Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Winston-Salem, NC

Campground Review:  

Pilot Mountain campground is a smaller loop campground with 2 bathhouses (toilets and showers - with FREE hot water!).  Located not far from Winston Salem NC, Pilot Mountain has great hiking and beautiful views from the top.  We enjoy hiking, camping and enjoying the views, while others enjoy bouldering, rock climbing and mountain biking  - an outdoor adventure for all people!  

We camped at site #5 this time - on the inside of the loop, though we usually prefer perimeter sites.  We were excited to get out there and hike in the morning before it was too hot.  This campground is sloped, with rolling hills, which makes for a nice loop to walk dogs etc.  Our tent pad was perfectly flat, and dry and we slept with no fly - which made for a gorgeous morning sunrise!  

Our tent pad was also much lower than our campfire, which meant we could lay IN our sleeping bags and look out at the fire - which was awesome!  We did check out some other sites for next time - as we prefer flatter sites where we can walk more easily at night without tripping (so often) over rocks.   We also saw deer early in the morning!

We hiked to the top on the Grindstone Trail (about 2 miles) to the top and enjoyed an early morning view of the surrounding communities.  

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time.  Today I am reviewing Eclipse Sunshirts ( https://eclipseglove.com/collections/all-eclipse-sun-products).  I often dress my kids in long sleeve hiking shirts to protect their skin and was excited to try a unique sun shirt that I could wear - that wasn't skin tight!  I tested the Equinox hoodie and was pleasantly surprised with the results.  I was hesitant that their products were one size fits all - but we have a medium, large and an XL in our family and we all wore the shirt and one point or another and  LOVED it!  (See how it fits us all in the pictures below!) 

The design is like a large sweatshirt - only their are holes under your arms and on your sides to allow circulation (and a little breeze!).  I especially liked the shirt when we were at the top of Pilot Mountain because there is limited shade, depending where you are standing.  I could see this shirt being useful on other hikes when we hike on balds and cross many peaks.  

This shirt was especially beneficial in direct, HOT sun (and it was a 97 degree day - so perfect opportunity!).  In the shade, I prefered to take it off, to allow more breeze and have less fabric touching my skin.  Without a doubt, moving back into the sun, I was cooler WITH the shirt ON than with the shirt off.  I have since used the Equinox hoodie when gardening, walking the dog and even at my school's field day!  For sun protection that does not involve chemicals, I cannot recommend it enough.

I am staying here for two weeks because I have a membership and because I am WFM and it enables me to travel.

I heard mixed reviews about this campground but since I had a 1000 Trails membership, I figured it was worth checking out.

It was a beautiful drive from Virginia and though we arrived in early evening, the Rangers were very nice and helped us get checked in.

The sight was a little uneven and took a bit to level but it is surrounded by trees and very quiet. Most of the yẹar round resident had some kind of Halloween decoration up so the park looked great. They even had a little haunted house set up for the kids.

All in all, this is a very pleasant campground and makes the membership worth it. It's quiet, it's pretty, and you are right between Lexington and Winston Salem. I'm looking forward to coming back over Christmas.

There are a lot of reasons to love Hanging Rock State Park. That’s why it is probably my favorite state park in North Carolina.  However, I am torn between giving it two stars and giving it five stars.  In general, I would give the park five stars, but for the camping facilities, I would rate it two stars.  There is so much to do without having to leave the state park.  First, let’s look at the park itself, and close to the end I will discuss the campground.

To get to the park, you drive through beautiful rolling hills. The park has a modern visitor center with a nature center and friendly rangers.  There are lots of trails to explore, but they are not just trails to nowhere.  There are five waterfalls to see, a climbing access area, Cook’s Wall, and much more.  Moore’s Wall Loop Trail is a 4.3 mile strenuous hike, and it begins by walking by the lake.  There is a platform about halfway through the hike in which you can see the skylines of Greensboro and Winston-Salem.  My favorite trail is the Hanging Rock Trail, which is listed as moderate.  Parts of it are moderate, very short stretches are easy, and much of it is strenuous.  The last part of the Hanging Rock Trail is the most difficult, but the view at the end is worth the hike because it is spectacular.  From the hanging rock (I should say rocks since there are more than one), you can see for many miles across several counties.  The shortest hike to see a waterfall is relatively easy and is only three-tenths of a mile one way.  The lake has a swimming beach with mountains in the background, and there are also rowboats and canoes for rent.  According to what I understand from their website, canoe rentals and concession stands at the lake are open weekends only in the spring and fall (10am - 5:30pm).   I was hoping to take my kayaks next time, but unfortunately, private boats are not allowed.  Two large picnic shelters are also close to the lake. 

Here is why I would give it two stars.  The camping sites are shaded and spacious with picnic tables, lantern poles, and fire rings, but the bathroom facility is outdated (built in the 1960s).  Even though it has hot water, it is NOT handicap accessible, and the shower doors are narrow.  If you are not a skinny person, you might have trouble squeezing through the shower doors.  There are no electrical, water, or sewer hookups; however, there is access to water by way of frostproof hydrants. The campground hosts were very helpful and answered my questions.  You can also purchase bundles of firewood since taking your own firewood into the park is frowned upon.  If you are like me, however, and camp to experience the outdoors, you will not want to stay at your campsite very long.  There are just too many things to explore at this state park.  If you are going and want to truly experience the park, plan to camp at least three nights.  One day you can explore Upper Cascades falls and the hanging rock.  On another day, you can hike the Moore’s Wall trail and cool off in the lake.  On another day, see a couple more waterfalls or hike the Reuben Mountain Trail.

There is also a group camping area.  I took the Boy Scouts there once, so I decided to visit this time to see if it was still the same.  They have added bathrooms and more well-defined tent sites—quite an improvement since the last time.

We went late April on a weekend. The place was pretty packed. I think many people from Raleigh and Winston Salem come here because it's so close. We stayed until Monday, most of the people left on Sunday and Monday it was fairly empty. The park has 5 waterfalls I believe. Some are shorter hikes but almost all the hikes involve a steep hill climb of stairs. We got our workout in seeing all the sites. The bathhouses seemed kind of dated, the showers were very small with even smaller doors that didn't leave much to the imagination. You could see everything from chest up and knees down. They gave you hooked to hang your things outside the door but that would involve being naked in front of everyone to retrieve your things. We had a camper so I used my own shower. Most of the sites are small and very close together. They do control burns often so there isn't any bushes giving you privacy. I'd suggest going during the week when there is less people. We stayed in site 11 because it was one of the few long enough for our 25ft camper. No hook ups or dump stations.