Best Tent Camping near Gastonia, NC

Tent Camping Reviews near Gastonia, NC

432 Reviews of 19 Gastonia Campgrounds

• 

  Glacia C.

  Guide

  Jul. 16, 2023

  Little River Backcountry Campground — South Mountains State Park

  South Mountains NCSP: Jacob Branch Backcountry Sites

  Jacob Branch: Three sites arranged around a clearing. Two pit privies and a BEAR BOX! Woot!! The sites are a bit difficult to pitch on, due to the abundance of roots, hardpan earth, and slope, but you’ll find a spot. I didn’t hang, but there are certainly spots that would be suitable. Water is just down the hill. It’s ample and clear, as of May 2023. There are several ways to hike in, as many of the South Mountains SP trails intersect and wander around a bunch giving a bunch of options for how to get in and out. The variety makes for a nice loop instead of just an in-and-out. Get inventive. Trails are broad and veeeeeery hilly in places. If your knees complain, bring the trekking poles. You’ll thank me.

  Shinny Creek: Perfect trip if you have kids…or just want something close by. It’s only a bit over a mile to these four sites (see video tour) nestled by a stream. Clear, flat sites. Bear box. Critter-proof trash bin. Pit privy. Water access from every site within ten paces, so water and entertainment are always available. The trail here is easy peasy rolling hills that follows the river past Bear Falls all the way up to the sites.

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• 

  Dave V.

  Legend

  Jul. 1, 2021

  South Mountains State Park Family Campground

  A Sleeper worth Staying At

  South Mountain State Park, NC From I-40 Exit 104, you twist and turn, up and down but keep a sharp eye for the small, brown State Park signs or you’ll pass your right hand turns. 

  The South Mountain Visitors Center is very spacious and attractive but doesn’t offer a great deal. There is a cool 3D topo map display of the state park. At present, this is a 23,000 acre State Park...and ever acquiring more land. 

  The family campground is a short distance further inside the park on the left side(approx 2 miles) marked by a small brown sign...and is situated at 1400 ft elevation. 

  The campground is tiny and narrow, running between a creek and the state park roadway. The sounds of the creek melodious, the road traffic noise-not so much. I would definitely advise selecting the creek side campsites as they lay deeper in the wood line out of sight of the roadway and have the creek noise to cover roadway noise.(note: the roadway dead ends at the trailhead/picnic area, so the only traffic are day visitors and park staff) Be forewarned, Cell service is nonexistent. Your site will have a WiFi password for internet at the Visitors Center, but you need to be at or in the building for it to work. 

  PROS:

  •Small campground with few amenities

  •Mountain/creek location

  •Nice modern facilities

  •Water

  •Adjoining trail network

  •No cell service

  •80’ Waterfall•Interpretive Hemlock Nature Trail

  •Beautiful Day Use picnic area 

  CONS:

  •Road noise for sites 10-14, during working hours and day use hours.

  •No cell service 

  Site 13 backs up toward the roadway, and without much understory, passing traffic is very visible and noisy(the high shoals falls and trail network are popular day use attractions). On the sites between the campground roadway and the State Park roadway, you are much closer than the website maps post, and without understory vegetation, you have direct visibility of several neighbors and normal conversations can be heard. Night noise restrictions, on our visit, were observed so it wasn’t an issue. My visit was Wed, Thurs. midweek Oct 7-8. 

  Our site was an“leveling,” octagonal, elevated, crushed gravel pad, surrounded by landscape timbers...an elevated fire ring with a swing-over, non-adjustable grate, a picnic table and metal lantern pole. It worked fine but I used a small two-man tent. Depending on wind direction, fire ring embers would present a problem for a larger tent. Our site parking area was 45’ from the raised timber to campground roadway. 

  The restroom/shower house is a monstrous, mountain lodge style modern facility...very clean, spacious and well-stocked. 

  Walking the Family Camground my future site picks would be 5 or 7. Site 5 is a park and carry but it did not appear to be more than 50’ and it sat on the creek. Site 7 is on that same small loop but had a larger rectangular raised pad, for keeping tents distanced from fire pits. 

  Some sites have a deep enough gravel drive for a small camper or popup. And a few have electric. 

  Several trails lead from the NW end of the family campground parking lot and vary in length and difficulty. Most notable is the Raven Rock Trail to the High Shoals Falls Trail, which, depending on your level of fitness could be deemed a moderate to strenuous 2.35 mile climb and descent to the upper falls and then wooden boardwalk and steep steps down to the gorgeous 80 ft High Shoals waterfall. Smaller falls and cascades continue on the descent. Our total loop mileage was 5.5 with nearly a thousand foot of elevation gain. 

  Park employees both at the Visitor’s Center desk and in the field were very friendly and pleasant. The NC State Park Ranger was very informative and helpful, as well as giving much appreciated suggestions for great and often lesser traveled hiking trails. 

  Roughly 16.5 miles of mountain bike trails intermix with hiking and equestrian trails. There is a separate equestrian campground between the Visitors Center and the Family Campground. Note: there are several backcountry backpack-in campsite areas(Upper Falls Campsites offer picnic tables, fire ring and a couple pit latrines).

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• 

  Nora C.

  Scout

  Jun. 8, 2018

  Kings Mountain — Kings Mountain State Park

  Large shady spaces near Kings Mountain Military Park.

  Large spacious spots for RVs and Tent campers. Close to Kings Mountain Military Park. Several trails from easy to strenuous and varying lengths. Lake with fishing, kayaking and canoing. Clean facilities with bathrooms, showers and camp store.

  Spaces have electric, water, fire rings and picnic tables. Tent only areas.

• 

  Todd S.

  Guide

  Jun. 26, 2021

  Crowders Mountain State Park Campground

  Great place to stay

  We enjoyed our stay. The park office had everything well taken care of. We arrived late almost at sundown but they had an envelope waiting with instructions, a parking tag and a map. This is a hike in campground so we were in a hurry. The campground had lockers with firewood and you could leave the money in the envelope at the trailhead. The site was very private with a fire ring and picnic table and two pads for tents. The only complaint (and this isn’t the parks fault) is you aren’t far off the beaten path so car exhaust and jet noise was prevalent throughout the night. All in all happy with the stay and it served us perfectly as we were just passing through the area!

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• 

  Jennifer R.

  Guide

  Apr. 25, 2019

  South Mountains State Park Family Campground

  Perfection!

  Tent camping can get cramped but you won't feel that way here! The set up here is great, pads are level and big, picnic tables aren't chained down so you can move them where you need them. The showers/bathrooms are brand new and CLEAN! You are going to feel spoiled because you are. Trails lead right off the camp grounds making it easy to get up and make the most out of every day you get to spend here. The only thing lacking is a camp host but rangers patrol at night and are happy to drop you some wood if you flag them down.

• L

  Larry A.

  Scout

  Jun. 9, 2019

  Poulous Loop Seasonal Camp

  Was once nice. (Edited)

  Forest Service has changed the price from $5 to $30 a night for a primitive campground. Nasty vault toilet, and trash cans but no water. As of July 2019 campground appears closed.

• 

  Les R.

  Legend

  Aug. 21, 2016

  Crowders Mountain State Park Campground

  Hike, Climb, Fish by Day or Backcountry Camp by Night

  I visited Crowders Mountain in December, and the weather only required a sweatshirt. My brother and I spent the day rock climbing. It was his first time climbing, and we were able to set up some beginner-friendly routes.

  As for the camping, your only option is a walk-in campground, about a mile-long hike. Drinking water and outhouses are available though.

• 

  Janet R.

  Legend

  Nov. 10, 2017

  Cane Creek Park

  Cane Creek county Park

  This review is probably not representative of what will be many people’s experience or opportunity, as I visited in November in the off season, albeit an unusually warm weekday! Cane Creek Park is a county park that is of state park caliber. It is located south and east of the town of waxhaw, and an easy drive from Charlotte. It is a large park on both sid s of a large lake, beautifully maintained, clearly with a variety of family recreational activities that are surely heavily used in the high season. The park offers everything from day use, to car and rv camping, to hike in tent sites and wilderness group areas, to cabins. This review is for the hike in tent sites, which are large, well spaced, heavily wooded and private, with lake access for good fishing and paddling. There are restroom and shower facilities in walking distance, though not at the campsites themselves. This is a simpler and quieter camping opportunity than the drive in sites. In fact, no one else was in this section of the campground on this fine autumn day, yet the weather was beautiful and the setting so peaceful. I would recommend this campsite location for fall camping

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  peter

  Traveler

  May. 17, 2021

  John H. Moss Lake Campground

  Nice small campground

  Stayed 1 night at a tent site.  Had a hot shower and facilities were nice.  Each site has a ring for fire/grill/ picnic table.   

  Only has 3 tent sites.  I don' think tent campers can stay at the others.  I didn't see the tent pad that they had at my site and just pitched the tent on the ground.

  FYI you have to call up to make reservations.  I arrived late and they gave me the code to the bathrooms over the phone and the wifi password.  

  you could hear road noise at night but didn't bother me.