth bass, blue gill, striped bass as well as catfish; (2) There is no need to go anywhere else to look for a boat launch as Shinleaf has its very own kayak/ canoe launch that is fantastic and located on the eastern side of the property; (3) If you are looking for some really cool outdoors adventures while in these parts, check out Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park that offers treetop rope trails and adventure courses - our kiddos loved it!; (4) When you grow tired of attempting to conjure up your next meal from the depths of your roto-molded Cordova cooler and want to try out some local fare, then I highly recommend nearby Carolina Ale House in Wake Forest or Buffalo Brothers Restaurant & Bar - both have fantastic local cuisine and nice iced area craft beers to pair with; and (5) IMHO, the best campsites here at Shinleaf are: #6, #14, #16-17; #30-33; #37-39; #40; #42-43; #45-47.

Happy Camping!

Well taken care of. Pool was in good shape. Grounds are clean and hookups are spaced well. Lots of things for kids to do. Nice camp store with ice cream, drinks etc.

It’s ok. Semi secluded and has necessary hookups. Quit packed for what it is. I would not stay here for weeks. Just a stop and go kinda deal. But price is very good.

We went late April on a weekend. The place was pretty packed. I think many people from Raleigh and Winston Salem come here because it's so close. We stayed until Monday, most of the people left on Sunday and Monday it was fairly empty. The park has 5 waterfalls I believe. Some are shorter hikes but almost all the hikes involve a steep hill climb of stairs. We got our workout in seeing all the sites. The bathhouses seemed kind of dated, the showers were very small with even smaller doors that didn't leave much to the imagination. You could see everything from chest up and knees down. They gave you hooked to hang your things outside the door but that would involve being naked in front of everyone to retrieve your things. We had a camper so I used my own shower. Most of the sites are small and very close together. They do control burns often so there isn't any bushes giving you privacy. I'd suggest going during the week when there is less people. We stayed in site 11 because it was one of the few long enough for our 25ft camper. No hook ups or dump stations.

first time doing any type of dispersed camping but it was really easy to find, just off the road in the woods, just follow the coordinates and its a lil past, look for the signs, with lil sites to pull my car up to deeper in the woods, though you can still see the headlights coming from the road.

I'm not a hunter but no one else was there and I pulled up at 10pm and left 6am on the first day of open season.

My family planned a trip here, including our camper and 2 others. (3 sites total). Our camper needed work done and due to an unexpected sudden death in the family, taking the camper to be worked on 2 weeks prior to our planned visit was our only option. We called and explained the situation we were in and was spoken to VERY rudely. And was not able to get any of our money back. If there’s a possibility that you may have an unplanned death in the family that may complicate your trip, don’t book with them! We will NEVER plan another trip here!!

I stayed by myself and felt very safe in the beautiful, wooded campgrounds. Everything was very well taken care of and my camp spot was good as well when I did my spot check before and after leaving. The park has so many perks- waterfalls, hanging rock views, what seems like endless trails for hiking, and really nice cool weather when I go to the mountains.

We camped out the first night the campground was open for the season. They were performing controlled burns but nothing bothered us. Sure, we heard the planes overhead but it didn’t keep us up. We tent camped at an RV site just for some extra comfort with the water and power. Bathhouses were super clean. And we were a short walk to the lake to fish and hang out near the water. Absolutely will come back

So much to do. Hike, swim, mountain bike, and fish.