Top Tent Camping near Spring Lake, NC

If you're looking for a place to pitch your tent near Spring Lake, look no further. The Dyrt can help you find the best tent campsites for your next trip. Whether you're looking for a quiet, dispersed site or an established camgpround with amenities, The Dyrt makes it easy to find the perfect place to pitch your tent.

Best Tent Sites Near Spring Lake, NC (4)

    Camper-submitted photo from Chalk Banks - Lumber River State Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Chalk Banks - Lumber River State Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Chalk Banks - Lumber River State Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Chalk Banks - Lumber River State Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Chalk Banks - Lumber River State Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Chalk Banks - Lumber River State Park

    1. Chalk Banks - Lumber River State Park

    10 Reviews
    29 Photos
    67 Saves
    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • ADA Access
    • Tents

    $12 / night

    Camper-submitted photo from San Lee Park
    Camper-submitted photo from San Lee Park
    Camper-submitted photo from San Lee Park
    Camper-submitted photo from San Lee Park
    Camper-submitted photo from San Lee Park
    Camper-submitted photo from San Lee Park

    2. San Lee Park

    3 Reviews
    13 Photos
    31 Saves

    Campsite rentals are available during park operational hours. A driver’s license or similar identification is required for registration. Sites are available on a first come, first serve basis. Reservations are not taken. For additional information, please call 919-776-6221 Ext. 4. Program Date: April – October Exceptions for weather & burning bans Fee: $15.00 per night Register: At park office during park hours Must be 18 years or older or accompanied by an adult Tent Camping The park provides tent sites, tables, charcoal grills, water, and a shower house. Campsites are located in a private section of the park close to the lake.

    • Pets
    • Phone Service
    • Tents
    • Trash
    • Picnic Table
    • Drinking Water

    $15 / night

    • No image available

      3. Owl Creek Horse Camp - Bankhead NF

      Be the first to review!
      1 Save

      The Owl Creek Horse Camp provides primitive overnight campsites for trail riders on a first come, first serve basis. The Owl Creek Trail System is approximately 26 miles and suitable for equestrian riding.

      • Tents
      • Equestrian
      • Drinking Water
      • Toilets

      $5 / night

      • No image available

        4. Family Wilderness Camp — Raven Rock State Park

        Be the first to review!

        At the Family Wilderness Camp, there are five campsites just off of the Campbell Creek Loop Trail, approximately 2.5 miles from the parking lot and 0.5 mile from the river. The maximum number of campers for each site is six.

        Backpackers can also utilize the canoe camp, located beside the river off of the Little Creek Loop Trail, in a low-lying area. The camping area is a 1.7-mile hike in from the park office. There are six campsites, each accommodating up to six campers.

        All supplies, including water, must be packed to the sites. Neither the Family Wildness nor Canoe Camp is accessible by vehicle.

        Both camping areas offer a vault toilet, and all sites include a fire ring with a grill.

        • Pets
        • Fires
        • Reservable
        • Tents
        • Drinking Water
        • Toilets

        $12 / night


      Recent Tent Reviews In Spring Lake

      245 Reviews of 4 Spring Lake Campgrounds


      • Greg B.
        Camper-submitted photo from Smith Lake Army RV Park
        Jul. 30, 2024

        Smith Lake Army RV Park

        Army Travel Camp, Quite and Beautiful

        Camp Ground is quiet and well laid out. Facilitaies are clean and maintained. Lake was open and fun to play in.

        Camp ground is next to airfield, you might get Helicopter nosies from time to time.

      • Amanda A.
        Camper-submitted photo from North Carolina State Fairgrounds
        Jul. 7, 2024

        North Carolina State Fairgrounds

        It’s perfect for basic

        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.

      • DThe Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from Moccasin Branch Campground — Raven Rock State Park
        Jul. 2, 2024

        Moccasin Branch Campground — Raven Rock State Park

        Awesome State Park

        The state park has excellent hiking trails and the RV park is located in an excellent location to use them.

        The sites are huge, level, and clean. The bathhouse is clean and modern. While there aren’t many recreational amenities besides the hiking, the price makes this park an excellent value.

      • JThe Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from North Carolina State Fairgrounds
        May. 30, 2024

        North Carolina State Fairgrounds

        Good for a quick stop

        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.

      • Bobbie S.
        Camper-submitted photo from Camp Clearwater
        May. 24, 2024

        Camp Clearwater

        Busy Campground

        This is a very large campground with mostly full-time people. Nice laundry facilities, decent sized transient sites, beautiful beach and piers. It was "off-season" but the weekends were quite busy. There is a 5mph campground rule that most definitely is NOT followed. Kids and adults drive golf carts like it's the Indy 500. Was a nice stay, but probably won't go back.

      • PThe Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from Crosswinds Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
        Mar. 11, 2024

        Crosswinds Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

        Awesome State Park

        This was our very first full-time RV park. We loved being in the park and it easily accommodated our 39ft. Class A. Back-in site but with plenty of room to do so. Each site has water and electric hook-up. Sewer however is a dump station. The sites are big with a picnic table, fire pit and lantern hook. Plenty to do here with the lake at your fingertips. Great first experience.

      • M
        Camper-submitted photo from Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
        Feb. 18, 2024

        Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

        Lakeside North Carolina state park campground.

        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.

      • RThe Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from Moccasin Branch Campground — Raven Rock State Park
        Jan. 22, 2024

        Moccasin Branch Campground — Raven Rock State Park

        Clean and quite!

        This is our favorite campground in the area. It is clean and quite with easy back in sites. The bathhouse is well maintained as is the camp road. We have stayed here during all four seasons and there isn't a bad time to stay. I can't say enough good things about this campground

      • Paul R.The Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from Crosswinds Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
        Dec. 19, 2023

        Crosswinds Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

        A great site!

        Loop C site 19 is a great location. It’s flat with a few good locations off the gravel for tents. Good trees for hammocks are present. There’s no other site within a couple hundred yards to the east. East access to the lake shore and plenty of woods for kids to play in. The bathhouse is a short walk away.

      • B
        Camper-submitted photo from Canoe Camp — Raven Rock State Park
        Nov. 29, 2023

        Canoe Camp — Raven Rock State Park

        Great spot for a night or two

        I’ve camped here twice now. The hike in and out is very easy. Only about 2 miles each way. The spots are clean and well spread out with a hook to hang things on, a fire pit, and a picnic table at each site. The pit toilet is central to all 6 sites. It’s a pit toilet so it’s nothing glamorous but it’s there if you need it. The river is a short walk away from all the sites if you want to get a great picture with the sunrise. Overall, I definitely recommend.

      • Karah S.
        Camper-submitted photo from San Lee Park
        Oct. 21, 2023

        San Lee Park

        Difficult

        We are from out of town. We picked this spot because it was a last minute trip and on their website it advertised they had first come first serve spots open. We drive over there see a completely empty campground and think we won’t have any issue getting a spot. And when I say empty I mean there was quit literally no other campers . So we tried to check in, but there is no place to check in. So we went to the nature center and asked around to try to get some help. We had to wait for some other man to come around because no one else who worked there could help us. After finally tracking this man down at the paddle boats and an hour of back and forth, we were told you have to call and make a reservation but we shouldn’t have a problem getting a spot since it’s empty. After calling and only getting voicemails, we found the man again who called his boss. His boss finally answered and said we can only camp there by making reservations 72 hours ahead of time. Probably the most difficulty I’ve ever had trying to get a camp site.

      • E
        Camper-submitted photo from Legacy Farms Roughing It
        Sep. 30, 2023

        Legacy Farms Roughing It

        Beautiful small farm

        Beautiful Arabian horses. Also goats, ducks, turkeys, chickens, roosters, Guineas, etc.. Cats and dogs add to the fun. Tom and his wife are great hosts. I set up a small tent on the lawn, and the fall weather was perfect. Would have stayed longer, but I had to hit the road.

      • R
        Camper-submitted photo from Moonshine Creek Campground
        Aug. 13, 2023

        Moonshine Creek Campground

        Peaceful!

        This was our 3rd time staying here. This park has a wonderful creek running through the middle of it and most short-term sites back up to it. There are also a couple of camping cabins and some tent sites. The campground road is sort of narrow and the sites can be a little tight, making it awkward to back in if you have a large TV and full-size camper - but once you’re in it’s all good. The creek and nice natural landscaping of the park are very worth it. The owners have done a fantastic job over the years with this piece of property, keeping that mountain forest feeling and just tweaking nature a little. No pool and no playground, but there are spots to get into the creek. Good clean bathhouse with newer washers/dryers and a covered porch where you can hang out waiting for your laundry (or just hang out, period). A good contingent of spots that are booked for the season and plenty of weekend campers like us. It’s a good balance. No full-timers, as the park is closed during the winter. The campground is conveniently located between Sylva and Waynesville and very close to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Surprisingly good cell reception for being in the mountains and having lots of tree cover. Got 1-3 bars ATT depending on where I was within the campground, and we had no issues using our TMobile hotspot to stream videos/tv. They do have wifi at the camp office but we didn’t need to use it.

      • RThe Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from North Carolina State Fairgrounds
        Jul. 29, 2023

        North Carolina State Fairgrounds

        Over-Priced Parking lot !

        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!

      • Andrew S.
        Camper-submitted photo from Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
        Jul. 8, 2023

        Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

        Awesome RV spots

        Amazing spots for RVs on the water! There are TONS of spots that are right on the lake yet have plenty of trees for privacy. Each has a nice fire pit/grill and picnic table. Dump stations are not far from any of the circles, and were not too busy (we were even there on 4th of July). There are options for boat or jet ski rentals VERY close. For those that care about working on laptop or streaming TV while camping, our cellphone hotspots worked great. We got anywhere from 30-55mbps with our Verizon cell coverage. There are tons of small beaches that you can walk or boat to that are secluded enough to allow your dog to run freely. Also, Idk how....but we had VERY few bugs at our site the whole week we were there...lol. I can not speak for the restrooms (which seem to get bad reviews), as we only used the one in our RV. We loved this place and will definitely be back.

      • Stuart K.The Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from Crosswinds Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
        Jul. 1, 2023

        Crosswinds Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

        Lake Jordan Campground Bliss

        Located just 30 miles west of Raleigh, Jordan Lake provides 7 different access points throughout this amazing natural preserve.  And while I’m not a kitesurfer or windsurfer, I’m positive that this campground was named for the pretty amazing headwinds that are enjoyed coming off Falls Lake, which Crosswinds Campground @ Jordan Lake SRA sits on. Take my word for it though, this outdoor nature preserve is truly a slice of heaven carved out in some of North Carolina’s finest camping countryside. If you find yourself in the hustle and bustle of nearby Raleigh and looking to get away from the crowds and pavement in exchange for some nicely shaded nature, hiking trails and humble peace & quiet that only God's green nature can offer, then make your way here to Crosswinds Campground, where this heavily wooded forest paradise will embrace you with its inclines, switchbacks and snakelike, swerving road circuits. 

        All of the basics are provided in spades – from picnic table, fold-up fire ring / BBQ grill, bear-proof garbage hanger and a nice pebble-strewn and long-leaf pine shadowed patch of well-maintained nature that offers pristine shade from an unrelenting bit of summer Tar Heel sunshine. While there’s a suitable amount of brush between campsites, surprisingly, it’s the steep inclines and declines between each site that makes one feel that they are truly in the center of their own private wilderness. The on-site bathroom & shower facilities are just slightly north of passable and only a smidge better than you’d expect from a state-run campground, and so this campground gets its only mediocre marks on this front. But that said, 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, but the best amenity on this property is the access to Lake Jordan itself, where there is a perfectly sectioned off swimming area – complete with life safety vests resting on hooks near the shore - as well as boat launching areas for those that want to fish or simply drop a kayak or canoe in the water and take enjoy a lakeside cruise. 

        Insider’s tips? Here's a bundle: (1) 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!; (2) While IMHO there are no bad sites per se here, certainly there are some that are better than others, amongst which, I would highly recommend those that are closer to the tree fall lines as well as those that place you closest to either lakeside or lake view.  With 3 loops to choose from (A, B & C), I recommend the following sites: Loop A - #18-19; #21-22; and #44-47; Loop B - #33, #36, #37, #39, #40,#43; Loop C - #19, #21, #23, #24, #26, #32, #34, #36, #40, #42; (3) If you have a boat, you may want to consider calling ahead of time, while you are reserving your campsite and reserve a boat slip - we just thought that they would be readily available, but as it turns out, there's quite a few daytime boaters that don't camp here and are simply looking for a slip to occupy for the day, so plan ahead!; (4) SUPER INSIDER SECRET: there's a little pathway next to site #32 that will lead you to a hidden beachhead where all the cool kids hang out and party; (5) The showers are pretty annoying in that they are regulated by body movement - so as a hack, we applied duct tape and VOILA! the hot water stayed on the whole time! (but remove when you are done or the water won't stop running!); and (6) When you grow tired or anxious after digging through what remains of your Cordova cooler and / or want to sample some local fare, be prepared to drive a short distance (20 minutes or so) back to Apex, where I would recommend The Peak on Salem that serves up some pretty mean Caribbean conch & shrimp fritters as well as some very nice seafood entrees like NC clam bucatini or sweet tea ginger whiskey braised beef short rib.

        Happy Camping!

      • J
        Camper-submitted photo from Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
        May. 20, 2023

        Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

        Waterfront Camping

        Spent one night camping at Jordan Lake. The site was plenty big for two cars and two tents in addition to a mosquito net over the picnic table. Best part was the waterfront access and we were able to tie our boat up to a tree overnight. Only complaint was the bathrooms/showers. They were completely covered with dead mosquitos. Overall, great value and I would highly suggest booking in advance since waterfront sites book up quick.

      • Cindy A.The Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from Sycamore Lodge
        May. 10, 2023

        Sycamore Lodge

        Joined TRA don't regret it

        Sycamore Lodge is close to home, 1 1/2 hrs drive time, not bad.

        Happy with this place, it is clean, friendly and mostly quiet.  Close to Pinehurst and Southern Pines with great restaurants, etc.

      • A
        Camper-submitted photo from Cedar Creek Campground at Elease
        Apr. 20, 2023

        Cedar Creek Campground at Elease

        Perfect rural camping spot!

        Beautiful, peaceful location, rural yet easy to find. Fire pits and picnic tables for every site. Mike is extremely friendly, very experienced with camping and RV life and always goes above and beyond to give you a calm and memorable stay. Great eggs!

      • J
        Camper-submitted photo from Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area
        Apr. 5, 2023

        Poplar Point Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area

        Lake access at Campsite

        We’ve stayed here for 4 nights, couldn’t be happier. The sites are private enough and many have lake access (ours does) right from the campsite. It’s very peaceful, friendly people, lots of fun. We fished for hours, kayaked on the lake and the kids caught minnows. Lots of wild life to watch (turtles, fish, birds and more). Beautiful well kept, clean and private.

      • SThe Dyrt PRO User
        Camper-submitted photo from Moonshine Creek Campground
        Mar. 13, 2023

        Moonshine Creek Campground

        Beautiful park nestled in the Smoky Mountains!

        We spent the month of October watching the leaves change. The owners were so nice and helpful. We camped with our patio hanging out over the creek. It was fantastic. We loved it so much that we are going back next summer for three months. This is a wonderful place, above 3000 ft convenient to the Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville, Waynesville, Cherokee Casino.



      Guide to Spring Lake

      Camping near Spring Lake, North Carolina, offers a great mix of outdoor fun and relaxation. With several campgrounds nearby, you can find the perfect spot to enjoy nature, whether you're in a tent or an RV.

      What to do:

      What campers like:

      What you should know:

      Tips for camping with families:

      Tips from RVers:

      • Check site sizes: Make sure your RV fits the site dimensions. A reviewer at North Carolina State Fairgrounds mentioned, "The sites are level, not much shade," which is important for RV parking.
      • Look for full hookups: Campgrounds like Lazy Acres Camp Ground offer full hookups, which can make your stay more comfortable. A visitor said, "The RV campground is well spaced and has full hookup."
      • Be prepared for noise: Some RV spots are near busy areas. A camper at William B. Umstead State Park Campground noted, "You will hear planes all day and most all night," so consider that when choosing your site.

      Camping near Spring Lake, North Carolina, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Whether you’re looking for a peaceful retreat or an action-packed weekend, you’ll find a spot that fits your needs.

      Frequently Asked Questions

      • Which is the most popular tent campsite near Spring Lake, NC?

        According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Spring Lake, NC is Chalk Banks - Lumber River State Park with a 4.5-star rating from 10 reviews.

      • What is the best site to find tent camping near Spring Lake, NC?

        TheDyrt.com has all 4 tent camping locations near Spring Lake, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.