Best Equestrian Camping near Walnut Cove, NC

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.

I went back and forth on whether I should give this rating two stars or three. In the end, I chose three stars because the mountain itself is so amazing. Geologically this was great place to visit and the trails were well marked and maintained. Beautiful hike. The campground was beautiful but the facilities were run down and dirty. It had, by far, the nastiest park/campground facilities I’ve seen in Kentucky, North Carolina or Virginia this year. I know this park is mobbed on the weekends, but I checked in on a Tuesday and stayed for two nights. The facilities, including the campground bathhouse and the park’s “comfort stations” were dirty, smelly and had bugs in them. The trash in the bathhouse was not emptied in the two days I was there. There was not a single exterior light to the bathhouse, not even something as reasonable as a motion sensor light that would be more energy efficient than a constant lighting option.
Compared to New River State Park, despite the giant Stone Mountain, this was the bottom of the barrel.

Campground Review:

We stayed in Yurt#4 for 2 nights at Fairy Stone State Park, about a 4 hour drive from where we live. The Yurt overall was very clean and cozy. The outside of the Yurt looks like it needed a powerwashing, but that didn’t really affect us at all, just kind of unsightly. They have a nice large deck that is great for hanging out on while the kids were asleep. The inside of the Yurt has a full size bed with a twin sized trundle bed that rolls under the full. It also had some rocking chairs inside, a small table and chairs, and a couch. We ended up eating and hanging out inside the Yurt or on the deck most of the time. 

There are 4 Yurts to choose from. Two of them (Yurts#1 & 2) do not have a parking spot right in front of them, they are a short walk from a parking area, so I made sure to get one that did since we would be arriving after dark. The Yurt we stayed in was a little weird because the Fire Pit and Picnic table is behind and almost under the yurt, down a decently step slope and the yurt sits on stilts on the back side. The Yurt next to us#3 had the fire pit and table right up front next to the parking spot which would be better I think. I would try to get Yurt#3 next time! Overall Yurt camping is so fun! We have done it once before, and it is such a great mix between cabin and tent camping. You get the protection from the elements, a real bed to sleep in, and it’s quick to pack-up- but still a bit rustic since there’s no ac or electricity. 

There are hiking trails right across the street from the Yurt, which was awesome! The bathrooms and showers were fine and in close walking distance. They could probably use some updating but didn’t have any major issues with them. Overall the campground is pretty big and a bit of a maze getting around, we needed to use the park map a lot! Probably due to the park being so old there are a lot of old buildings not in use that are pretty cool. 

The park is big and there is lots to do! There is a beautiful lake for swimming Tons of hiking trails. They had a great playground for the kids nearby. They had a concert going on somewhere at the park so we had some beautiful orchestral music playing as we were winding down for bed one night. We saw lots of deer roaming around. Note that there is not great cell service in this area. 

The place to find the Fairy Stones are outside of the park, down the street a little bit beside a gas station. It was tricky knowing exactly what to look for, but once we found a few Fairy Stones, they were everywhere! So fun searching for them with the kids! 

It was such a fun trip, very peaceful, beautiful scenery everywhere!

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Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time - we tested out the Banner& Oak Men’s Nebo Hat– Olive  

The quality of this hat is great. Nice and thick but breathable fabric, durable construction. We’ve put this hat through the ringer so far with sweaty hikes, long beach and lake days, and everyday wear and tear and it has performed spectacularly. The adjustable snapback makes fitting easy. Has a nice shape, looks great! Love this hat’s patch with well-designed graphics and the neutral olive color– goes with everything. Will definitely purchase again! Also appreciate the fact that the hats are made in the USA! It is my husband’s new go-to daily hat and I think it will last for a long time.

Campground Review

As one of the best and biggest parks in my area, I've spent a good bit of time at Cedarock Park. There is SO much to do for any outdoor fan. The park is almost 500 acres in size and offers:

• 6 miles of hiking trails
• 6 miles of equestrian trails
• 2 disc golf courses with a total of 36 holes for play
• A historical farm restored to the late 1800s time period
• 2 fishing ponds
• A picturesque waterfall over an old mill dam
• Picnic shelters and gazebos
• A basketball court, volleyball court, and playground
• Canoe and kayak rentals
• And of course, camping

Cedarock Park offers a handful of sites along Rock Creek, which runs through the park. The sites are only available via hiking in (though the "hike" is a short quarter mile down a wooded forest path). Each site includes a fire pit and bench with ample space to set up tents. The sites are all super flat, which makes finding some place comfortable to set up a tent that much easier. Sites are $10/night for groups under 10 people in size and cost an additional $1 for each person over 10. Reservations are required (though they do accept walk-ins at the park office). You can reserve a site either by calling the park office or by going online. There is a 3 night limit for camping. Park hours are as follows:

• November - March: 8am to 6pm
• April: 8am to 8pm
• May - August: 8am to 9pm
• September - October: 8am to 8pm

Product Review

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to test and review products from time to time. At this campground, I tested OOFOS OOmg low shoes for women.

As someone with perpetually flat feet (due in part to being a swimmer most of my life and in part because I do everything in my Birkenstocks) it's always been hard for me to find a pair of shoes that I not only like but will actually wear. I can say with confidence that OOFOS OOmg shoes will be added to my very small list of shoes I love. Here's a few of the reasons why:

1. They are unbelievably comfortable. The footbed is made of a super soft foam that greatly reduces the stress on your feet, knees, and back from walking. The mesh material is flexible and breathable, making these so much less constricting than a regular shoe.
2. They are SUPER light weight while also being incredibly sturdy. I did a few miles of hiking in them and was amazed at how easy it was to move in these shoes.
3. They are actually really cute on. While this isn't normally a factor for me, I was pleasantly surprised by how cool they looked. They come in multiple colors (I ordered the electric blue) which I really liked (because who doesn't love options?)
4. They can be worn with or without socks. I wore them without socks and was amazed to have no blisters and pain anywhere after walking a few miles.

Overall I would recommend these shoes in a heartbeat. They're comfortable, breathable, and light weight, making them the perfect pair of shoes for outdoor lovers of any variety.

We stayed for one night only on our way to Dreher Island SP. We didn't get in until after 4 pm, but there was still enough daylight to see how pretty the campground was. We had site 60 for the night. We tow a 19' a-frame camper with a Toyota Tacoma and had lots of room on the pad. The pad was pretty level so set up was easy. The site also had a huge area for the picnic table and the fire ring is far away from your camper. There was a huge grassy area behind our site with a creek, lots of space for our dog. We were in campground B (electric) and the sites were decent. There wasn't a lot shade for us, but up in the tent area they were surrounded by trees and it looked like they all had tent pads, some better than others. The shower house was nice, clean, flush toilets, and good showers. By the shower house they also had an outside sink to wash your dishes. We didn't get to hike, but everyone said we should if we ever go back. It's on our list to visit again.