Best Tent Camping near Locust, NC

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

We have been coming to this campground for seven or eight years. We’ve camped here as tent and rv campers.

The campsites tend to be spacious and wooded- perfect for privacy and hammocks.

Once we were tent camping here, and woke up to a herd of deer on our site! There were seriously 10-15 deer just chilling on our campsite when we exited our tent.

If you’re rv-ing, be aware that while there are electric hookups, there are not water or sewer. There is a water tank filling station and a dump station on site.

The bathhouses are okay. They’re kept clean but they are older.

We have had some issues at this campground with sites being extremely uneven. We even had to just leave once because we couldn’t even begin to get our camper level, and the site was at a purely bizarre angle. I feel that some electric sites are better suited to those tent camping but wanting electricity.

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.

Family of 6. First tent glamping with 4 boys under the age of 12. Fantastic scenery & sunsets. We launched our kayaks from our tent site and enjoyed our neighbors. The facilities are decent for the money and there is plenty to participate in besides camping.

I tent camped at Morrow Mountain state park. As a campsite it is wonderful. Great camp pad to set up your tent on and very nice bathrooms. The only thing i would say negatively about it is that it is quite off the beaten path so does take time to drive all the way through the park to the campground. Other than that it had a very nice atmosphere

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

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.

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.

**Morrow Mountain State Park is a family camping ground for all ages and has an in ground swimming pool plus a boat launch.  I enjoyed tent camping with my family and fishing on the lake.  There is a large public swimming pool and each camping area has toilet and shower facilities.  You can burn fire wood in pits and there are grills for charcoaling BBQs.  The highlight to a early morning wake up are having deer walking through your camping site.  There was a loud whipperwill sounding off with echoes coming from the hillsides.  It is a first come first serve and there is a small fee collected by a Park Ranger.  **

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.

We had 4 families with children on 1 RV and 3 non-electric tent sites over Memorial Day weekend. Even though the park was at max capacity, it didn’t feel crowded or swarming. The facilities and activities at Morrow Mountain are awesome - a huge, clean pool; canoe rental from a well-maintained boathouse; hikes of various lengths; slightly aged but clean and cared for bath houses; and (our favorite) a gorgeous mountain top picnic shelter (A), which we rented due to a rainy forecast. Great place for family camping. Sites are nicely spaced, but by no means are they private or secluded. Staff were very friendly, but the no alcohol rule is a bummer. If you want to be alone in the woods, Morrow Mountain is not for you. Its also worth noting the climate is much more like south central NC (hot and super humId) and nothIng like the cool mountain air in Western NC. But if your looking for a fun, interactive family or group camping weekend, it’s the perfect spot!

If I wasn’t paying for the facilities and was just paying for a gravel pad within walking distance of the lake, five stars. As it is, though, this is not a “cheap” place to boondock. Yes, they do have a bath house in each loop. Our loop, which had 14 campsites, had two toilets. It also had two showers. One shower was broken. The other shower, if you pushed the button for the lower (ADA) shower, would empty the hot water in about two minutes. I had one warm shower and two very cold showers. In the middle of active camping season, this issue with facilities could be a real problem. If I’m going to have to take a cold shower, may as well do that in the lake! It’s also great when you are tent camping near the bath house and the door retractors slam the metal doors whenever someone uses the toilet at 3 am. The only other issue was the 10 barking dogs. Luckily, they all quit about 10:15 pm and didn’t start again until around 8 am. Otherwise, freakin barking all day!!

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.

We stayed at site 84, and stayed in a tent. There was a fire pit, hang hook for trash, and plenty of shade on the tent pad. We had plenty of space between each site as well. Bathrooms were fine with decent water pressure and hot water. I liked the idea of the campground host who was just a few spots from us. This allowed easy access to firewood for purchase. When we arrived at our site at 8:50pm, we were greeted by a super nice park ranger. We felt welcomed and safe.

I camped here with a women’s hiking group and was impressed.

There are lovely trails, a large playground, nature center, the beautiful lake Wylie {no swimming, NC fishing license required}, geocaching, clean bathrooms and shower rooms, electric sites with large tent pads, good sized fire pit area, picnic table.. there’s even a loving gate with a code for a more secure camping experience..

We could fit 3 tents in one pad AND had a hammocker camper too.

If you are wanting some nature near the city, this is a good option - especially if you are checking out city things in Charlotte.

You can hear traffic at night when camping here so bring ear plugs, headphones or a white noise fan if that bothers you.

Pet friendly 🐾

I saw both dogs and camping kitties

There’s 56 camp sites: these include tent, RV hook ups and some primitive.

There’s group camping at Copperhead Island.

I highly recommend, especially for families with children, lots to do and a safe, secure feeling.