## Overview

 Badin Lake Campground borders the lakeshore and sits within a shaded forest, offering a year-round retreat for swimmers, boaters and anglers in central North Carolina\'s Uwharrie National Forest. Badin Lake Recreation Area is a hub for the area\'s outdoor activities, and the campground offers spacious, waterfront sites for both RV and tent campers.
## Recreation

 Badin Lake Recreation Area offers many ways for campers to enjoy the lake. Popular activities include picnicking on the shore or swimming, boating or fishing for bass, bream, crappie and catfish on the water. Anglers and boaters have the convenience of a boat ramp 2 miles from the campground. About 40 miles of non-motorized trails are available for horseback riding, mountain biking and hiking, as well as 17 miles of motorized trails for off-road vehicle riding. The surrounding land offers both big and small game hunting.
## Facilities

 The campground has two loops of non-electric sites, some of which lie on the shore. Each site is near drinking water and is equipped with a table, grill, lantern post, campfire ring and tent pad. Flush toilets and showers are located in both loops. No dump station is available. The upper loop sites #23-35 are unavailable from January 1 to March 12, 2020. 
## Natural Features

 The campground lies in a dense forest of pines and hardwoods near the shore of 5,000-acre Badin Lake. Winter temperatures range from the low 30s to upper 50s, while summer brings temperatures in the upper 80s and 90s and high humidity. The weather is pleasant in spring and fall, with high temperatures in the 60s and 70s. 
## Nearby Attractions

 A theme park with a petting zoo, nature center and mini golf course lies just under an hour away and makes a fun day trip for families.

Badin Lake Campground

Uwharrie 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.

A relaxing lakeside atmosphere

I rented my site online and was pleased by the low price for a campsite on a lake. The road in is a little rough but not too crazy. There is not an office or anything once you arrive (so no last minute supplies) but there is a paystation if you show up and want to camp. The camp host puts out signs of when the sites are rented so that you can find an empty site for a night.

Bathrooms were clean and well lite. There is a trail that takes you around the lake edge, easy walking. Not a lots if fishing right from the edge by the campsites due to tall grasses but there is a great fishing area with docks in a short drive or 20 min walk.

Was on site 18...we had 2 tents and 2 cars and plenty of room.

Sites on the Lake, clean and easy access

We have stayed at Badin Lake campground a couple times and would recommend it to anyone that likes to kayak and fish. Being able to camp on the water and just slide the kayaks in and out is great. There are trails around the lake to explore and the sites are nice size so you don’t feel like you are on top of other campers

Great campground for kayaking and fishing

I camped here with a friend and the dogs over the weekend. I've been multiple times at Badin Lake before and always wanted to camp here. 
We had campsite 002 which was nice and shady and very private. It's a short walk over to the lake where the dogs enjoyed their swimming. The camp hosts were fantastic. Multiple times they made sure we have everything we need. 
Only the bathrooms need a little update. They seemed pretty run down and very buggy.
Overall we would definitely stay here again. It's a beautiful and quiet piece of nature. 

Very nice campground.

We went fishing for part of the day here. My son thought he was cool because he was the only one to catch fish. The dog was not thrilled!!

Fun fishing

These lakeshore sites within the forest were simply stunning. We spent three nights enjoying our campground on Badin Lake. The sites were large and could accommodate most sizes of trailers in addition to tents.  No hook-ups, so BYOS (bring your own solar).  Water spigots are scattered throughout the campground.

The bathrooms are perfect for our pandemic times because they are single use, both toilets and showers. We found them clean and comfortable, and even heated during the early spring -- not something we expect for less than $20 a night.  They take reservations, but could easily accommodate walk-ins as well.

While the area offers so many different kinds of recreation, the Uwharries are known for OHVing and can get very busy during the summer.  There are trails for days within these stunning mountains that serve as the foothills for the Appalachians. Horse trail riding is second on the list of activities within the park judging by the number of trails. Sharing these trails with horses isn’t difficult if you’re just hiking, but remember to be kind to those riders since horses can be skittish. Moutain biking is also not to be left off the list, and there are some great trails through here as well, that you don’t have to share with the motorized enthusiast. Boating is another great way to enjoy the lake, we kayaked right from our campsite and didn’t experience a lot of motorized traffic.

Serene in the Spring

Awesome location, very remote and the sites are Huge so no need to worry about a neighbor being close.  I stayed at site 11 easy access to the water and great views.  Lost of fishing and hiking paths close by.  Great camp overall. Highly recommend.

Excellent Campground

Great spot, really calm and quiet and right on the lake. Perfect for non-partying types (no alcohol allowed). Showers, bathrooms, trash, fire pit, and grill all available. The host was professional and kind to us, even brought us some extra fire wood. 

Peaceful and quiet

Stayed one night. 10 with America Beautiful pass, 20 without. Great area with 22 parking areas. Right on the lake. Water, toilets and shower ( water off probably too cold). Great views with peace and quiet. 3 day pay for drive ins, reservations take precedence but if open can stay longer. Really liked it, will make reservations for warmer weather though 

Remote at its best

We decided to make an overnight stop at Badin Lake Campground on our way to South Carolina and boy, are we glad we did. Based on a few YouTube videos, we chose to stay in Site #9 overlooking the lake. As you can see from our photos, the view is spectacular. The campground is very clean and well kept. Especially the toilets and showers, which were spotless. The sites are spacious and most accommodate various size travel trailers.

  

The only issue we had was trying to locate firewood. There wasn't any for sale at the campground and we didn't see any for sale by local residents along our route into the area. Fortunately, we were able to rustle up enough downed wood to build a small fire to roast a few hotdogs and enjoy the quiet evening.  

  

We look forward to returning in the future so we can spend more time enjoying the campground and take advantage of the various recreational opportunities in the area.

Will Definitely Visit this Campground Again

We stayed on the Lower Loop of Badin Lake Campground, specifically site 16.  There was a grassy area behind our site and a few other sites that was perfect for frisbee throwing or ball throwing/kicking.  Some even used it for their tents.  The lake was a stone’s throw behind our site, accessible via a well-worn path.  Other sites are practically sitting at the edge of the lake.  Sites 9 or 13 will be on my list for the next visit.  Plenty of flora, so the sites are relatively private.  Abundant shoreline for fishing and also lots of cover for the fish.  No ice or firewood on site, so be sure to hit the Uwharrie Trails General Store on the way in.

Loving the Lower Loop

Lots to do.... hiking, ride bicycle, fishing and off road or just relax and take in the beautiful surroundings! P.s. Dogs are welcome! 

Great Spot !

We stayed at site 14, lower loop. Nice spot! The campground host was nice and greeted us. Our tent slab area was at a slight angle but not terrible. Trail to the lake from our site, brought our kayaks. Bathrooms are okay, but it’s camping! Site close to bathrooms but not disruptive with noise from other campers. From our site we hiked to King’s Mountain Point. Check it out! Easy hike. Scoping out other sites- 1 was nice and seemed bit more secluded. 5 the best location for lake access/views. 20 is a nice double spot. Would camp here again! 

Great Campground 

Went for the weekend May 6-8. Rough weather forecasts forced a lot of people to cancel, so the campground wasn't full. Those that were there were courteous and friendly. Bathrooms and showers were surprisingly nice! No firewood available on site, but you are allowed to collect dead and downed wood. Stayed in site 16, which had easy access to the lake through a short walk into the tree line. Next to the dumpster but noise/smell not an issue at all. Hiked the Badin Lake Trail and had a great time! Easy trail, made intermediate with sloppy conditions. Be aware though that they're updating the trails and markings, so make sure to grab a map from the camp host and don't fully rely on the maps posted on the welcome boards. This was our first time in Uwharrie, and it definitely won't be our last! This was a great trip, even with less than perfect weather conditions. Can't recommend this site highly enough!

Great campground with easy access to lake and trails

Family of 6. First tent glamping with 4 boys under the age of 12. Fantastic scenery &amp; 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.

Simple, clean water & ready for adventure

Perfect lake and sunsets. Full powerboat access and fantastic kayak experiences. Smooth water and we launched kayaks, docked PWC’s and swam directly from our campsite. - The shower house is covered with the local spiders. They do a fantastic job at eating the little bugs but are creepy. They are memorable. The showers are not very cleaned and a man in a truck manages to “clean” 2 showers &amp; 2 bathrooms in about 5 minutes. (I watched him.) -

Perfect Lake. Fantastic sites. So so bathhouse.

Already reviewed back in May, but wanted to do another one for this trip over the opening weekend of Fall since it was busier. Lower loop was completely booked, but you wouldn’t know it by listening. Everyone was extremely courteous of others and nobody was really making any unnecessary noise. Beautiful weather and everyone was out and about riding the trails, kayaking, fishing, and hiking. Absolutely loved it! Bathrooms can be a bit rough, but they do the job. Check out Eldorado Outpost in Troy for a great one stop shop for supplies.

Fall experience 

If 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!!

Not terribly quiet and facilities lacking

Another quick one night stay but it was beautiful! We arrived just in time to watch the sunset over the water between the trees! 

Since I booked last minute I was only able to get an inner loop site but I can't wait to come back and get a site on the water, specifically 9, 11 or 13!  Even if you do not have a water front spot there were still ways to access the water and a fishing pier.

The bathrooms and showers were all individual stalls and decently overall clean. 

The drive in is a bit long and bumpy but beautiful! 

Highly recommend spending multiple nights here if possible.