Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Shelby, NC

Campground is huge & within walking distance of the raceway. Camping world is across the street if you forgot anything! Win! We parked across from the playground for the kids and it was so nice. They have a sand volleyball court there too. Dog park in the far back corner. Different vibe off of racing season. Very affordable & nice quiet stop! Off season, they turn two sites into one so you get 100' to yourself. All gravel. Grassy areas around for pets. Some sites have a grass backyard area. Fences & picnic tables separate the sites.

From the moment we arrived at the campground the manager "Larry"  ( a workamper) signed us in, show us our site on Wagging Tail Dr.  We arrived on their opening weekend the Owners provided BBQ meal and live music "Jose Wales" band.   It was a wonderful time.  As for the "Dog Retreat part - 18 acres of wonder open areas fenced in to keep you furry friends from running away, there is agility park, puppy park, the main dog park, a private park (single or you can invite), a Lure run, a Ball Park, and a Pond for those watery dogs.

Price for Fire wood - a little expensive and 10 lbs of Ice was reasonable.  There are fully fenced sites, a couple of sites with a fenced area.  The larges rig I saw in there was a Solitude at  38 ft.

Over all, if you want the peace and quiet in the North Carolina foot hills with your furry friend and have a good time.  This is the place to be.

One other note:  It is the only park in NC that is a dedicated dog campground.

We just finished a two week stay at Iron City Campground in Blacksburg, SC. Great campground. Lisa (the owner) was fantastic and super accommodating. We were in site 45 with full hookups. The pool/picnic area was clean. The sites were clean and arranged well and the entire campground is very well maintained. There is Saturday night karaoke and a fenced dog park with benches and a fire hydrant. Each site has a campfire ring, two person swing, picnic table. Some late night road noise, but nothing concerning. Very convenient to Shelby, Gafney, and Gardner Webb University. Great Campground. We will definitely stay here again when we’re back in the area.

We camped here back in August and had a blast! We brought our two dogs and they also had a great time. This site is very dog friendly (obviously), with many sites having their own fenced in yards. We opted for a site without a fence, which we regretted once we got there. The gravel at our site was painful for our dog’s feet and they had a hard time walking on it. The dog parks made up for this! There are multiple large dog parks located at the campground. The restrooms were awesome, but are single person use only. We felt like we were the only ones using them (that’s how well maintained they were). Campsites are close together but we didn’t mind. The staff was great, they helped us find our site and even helped us back our camper in. There was power and water hookup at each site. There is tons of stuff to do around the area too. Chimney Rock and Lake Lure are right around the corner and SO FUN.

This place was a 13 hour drive and so worth it. All of the cabins and trailers available to rent are so reasonably priced and have AC and fully fucntioning appliances. Every cabin or RV rental has its own private gated yard with your own firepit. Several dog parks and a private pond for the pups means days of fun for an active, social dog. Everyone is so kind, the women who run this place are so sweet and they were incredibly accomodating. The camp store has tons of treats and necessities for dogs and people, and a dog washing station and laundry are available communally. We spent our days hiking the nearby Chimney Rock and hanging around Lake Lure (FYI Dirty Dancing was filmed here whoa). We also checked out the Equestrian center which was an awesome recommendation of the staff and also dog friendly. Definitely recommended for people who like day hikes and adventures and coming back to a cozy camp cabin.