Looking for an adventure where you can explore Uwharrie National Forest and then fall asleep in your tent? You can find tent campsites by type, including drive-in, walk-in, and even hike-in for a backpacking adventure. From remote to easy-to-reach, these Uwharrie National Forest campsites are perfect for tent campers.
Uwharrie Hunt Camp has eight sites for tent camping. Each site has a table, grill, lantern posts, and tent pad. Two vault toilets are provided in the campground. There are also 2 drinking water spigots available. Opportunities for hiking, boating, fishing, swimming, hunting, OHV trail use and picnicking are available within a short drive. Country stores are located in the nearby communities of Uwharrie and Eldorado.
$10 - $30 / night
Lake Tillery is a reservoir between Badin Lake and Blewett Falls Lake in the Uwharrie Lakes Region of North Carolina. Its 117.8 miles of beautiful shoreline is entirely within Stanly County and Montgomery County, NC. The lake was created by impounding the Pee Dee River, which is created by the confluence of the Yadkin River and the Uwharrie River several miles to the north. Norwood, NC in neighboring Stanly County uses as its town motto "Gateway to Lake Tillery". source for dining, entertainment, and lodging.
$35 - $65 / night
Spacious Campsites: Sandhills Campground B features a variety of spacious campsites that cater to both tent campers and RV enthusiasts. Fire Rings and Picnic Tables: Each campsite is equipped with a fire ring for those cozy campfire nights and a picnic table for family meals al fresco. Restroom Facilities: Clean and accessible restroom facilities ensure a comfortable stay for all guests. Pet-Friendly Options: Bring your furry friends along! The campground has designated pet-friendly areas.
Amenities
Water Access: The campground is near a tranquil body of water, perfect for fishing or swimming on hot summer days.
Hiking Trails: Explore the beautiful hiking trails that lead through the picturesque landscapes of the Sandhills region.
Wildlife Viewing: With a rich diversity of flora and fauna, keep your eyes peeled for local wildlife. Bird watchers will especially enjoy
Traveler
We really liked this campground we had a double site that was huge it was minutes from uwharrie national forest and badin lake. We'll defiantly go back.
Traveler
This park is close to our home, very affordable and was an excellent place to take my wife for her first tent camping experience. The tent sites were nice. I would scout ahead if possible because some are nicer than others. We stayed in site #7. The tent pad was level but ground around the area was mostly sloped. Was very close to the bath house. Bath house was ok. Wife said women's side was nice and clean. The men's side was a little outdated and could have had a few less spiders but wasn't terrible. There was a newer bath house a little further away from our site that seemed a little nicer. Campground was full but because there a limited sites it wasn't too crowded. Overall was a great weekend getaway with my family and friends. We will most likely go back at some point.
Scout
Plentiful campsites, we arrived on a Friday without a reservation and were able to get a spot. There is a swimming pool, but we didn't swim. Some hikes nearby, but far from the swimming spots in the Uwharrie National Forest. No bathrooms near the campsites, but there were spigots with potable water. The tent pads were even and well packed. All sites had a picnic bench and a fire pit with a grate.
Legend
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.
GuideA great historic piece of Central NC. Plenary of water activities, hiking, and sightseeing in the area. Nestled up to the Uwharrie National Forest and Albemarle. Plenary of camp sites and home to a Native American mining operation. Within a short drive there is Town Creek Indian Mound that you can visit as well. Badin Lake is nearby as well.
Scout
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!
Traveler
This is an excellent campground! It’s really woodsy and the creek is fabulous. Nice laundry facilities. Especially nice are the tent sites. They seem to have some of the most scenic spots. The Sanctuary area is awesome and the tent sites are right on the creek. It is for those with no pets or kids and is limited to 2 people per site. It’s a quiet zone. There is one tent cabin and 4 tent sites with water and electric. You CAN park at your sites. We weren’t sure before if it was a walk in area. The bathhouse for this area has two toilets and two showers.Each is completely private. There are outlets and sinks in all four. There is also a very nice sink and counter on the end for dishwashing. It’s all in excellent condition. Very nice picnic tables too. They were easy to wipe off. Sites S1-3 have an awning/ shelter. S4 does not but is much larger. S4 is higher up so you look down on the creek. It is more off by itself. S1 even has access to a 2nd picnic table close to the creek. It is the smallest as far as tent space. We would love to visit again!
GuideWe 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.
Guide
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.
TravelerWe spent 2 nights here with our Storyteller Mode LT RV nestled in the Uwharrie National Forest. The campsites do not offer a view of the water of Badin Lake, but it is nearby with a drive or hike. Many sites are available with electric hook-up, and drinking water is available at nearby locations. Many of the sites are not very level so choose carefully. The campground is very quiet and clean. The drive-in offers beautiful rolling countryside with low foothills. Nearby we took advantage of an off-road driver training course with OEX, Overland Experts.
TravelerI 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
LegendUwharrie National Forest-Arrowhead Campground
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=48934
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE\_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5368418.pdf
Uwharrie National Forest is fairly vast, but several camping areas are located in one general area. Equestrian campgrounds, hunting camps and then Arrowhead and Badin Lake campgrounds, along with the boat launch area. Arrowhead Campground has had a bigger budget compared to its lesser sibling Badin Lake Campground.
Campground roadways are paved, as well as the campsite parking pads, The restrooms are newer, larger and offer paved parking for users.
Sites are reasonably large and offer a picnic table, firepit, charcoal grill and metal hanging pole for lanterns, etc. some foliage exists between Campsites, but you still have a visual of your neighbors.
It appeared during my visit that most users were off-roaders with either 4x4’s or quads. The onsite host advised that it is very popular with the off-road enthusiasts. Enclosed and flatbed trailers filled most of the sites.
Caution: During hunting season, the National Forest is open to hunters...wear brightly colored or hunter orange clothing especially dawn and dusk.
Reserve well in advance if you desire a site...these campgrounds fill quickly.
Arrowhead also offers an inner-campground paved walk/bike/stroller trail...and the drive down to the boat launch(which has a fairly sizable paved parking lot and latrines). You can also pick up the lake loop trail by the Boat Ramp.
Being located so closely to the Raleigh/Durham area...and the Fayettville area...I can see this being filled to capacity most days and definitely weekends. Mid-week it was filled.
Traveler
I stayed at tent site #10 for 3 nights. This site along with sites 8 and 9 have electric so I was able to run an extension cord into my tent. This site has gorgeous views of the lake and seems to share a grill with #11. There are trees perfect for a hammock. There is no fire ring but I brought my own raised fire pit. I was told I’d probably need to drive to the bathrooms but there is a path through the woods into section A. There is no potable water on tent sites and I had to walk to a vacant rv site to get water for washing dishes. The wifi is hit or miss at this site but it’s there. My cell coverage was good so I mostly isdd my hot spot.
I want to emphasize that you so need to check in by 7:30 but after that you get a gate code to use coming in late or leaving early.
ScoutWe tent camped on Aug 28. This was our first time setting up on a platform and it was very easy. Our site had a great view of the beautiful lake. There was a pool our kids could swim in until 7:00pm. They let us borrow a metal fire pit so we could make s’mores. The restrooms and showers were very clean.
Guide
Very close to my home. I hike in to the remote campsite on the lake. Lots of fishermen and trash since the scum can’t seem to pick up after themselves. The cabins here are also great. Clean and nice location. I would suggest the overlook cabin. I generally tent camp and the Point, not many know of this location as it’s a decent hike in. Great place.
ScoutPros: • 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.
Scout**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. **
GuideIf 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!!
GuideWe 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!
GuideIt’s the quietest stay we’ve had yet, and we go camping nearly every weekend. I will say, having the ADA tent site makes a huge difference. The regular tent “loop” is just one big open field with few trees around it, so there’s absolutely no privacy. If you end up with someone who want to be rowdy, you are in for a long night.
The gates close at 5pm during the fall/winter. Slightly around that time, the retired police chief came around to introduce himself and give me his cell number. He is just up the street and was kind to offer this for extra safety.
No showers, which we didn’t know until after we got here, saw the one bathroom, and realized there was not a shower. There is an outdoor shower.
The water at our site is not working which is a bummer but we can use the water at the outside shower. It’s non-potable but we have a filter and boil it before using it.
It’s nice to have a little store (in the office) to grab bait, snacks, or other goodies.
TravelerThis 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.
LegendUwharrie National Forest-Badin Lake Campground, New London, NC.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/nfsnc/recarea/?recid=48934
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE\_DOCUMENTS/stelprdb5368418.pdf
Campground Overview: 34 sites, two loops...upper loop and lakeside loop. Relatively large sites with vegetation that blocks constant view of neighbors.
Each site has a gravel parking pad and separate gravel tent pad, a standing charcoal grill, firepit with adjustable grate, a picnic table and a metal pole for hanging lanterns, etc. I would advise securing online reservations, but they do have an Iron Ranger to drop your payment in should you find an empty site. Note: There are warnings that online reservations take precedence, so if you use the Iron Ranger payment drop chute and someone reserved the same campsite...you will be required to move to a different location when the online reservation campers arrive. Just so you know.
No electric.
Oddly, no firewood for sale...although scrounging produced plenty of things and fallen branches to keep a fire going.
I preferred the lower loop as nearly every outer site was on the lake with great views and lake access and sites are spread out. The inside sites of the lower loop are pretty spacious and deep. Water spigots were spaced out around the loop, so a short walk as we were equal distance between two.
Restroom/showerhouses were quad door buildings. Separate men’s and women’s restrooms and two separate shower rooms. Facilities were kept clean and stocked by resident hosts.
With Verizon, I never lost signal...a plus for a National Forest!
The upper loop appeared to offer a little more solitude than the lower lake loop...but no lake views.
The lake loop trail crosses the main campground roadway between the two loops. This trail is relatively flat and meanders around the lake and it’s many fingers...offering lovely lake views and some nice fishing locations.
During my midweek visit it was quiet day and night. The sunset across the lake was gorgeous and relaxing. Loud powerboat noise was minimal as only a couple bass boats thought it essential to travel at high speeds from location to location. Next visit my canoe and mountain one will accompany me.
What I enjoyed: as much as I dislike tree rats, I was entertained by two feuding squirrels that chased each other relentlessly and knocking each other out of tree tops. Woodpecker and Turkey wake up calls.
For a National Forest, I was surprised by the level of daytime industrial noise nearby.
Overall, a fantastic location relatively close to Raleigh/Durham and Fayetteville for a great camping getaway. I was only able to stay one night as the campground was booked, all reserved in advance. So plan ahead.
Traveler
We reserved a 30amp site monies were paid even though it’s first come first serve on location. We arrive and get our envelope to go to our camp site and it was a 50 amp site. We saw 110 outlets and thought ok no biggie….. there was no power to this campsite at all. We call the ranger no answer (we had been told she was sick) we call the 800 number and get a number to a ranger in florida who says they’ll get the right person and have them come help…. 20 minutes later no person no call so I call again he says oh they gave you the wrong number I can’t help you…. Would have been nice if he had called back to let me know. So call the 800 number again and the lady tells me oh that’s no good, drive around and see if you can find another spot….this place was packed…. So it’s almost 8 at this time and she says oh I have to go it’s almost time for us to close and when I ask her what do I do about power…. She tells me it’s between me and the campground…. If I hadn’t of had a long extension cord that I could reach a tent site with we would have been in trouble the low was 30 for that night the next morning the ranger came by and this sweet lil 77 year old lady tried to help us move we told her we had drug an extension cord across could we just stay at the site at this point cause no one wants to move around like that while camping…. We went down to shower and the bathrooms were disgusting, toilets and the walls covered in feces, putt putt course appeared to be covered in sticks and tons of leaves…… this was just a terrible experience for us it was more like a white trash camp ground in the part we stayed at….. people with all kinds of junk outside of their permanent homes…. This was not anything like camping for us at all
LegendOak Hollow Campground is located in High Point NC. It is immediately off the highway and just a couple turns through neighborhoods and you arrive at the campground. You turn left off the main road, across from the golf course and pass by both the tennis center and the gazebo with the covered picnic tables. You can hear both the highway and neighborhood traffic from the campground.
When we pulled up, the first thing we noticed was the campground sign, with the electric gate with a key code. We also were immediately greeted by a man on a golf-cart - which made us feel like they take care of who is in and out of their campground.
Pulling in, all registration and fees can be paid in the little brown building on the right. There were many signs on the door giving us all the info we needed, seeing as the attendant was out.
We pulled through loop A and could hear music - we guessed from the lake, but soon realized it was from a house in the nearby neighborhood. Several of the sites in loop A were crooked, but an RV could level acceptably.
Loop B was an RV loop - consisting primarily of a gravel parkinglot and RV's stacked one after the other. The lake was an easy walk from this loop - and also had a gazebo with picnic tables underneath and 2 swings, doggie pick up stations, recycling and trashcans.
Loop C was the tent sites - many with interesting platforms that gave us a good view of the lake. This view came at a price though - the sites were just off the road - meaning 4 or 5 feet from the road. We parked strategically so the kids would always be between our van and our site - but there was no room for exploration on their own.
Continuing on down the road, we came to Loop D which was another RV parking lot. There was a semi-permanent gate separating the neighborhood from this parking lot - but people could easily walk in and out in this area.
There was coin laundry, vending machines and a sink for washing dishes at the bathhouse. Toilets, showers and changing areas were provided inside and a fenced in pool just behind the bathhouse.
This is not a campground we would frequent - but I could imagine people staying here if visiting from out of town or if they needed to crash for a night. The views were beautiful down by the lake - but it was clear we were in suburbia.
ScoutWe stayed at this rv campground while visiting the many things to see and do in Greensboro North Carolina. visitgreensboronc.com
The rv sites are all pull thru nearly level, big gravel sites. We had plenty of room for ort 45' plus toad. There is a nice large K9 park. Playground. The best WIFI we have experienced and many free antenna tv channels. The restrooms and laundry were both neat and clean. The hosts were wonderfully friendly and knowledgeable. Will return for a longer stay.
Guide
We made a mistake. My wife and I are moving to North Carolina, and we were looking for a place to stay for a month in the Asheboro area. I checked around and Deep River was the only local campground with long-term sites available, so I made the reservation. The owner, Scott, was very helpful throughout the reservation process and we thought we were going to have a good experience.
When we showed up, Scott met us at the office and he took us to the "most level site" he had available. I was a little concerned from the start because the sewer pipe was sitting at a 45 degree angle and it was half buried in the ground. I had to help dig out the pipe and when I looked inside I noticed the connection was broken and any drainage would have leached directly into the ground. Additionally, the sewer connection was more than 40 feet from the center of the site and I only carry 30 feet of line, so we had to back way up in order to hook-up. Unfortunately, that meant that our primary slide was within 3 feet of a giant pine tree so there was barely enough room to open it. Another problem with being so far back in the site was how unlevel the camper was. It took a while for me to get the trailer unhitched and by the time I had it nearly level, I had used all of my blocks and the jack was extended to the maximum height. Needless to say, I did not feel very comfortable with the arrangement and I was really starting to question whether or not to stay.
Then I started looking around at the site and there was trash everywhere with broken pieces of metal and half chewed dog bones strewn about. I looked at my wife and I could tell she was not happy. So I got on my phone, called another campground and made reservations. Scott was understanding, he tried to talk us into trying another site but by that time we had decided to move on. I will give Scott credit, he didn't charge us a cancellation fee, so that was good.
A quick note, the WiFi was limited to close to the office and we would have had to pay Spectrum for a monthly internet connection. Also, Verizon cell coverage was weak.
ScoutWe 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.
Tent camping near Uwharrie National Forest in North Carolina offers a blend of natural beauty and outdoor adventure, making it a perfect getaway for nature enthusiasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Uwharrie National Forest is Deep Water Trail Camp with a 4.5-star rating from 8 reviews.
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