Looking for a place to camp near Whitsett with your horse? Finding a place to camp in North Carolina with your horse is easier than ever. With our help, you'll find the best North Carolina equestrian campsites from scenic to easily accessible.
This recreation area is part of B. Everett Jordan Lake
$10 / night
Sites are meant for tent/pop-up camping only. No RV or Trailer is accessible.
Located in Wake County 10 miles northwest of downtown Raleigh, William B. Umstead State Park is a cherished retreat from bustling urban life. The park features an extensive network of hiking and multiuse trails, as well as three manmade lakes and their tributaries that are perfect for fishing. Both park entrances offer picnic shelters, and Crabtree Creek offers camping areas. Group camps and the historic Maple Hill Lodge let visitors experience a rustic overnight experience without typical modern camping amenities.
$35 / night
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 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.
TravelerThe campground is very cramped and the owner is very unfriendly and was unwilling to work with me after I asked not to park my fifth wheel under a hickory tree that was rubbing the top of my recently recoated roof. She refused. Roughly 7weeks into my 13 week stay a large storm rolled through and a hickory nut busted the top of my ac unit on my roof and the nut broke the blades of my fan off. She refused to acknowledge the damage. I tried to compromise with taking the price of the service of the monthly payment. The owner refused then stated she was going to need the next month payment or she would have my fifth towed. She is very unreasonable and very rude
TravelerLoop 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.
GuideGreat place. Plenty of shade and view of Lake Jordan. Restrooms were clean.
Scout
Arrived late. Camp host was outside waiting for our arrival. Escorted to the camp site. zFHU and level. Nice roomy campground. Warm clean shower house. Nearly tame deer all over the place.
TravelerNice quiet campground in a large park. Deer roam theoughout the park and campground. Clean bath/shower. Easy check in with multiple host on site. All sites paved.
LegendLocated 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!
GuideThis is our local park so we're a bit spoiled. It was perfect for our first outing in our new 34' travel trailer. Plenty of shade in the campground which unfortunately makes backing a challenge in some sides dodging the trees. The park has great mountain biking, walking/hiking trails, horseback riding, gold, swimming, playgrounds and a great dog park. It's the place we go on the weekend as locals and a great place to visit for campers. Hosts were extremely friendly and do a fantastic job keeping the sides clean and cleared of even the smallest twigs and branches from the tree.
ScoutNice area and nice facilities
Traveler
Avoid site 6! There’s so many tree roots, it’s an awful tripping hazard around a fire pit with kids! There are only three spaces out sites, 18,19,21. These sites are 10x10 designate for your tent, and picnic table and fire ring. Some are very very close together. The trails are good, the bathrooms are clean and maintained. Firewood can be purchased for $6/bundle. Be aware this is right next to the airport, you will hear planes all day and most all night landing and taking off.
ScoutWe live down the road from this park. I noticed it came up when I was looking for camping options in the area for my RV. While it says the park offers RV spots on the Dyrt website, the park actually doesn’t.
RangerGreat place. Very clean, quite. Sites 32, 34, & 36 loop C are the best right on the water. There's an unofficial trail near site 32 that leads to a beach like area that people like to hang out at and dock boats. Although convenient for site 32 it also makes it less private.
GuideThe sites are private and large, bathrooms are clean and nice. We stayed in B loop, and beach access is close. Only downside is noise from the highway but it dies down around 10pm.
ScoutGreat location in town park. Full hookups and friendly hosts. Easy to get to and many services close by.
GuideGreat hosts, spacious spots, nearby dog park, loved staying here. The bath houses are a little dated but very clean. There is horse shoe, volleyball, soccer goals on the camp ground. I would stay here all the time if I could!
ScoutWe come here almost every year, and I love it!!!
TravelerBeautiful little park nestled into the woods! Our site (17) was on the opposite side of the real lake access and right across from the annual spots so we never really had too much privacy but most of the neighbors were very curteous and friendly. The 40s sites seem to be the best spots to get for a view or access to Lake activities. There are 3 parks which kiddo had a great time making friends at. The bathhouses were very clean-if a little spidery for me (eek!), and both in pretty convenient locations for everyone.
Scout
The campsites are alright minus the hike but the downside is they lock the gate at night and no one else is there so if you have an emergency or just need to leave you can’t, you’re literally stuck.
GuideLove this camping area! Really private sites, clean facilities, and nice lake access. My only con is that the showers are automatic sensors, so when you need the water to warm up, you just have to stand there and take it. If you step out of the way of the sensor, the water stops. But otherwise, great campground.
ScoutLocated close to nothing else, this campground was so peaceful at night. During the day, it’s beautiful. It’s got showers with hot water and accessible facilities. Great camping!
ScoutThis park was great for my family. We hiked down with our stuff and set up at campsite 4. We were the only ones there for the weekend and there was ample space for setting up. We used the fire pit and the kids played in the creek. While staying at the park we went on hikes, fished, and played disc golf. It was a great time! The only downside is the road noise at night - it was very loud. Next time we will bring something to help quiet the noise.
TravelerThis was our "shakedown" trip with our new RV. We found the campground to be very accommodating: 30A/50A electrical, and clean water. The lake was just steps away from our site. We went mid-week, so the campground was not completely filled. The bath house was clean and had plenty of room.
LegendIt’s not often that you see a state park in the heart of a metropolitan area. Although it’s not in the city limits, you are surrounded by cities. Without the noise of the neighboring international airport, it’s like any other natural area. However, camping in a tent means you will be hearing the sounds of jets all day long and throughout the night. Otherwise, it might have been a pleasant experience. This campground is in a state park that has a lot of trails, good areas for bicycling, and water sports such as swimming, canoeing, and fishing. When I was there, however, many of the facilities were closed. I did get a chance to take advantage of the trails, and they are relatively easy. Because of the pandemic, access to the bath house was limited in terms of hours. The sites are level and spacious, and they are not too close to other sites. It didn’t really matter when I went since there were very few campers. I can only imagine what it will be like when peak season starts, but as I said earlier, the sites are not on top of each other. The bath house was clean but only utilitarian. They could use updating. There is a place outside of the bath house to wash dishes, so you are encouraged to wash them there instead of dumping dishwater in the bath house or at your campsite. Overall, this campground is pretty good if you don’t mind the noise of the jets. If you want to experience total immersion into the wilderness and solitude, I would suggest a more remote camping area.
RangerWide spaces with lots of room under big shade trees. This campground is a muni but is is very well maintained. It is convenient to the highway, clean bathrooms and next door to a 4 mile paved exercise path with mountain bike trails in the middle.
GuideWe only stayed for 1 night as we were passing through, but we plan to return one day.
Positives are it’s a newer campground, nice and shaded, full hookups (w,e,s), lots were wide, Easy to get in and out of, plenty to do within the park (hiking, fishing, kayak/canoe, etc), has a nice dog park, hosts were very welcoming and kind, VERY clean.
Negatives are unlevel lots (we had to lower ours by over 4” and still weren’t level, but couldn’t adjust anymore), sites aren’t exactly private - but there was a bit of space between sites.
GuideIt was a great place to stay!!!! Can’t wait to go back!!!!
Horse camping in North Carolina offers a unique blend of outdoor adventure and equestrian-friendly amenities, making it a perfect getaway for horse lovers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Whitsett, NC?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Whitsett, NC is Crosswinds Campground — Jordan Lake State Recreation Area with a 4.5-star rating from 30 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Whitsett, NC?
TheDyrt.com has all 5 equestrian camping locations near Whitsett, NC, with real photos and reviews from campers.
