Best Campgrounds near Winnabow, NC

Short takes:

• Better to camp here during the cooler weather

• If you don’t have a yearly beach- access pass, it’s expensive

• Very crowded during warm weather

• Make sure to air-down.

• Don’t forget bug spray 

Camping here can be very hit-or-miss, depending on the time of year. I would recommend only during the cooler months. Feb-March, Sept-Nov. That’s about the only time you can hope to avoid a chaotic, party scene. 

I camped here in March and had a great time. Daytime beachgoers were mainly fishing, walking their dogs, shelling, etc. There were half a dozen other campers, everyone was friendly and quiet. 

My trip in late April didn’t go as well. The first morning I awoke to the sound of a dozen children from the site next to me playing in the surf, shrieking and screaming at 5:30 am. Saturday the beach was packed with day-trippers with a line of trucks parked at the crest of the beach from one end to the other. Constant vehicle traffic up and down the beach. Lots of young kids running around, not paying attention to their surroundings, people walking on the dunes. Many vehicles got stuck in the sand because they didn’t air down. Lots of competing, loud music. 

The next night, there was a family of 20+ people in the next site who warned us they were a loud group. At that point, we packed up and left. I wasn’t expecting that kind of scene until Memorial Day. 

Erosion continues to eat away at the beach and it probably won’t be long before camping is prohibited due to lack of room. The beach used to be much wider.

General: Small campground (20 Sites) around a circle with the bathhouse in the center. Although you can walk to the lake (about a half mile away), the sites are not lakefront. There is also a group campground.

Site Quality: Camper driveways are very generous in size and level. Sites are spaced far enough apart to provide reasonable privacy/separation. Sites vary. Two ADA-accessible sites have a concrete pad; most others have gravel pads, but two are just open grassy sites. Some are FHU, while some have no hookups. Some are pull-thru, and some are back-in. Each site has a fire ring, picnic table, and lantern hook. Most have a raised tent platform. 

Bath/Shower house: Very clean. Three showers, including one ADA-accessible one. The spray was not very strong, but the water was warm. 

Activities: In season, there is boating, canoeing, kayaking, swimming, and fishing, but we were there at the beginning of April, and the weather was in the 50s. We did the four-mile Bay Trail, which was really more of a walk and not a hike. The signage was good, and the trail weaved back and forth from the gravel road. We were disappointed that there were not many views of the lake (there are three overlooks, but access to them was restricted due to flooding). Due possibly to recent rains, the last mile of the trail (we went in a clockwise direction from the campground) was flooded in several places, making passage challenging. There is also a short one-mile Cedar Loop trail as well as a spur leading from the Bay Trail to Salters Lake. 

We chose this campground primarily because of its location - it was a good stopping point for us. In early April, even during spring break, only a handful of sites were occupied. I imagine it would be a much different story in the summer months.

This campground is an excellent place for young family campers. All the activities are set up for younger family entertainment. All businesses in the immediate surrounding areas are set up for the same young families.

This is a great place to stop at for a short time if you are a single person or an older couple that enjoys a very busy campground. The campground is maintained. The office staff are very courteous and nice. There are a couple of bath houses at the camping areas and a laundry center. Both the bathhouses we’re updated, but not very clean. I stayed 2 1/2 weeks and it was only cleaned properly a couple times.

If you fish, the area is not very fish friendly. If you have a boat, bring it. You might have a better chance of success. Most of the lakes in the area are very acidic and it is challenging to catch limited fish.

All in all, this is a great campground. This was just a bit too busy for me.

We were here in December, the place was quiet. These sites are on top of each other and I don’t know that I’d use this campground during high season … and the doggie area was right behind us.. full summer heat would probably be a bit smelly for me… but … we had a site with no neighbors, and nearly no dogs while here so it was quiet, the cg is clean and the bathrooms are exceptionally clean and heated. All the amenities were in nice condition so if don’t mind tight neighbors during high season… and you’re a dog lover this is a great value and camp ground. If you’re not so keen on tight neighbors or dogs … I’d recommend off season stays. All in all a great campground.