Best Tent Camping near Sanford, NC

This is a hidden gem for a MST hiker. The campground is located on a private land, has a shelter, a fire pit, and a number of tent sites. It's a hike in only campground, located approximately 1 mile from the roadside parking on Red Mill Road, Durham NC. 

The information can be found here:

There is an authorized camping area available on private property in this section of the Falls Lake Trail(between Red Mill Road and Old Oxford Road). Follow the blue-blazed trail off the MST approximately 1 mile west of Red Mill Road. NOTE: This campsite is on private property. It is a HUGE PRIVILEGE to be allowed to camp at this location. Vandalism, neglect or any trash left at this campsite could result in closing of this campsite by the landowner. No water or toilet facilities are provided. There are seven established campsite pads for 2-person tents. Campsite rules:(1) Practice Leave No Trace ethics.(2) Do NOT leave any trash. Pack it in= Pack it out.(3) There is a 2-night maximum stay.(4) Do NOT explore past a 75 yard radius of the Shelter.(5) NO FIRES except in the established fire pit.

On my way to Virginia from western North Carolina, I decided to stop here. It makes the eight hour trip less tiresome if you can break it up. It is convenient since it is along the interstate. However, staying in one of the cabins at this KOA in Greensboro requires a minimum two-night stay, and they run about$100 a night. The person in the office was really nice and informative, but I think KOA is trying to discourage tent campers. She told me that since it had been raining, the ground was saturated and tent campers don’t like all the noise from the road; and she is 100% correct. Nevertheless, a tent site was my best option. The tent sites are sloped and very small. There is very little privacy since the sites are just about on top of each other. Don’t get me wrong; there are good things about this KOA… for RV campers and RV campers with children. The RV sites are spacious and mostly level with electric, water, and sewer hookups. The cabins are really nice(this being based on staying in a KOA cabin in the past and the exterior looks, which have been updated since I last stayed in one). The children will love the caboose/play area, and there is a large pool, which was actually open. There is also a fenced dog walk and another playground for children. The main bath house is located at the end of the office, and there is another bath house which was closed due to repair(?). Perhaps I’m being a little too harsh since it had poured rain for two days, but being on a small, unlevel, tent site with saturated ground is not my favorite way to camp. There were only brief minutes to take any photos since it was constantly raining. With all this said, if you want an alternative to staying at a motel/hotel/inn in Greensboro to experience the numerous things the city has to offer, this is a good choice for RV campers or for those who want to stay in a cabin.

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!

Pretty nice campground right off of hwy 401, just south of Raeford NC. There is a pit toilet and water spigot. There are no showers here. The Lumber River is right here, so fishing and canoeing/kayaking are popular activities. There is a hiking trail here as well.

The right hand side of the campground is set up for RV,s (pull through sites). The left hand side is for tent camping. Tent camping sites, 9-10-11, sit WAY back in the woods, so its like almost like having your own campground. TONS of forage wood here.

With talking to the rangers, they were saying that the place seldom gets too crowded, and you can almost always get a reservation here.

It's ok not great,not a busy area it's ok if your visiting the area and need a place,think it's a bit pricey for what it is though, small designated tent camping area....

We stayed at Jordan Lake Campground. It had nice hiking trails. Ty he lake is pretty big. Exploring on our kayaks was alot of fun. Our tent site was by the wayet and included water and electric. We will return.

Be aware that google maps will only get you close.  The Road is getting more rutted and is very questionable in any bad weather.   It is very secluded.   Probable good for tent camping but not made for any trailers.   Didn't make it to the sites due to bad road conditions.

It’s not often that you see a state park in the heart of a metropolitan area. Although it’s not in the city limits, you are surrounded by cities. Without the noise of the neighboring international airport, it’s like any other natural area. However, camping in a tent means you will be hearing the sounds of jets all day long and throughout the night. Otherwise, it might have been a pleasant experience. This campground is in a state park that has a lot of trails, good areas for bicycling, and water sports such as swimming, canoeing, and fishing. When I was there, however, many of the facilities were closed. I did get a chance to take advantage of the trails, and they are relatively easy. Because of the pandemic, access to the bath house was limited in terms of hours. The sites are level and spacious, and they are not too close to other sites. It didn’t really matter when I went since there were very few campers. I can only imagine what it will be like when peak season starts, but as I said earlier, the sites are not on top of each other. The bath house was clean but only utilitarian. They could use updating. There is a place outside of the bath house to wash dishes, so you are encouraged to wash them there instead of dumping dishwater in the bath house or at your campsite. Overall, this campground is pretty good if you don’t mind the noise of the jets. If you want to experience total immersion into the wilderness and solitude, I would suggest a more remote camping area.

This campsite doesn’t seem to be too popular which is fine. The tent sites are some of the better spread out ones that I’ve seen and having cell coverage is immensely appreciated considering you’re basically in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful hikes around the river right next door.

Popular Point campground is one of my favorite places to pitch a tent in the Jordan Lake area.  It's often not as crowded as the others at Jordan Lake are, esp., during the week and outside of holidays or summertime.  The views are nice, with sites next to the water.  Tents and RVs can camp in the same areas.  We normally camp in a tent here, but never in the hottest part of summer, which is most of the summer in the Piedmont area of the state.  You gotta go up to 3000 feet, as in the mountains of NC, for a cool weather experience in summertime, but for a night to get away from your regular routine or a weekend when the weather is nice, this is a suitable place.  Locals like it because the drive isn't far from Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Durham or Pittsboro.

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

Pros: • Most of the B sites are in a nice wooded setting. • There’s plenty of trails to walk during the day. • Very quiet even though the sites are pretty close together. • There’s a Food Lion and Gas Station 10 minutes away if you forget anything. • Clean bathhouses with hot water.

Cons: • Our site (B20) was reaaally uneven but we made it work for 2 tents! • If you tent camp in the B lot, the bathhouse is a bit of a walk. • You have to bring your own firewood or buy it ($5 a bundle) - gathering firewood from the woods is not allowed. • Water is shared between sites.

This is a new and clean campground. Very nice rangers monitor the campground and are extremely helpful. Each site is large and well spaced out from other campers. Most RV sites are gravel with a fire pit, picnic table and a gravel tent pad beside it. The bathhouse was clean and well maintained. Their RV sites are full hookup which is great for a state park. Water pressure was excellent. Primitive tent sites and cabins were available. The campground is walking distance to Raven Rock trails and you get a free walk up pass to get in. We had a very good time and will definitely go back.

The tent campsites are right next to the water with beautiful views of the lake. You can kayak directly to your campsite. There’s also a swimming beach with pfds, grills, and picnic tables available. Each campsite has a trash can, picnic table, and fire pit. The only issue we had was the drinking water. The water pump next to our campsite produced brown water. We had to bring large jugs of bottled water to use instead.

Raven Rock State Park is known for its namesake cliffs on the edge of the Cape Fear River. It has over a dozen miles of trails, which include horseback riding, hiking, and cycling trails. Since this park is along the fall line, most of the trails are easy with some rise and fall in elevation. Make sure you hike to the“Raven Rock” while you are there. It is impressive, and there are other trails that offer peaceful walks through the forest and other views of the river. The only camping allowed, for now, is primitive tent camping. The campsites can be reached either by hiking or by canoeing/kayaking in. There is a privy, but there are no showers. I counted seven spaces for camping. There is a site(or was) for group camping. The ranger told me that it is no longer in use. When I was talking to her, she said that they are working on an area for RV camping and that it would be ready next year. If I understood correctly, it will be in the area of the Mountain Laurel Loop Trail. When you camp there, make sure to take a good head lamp or flashlight. I had to walk quite far to get to the privy, and during the night, it is dark! The site that I chose was a longer walk to the privy than the other campsites, but it was a little more remote and private. I also had to by-pass a mud hole on the way to the privy, so again, take a good light source. The best thing about Raven Rock State Park is, of course, the 150’ cliffs along the river. The best thing about camping at Raven Rock State Park is how quiet it is. The hike is 1.7 miles, and other than the sounds of Cape Fear River down below, the only thing you hear at night might be an occasional airplane flying overhead. Since it was during December, I didn’t see any other campers. During the day, however, the park had several day hikers. If you want to camp in the backcountry but don’t want to hike very far to get there, this is a great place. If you have an RV or just want to camp where you can drive to, you will have to wait for a year, according to the park ranger.

This is a pretty nice campground, similar to other state parks in North Carolina. The sites are spacious, we stayed at a double site that allowed up to 4 cars. The site was level and stayed dry during the heavy rain, however we saw other sites that had big puddles, with tents in the water. The bathrooms were cleaned regularly, but they were not very nice. The shower didn't look good at all, we didn't use it.

A great things about the campground is that it has its own kayak/canoe ramp, just a few minutes drive from the site. We saw people fishing from the ramp as well. On our morning paddle we saw a couple of bald eagles, they were amazing. We stayed at the campsite after heavy rains, so the beach was closed. It must be nice when not flooded.

This is a state campground, so alcohol is not allowed.

Cedarock Park, located in Burlington, North Carolina, is a hidden gem for all sorts of outdoor activities. The park offers hike-in camping with a handful of sites scattered along Rock Creek. The sites are well spaced and can accommodate large groups (you only pay $1 for each additional person for groups larger than 10). The park is also home to 6 miles of hiking trails and 6 miles of equestrian trails. There are two fantastic disc golf courses (I personally enjoy the Wellspring course) and even a historical farm that sheds light on what life was like as a farmer in 19th century North Carolina.

Poplar Point Campground could quite possibly be the best campground in all of North Carolina! Yes, I know, that’s quite a statement to make, considering all of the amazing places in the great state of North Carolina. So let me explain why I reached this conclusion:

• Some of the most outstanding hiking trails

• Heavily wooded forest paradise that delivers privacy and solitude

• Perfectly maintained amenities such as picnic tables, fold-up fire ring and grills

• Bathroom facilities are some of the best I’ve experienced with state-run facilities

• Direct access to a fantastic lakeside experience, complete with boat launches

• Designated swimming area complete with life vests

• On-site park staff were nothing short of amazing, helpful and incredibly friendly

• Close access to purchase anything that might be needed 

Insider’s tip? Be sure to get down to the lake from wherever your campsite is just after sunset and bring a couple of folding chairs and a telescope (pre-planning here is needed!) to catch a glimpse of one of the most amazing star-studded night skies you’ve ever seen in your life! 

Happy Camping!

This is one of my favorite camping spots in the North Carolina triangle area.  There is a tremendous amount of hiking and trails to do around here.  The Eno River is more than safe to swim or paddle in.  Dogs are welcome here! If you can camp close to the river, I recommend, it's great to fall asleep to the sounds of the river.  Bring bug spray!

I have stayed there twice over the past couple years.  The only changes to this Campground are the Prices !!  ..which keep going up (to $35 day now).  For this, you get a parking space with full hookups.. that's it, no Amenities whatsoever!

It's pretty much a "Camper Trap", because there are so few options in the North Carolina Piedmont.  Spaces are tight, a lot of the people there are long-term workers, that totally ignore any "Dust" decorum, speeding through the area as if they were on public streets!

Poplar Point is located on the banks of the lake in the Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. Jordan Lake State Recreation Area has several campgrounds with plenty of lakeside sites, if you make your reservation early. We happened to camp in Poplar Point during the busiest time Labor Day weekend. Even then it was surprisingly quiet, because campsites are generously separated among the pine forest. And after the weekend we were practically alone. So, If you love to be alone in nature, this is a great place for that experience. We have a video about this campground on our YouTube Summertime RV Rovers channel- 4 Great Campgrounds in North Carolina. We stayed there in our Super C Dynamax DX3. We camped at Poplar Point Campground- Jordan Lake SRA in a Motorhome.

This area is such a short drive from the triangle area of North Carolina, yet this park feels quite remote. Like many state parks, this one excels in the services department. 

Bathrooms and showers were clean and comfortable, as were the campsites. 

Each camping loop felt tucked away into its own little neighborhood, and the large campsites offered space so that you aren’t stacked right next to your neighbor.  We camped in the nonelectric loop (we always bring our solar panel) for 3 nights in mid-February and there were very few campers around, but the neighboring loop with electrical hook-up sites were 3/4 full with large rigs. 

Hiking, biking, paddling, are all great things to do during your stay. There is also a boat launch within the park in case power boating or fishing is your thing, but kayaks and canoes can easily launch from the lakeside campsites.  It was a bit too chilly to get on the water in February, so we opted for hiking and biking.

The closest services for gas or a few extra snacks are within 5 minutes of the park.

I could barely believe that we're only 20 or so minutes away from a large city like Raleigh and we are able to access such amazing natural beauty so easily.  For most of my camping life, I'm used to spending hours on a road (often winding, bumpy and war-torn!) before making it to our ultimate camping destination - so Parker's Creek was a real treat.

Here, just like so many of the great state parks in North Carolina, I found an exceptional well-taken care of chunk of nature, where the campground has been perfectly carved INTO nature, and this particular area of well-appointed campsites are nothing short of spectacular, especially if you get as lucky as we did in booking this site.  Perhaps because we were in shoulder season, we didn't experience the herds of other campers - in fact, for the most part, we felt like we had the place to ourselves.

All of the basic amenities are here - picnic table, fire ring, running water and hot showers, restroom facilities.  And oh, like everything's just about new or recently refurbished.  Add this to the excellent views, I don't know that it gets better than waking up after a great night underneath the stars (and a full moon) and going for a nice dip in Lake Jordan before all the boating and fishing crowds mob the lake's water.  This and the hiking trails around, were simply fantastic.  I can't wait to return soon!

Happy Camping